Calling all Portfolio owners

I upgraded to the Platinum Logos 4 package, but my heart wanted Portfolio. However, I was too scared to make that large of a financial commitment, plus I had pretty much burned my 2009 book budget.

However, it's now 2010 and I have a new book budget but, unfortunately, the introductory special ends soon. So, for those of you who took the Portfolio plunge, was it worth it? Are you satisfied with your purchase? Any regrets?

Thanks for your input as I only have a week left to make a final decision.

Christina

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Randall McRoberts

Yes. Yes. No.

Rosie Perera

I took the plunge and upgraded from Gold directly to Portfolio with the discount. I have not regretted it. There are certainly some resources in it that I didn't care about, but there were enough that I wanted which all together would have cost much more than the upgrade price, that I think it was worth it. I am not sure I would have done it if it were going to blow my entire book budget for the year, though. I am still not using all of what I have in my Logos library, and I could probably spend the next two or three years (during which I could have saved up for the other resources I wanted) getting more familiar with it all and making sure I'm really using it to its fullest capacity. There's something to be said, though, for grabbing what you can now at a good price for future use. And there's something to be said for following your heart. But make sure your head is involved too by doing the math, and if it works out to be a good deal for you, go for it!

Friedrich

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/81965#Comment_81965

Christina, I am still figuring that out. [:P]

I JUST upgraded after looooong deliberation. While I believed certain other pre-pubs were hotter wants at this time than Portfolio, once I looked over the resources and considered the cost to resource ratio, it was pretty much a no-brainer. Now, I say that as a person who had a small amount Portfolio resources in my library already (ISBE, Baptism collection, stuff from Carson, College Press NIV, etc), having purchased them as pre-pubs, etc. It still cost me 1300. I am glad to get a wide variety of books, commentaries, Hebrew and Jewish works, encyclopedias, devotional commentaries (Getting to Know Jesus), etc.

I am glad I have it.

Praiser

I upgraded to Platinum from Scholars Gold right away when Logos 4 became available. After about 2 weeks of looking over the resources in Portfolio, realizing how many were on my wish list and adding the cost of those up, I realized that the package upgrade would cost less than the resources I wanted. Along with those, I got many more that I didn't know I wanted until I had them. So for me, I was glad I made the plunge and have no regrets.

Since you are asking, I know you will appreciate the resources.
I suggest that you pray about it, and If you are at peace with the decision, then definitely go for it!

And if you decide to stick with the Platinum package, you still have loads of great resources!

Jim Oesterwind

From a person who didn't upgrade but looked over things closely -

I decided that Platinum was fine. I am not going to upgrade to Portfolio. The upgrade would cost me approximately $2,000. I am at the point that I'm carefully looking at prepub items and those things I really need. My next major purchase will be the Theological journals. The commentary section of the upgrade was the clincher for me.

Ted Hans

To borrow the words of Randall - Yes. Yes. No.

Ted

Mark Martin

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82148#Comment_82148

I am very pleased with the upgrade to portfolio and have no regrets.

Jim VanSchoonhoven

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82151#Comment_82151

I did not upgrade, although I have considered it many times!

The upgrade would cost me around 2000.00, is it still a good deal the answer is a big yes!!!

However, I am on a limited budget, and I am buiding my resources based on price and need!

I believe there are gaps in the Platinum package, but as I look at the Portfolio package, it really does not fil those gaps well. I decided if I spend 2000.00, I would get the best bang for my buck and meet my needs best by putting together my own package, using my felt needs as the standard rather than just looking at book value. If I had more money and was just looking for the best buys on the market I would snap up the Porfolio package, there is no doubt that the value is there and it contains a lot of good reference books, but for me those reference books do not fall in the need area, as much as other books do!

You need to ask yourself, not only is this a good value, but does it provide me with books that I need for this next year, or would more of my needs be met with other books, even if they were not as great of deals!

One last comment, it is very hard for me to see how anyone that bought this collection at these prices would regret buying the package based on the value of the books contained within the package, to me the only regret would come from being on a limited budget and finding out I really needed other books and now I can't afford to get them.

In Christ,

Jim

Pam Larson

I upgraded from Gold to Portfolio and have no regrets, but my upgrade cost was only $800. (I'm still amazed and grateful I got such a good deal.) Considering that the College Press NIV Commentary Series alone cost $750, it was well worth it to me.

Rev. D.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82181#Comment_82181

I upgraded from Gold to Portfolio and have no regrets, but my upgrade cost was only $800. (I'm still amazed and grateful I got such a good deal.) Considering that the College Press NIV Commentary Series alone cost $750, it was well worth it to me.

Pam, wow what a price! What upgrades/pre-pubs had you added to your library before upgrading to Portfolio?

Thanks!

Christina

Michael Krogstad

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82181#Comment_82181

Wow! Only $800 from Gold to Portfolio? So, this begs a question in my mind. As you look over the portfolio and compare what it has, do you find that there are many of the resources you have already purchased? Or have you purchased a lot of resources outside of the Gold package you had?

Michael

Ken Shawver

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82188#Comment_82188

Wow Pam, what a deal. If that had been my Portfolio cost I might have considered it as well. As it is, like others I am on a tight budget and will be upgrading to Platinum as it has a majority of what I am interested at this moment. Portfolio has a few, but I will either wait and pickup the specific titles or determine the need justifies the cost.

Right now, for me, it doesn't, but that doesn't mean that it's not a good deal. I just can't spend $2300+ which would take up several years of book budget funding when Most are not that important right now. Platinum makes sense as there are a handful of books I really want and their individual cost would eclipse that upgrade price by a significant amount.

Have a blessed day.

Rev. D.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82188#Comment_82188

It seems like a lot of people are waiting to hear back from Pam regarding that awesome price. What a blessing for her! At $800, I'd purchase Portfolio in a heartbeat!

Christina

BillS

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82209#Comment_82209

At $800, I'd purchase Portfolio in a heartbeat!

Maybe 2 heartbeats or more, but [Y] +1

But at a quoted $2080 to upgrade, it isn't even close enough to call sales... I'll learn to explore & find contentment with Platinum.

Michael Krogstad

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82215#Comment_82215

I agree with you here. I had the same price upgrading from Gold through Platinum.

Michael

David Wilson

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82181#Comment_82181

Per the original question, Yes, Yes and No.

I would have been willing to pay $800 too, but they only asked $787 so I agreed quite quickly; but only after careful comparison of the content I did NOT already have with what I thought I would use and eventually get when the time was right. Like others, the Portfolio content is so large that there were titles in there that I thought and still think I will probably never use, but that is not the point. In fact the scope is so large that there are probably enough titles you would NOT really go for, that you wonder if the total package is really worth it. If you think that, I would urge you to take a closer look. The point is how good a deal is it for you to get the titles you WOULD use. For me I stopped counting after the new titles I would use got to be over three times the cost to me of the upgrade. And there were many more that I had not yet counted.....

And YES, to get such a good deal on the upgrade you had to have had a good record of participation in pre-pubs (many of which are a good deal, many of which I passed over earlier and subsequently regreted, only to find them offered as part of the Portfolio package; which helped push me into the upgrade)....

Suggestion when you look at pre-pubs: consider both the probability that you will use the books AND the percentage discount between the pre-pub price and the Logos Sale Price. Some are only small discounts, some are 75% or so. A high percentage discount can compensate for some collections where you might only use SOME of the books listed in the collection. Buying these later (if subsequently offered as individual titles), you may find cost individually as much as (or close to) the cost of the collection at the pre-pub price. Not all pre-pubs are equal with respect to discount or value. Select wisely....

Jim VanSchoonhoven

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82302#Comment_82302

If my upgrade price was only 800.00 instead of a little over 2000.00 I would own the Portfolio collection right now, and still have 1200.00 to fill in the gaps in my library.

What a buy, but you must have already had a bunch of the titles OR Logos just likes you most!!!!

In Christ,

Jim

Bill Gordon

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82308#Comment_82308

I like having the extra books. I never know when I might need the information in one of them. I have also purchased several of the journals. It is amazing how often the information I am looking for is in one of them.

Erasmus once said, “When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”

Gabrielle is reported to have said, "Real poverty is the lack of books."

Rosie Perera

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82393#Comment_82393

I like having the extra books. I never know when I might need the information in one of them. I have also purchased several of the journals. It is amazing how often the information I am looking for is in one of them.

Erasmus once said, “When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”

Gabrielle is reported to have said, "Real poverty is the lack of books."

This was written about paper books, but it applies equally well to digital ones:

"Those who aspire to the status of cultured individuals visit bookstores with trepidation, overwhelmed by the immensity of all they have not read. They buy something that they've been told is good, make an unsuccessful attempt to read it, and when they have accumulated half a dozen unread books, feel so bad that they are afraid to buy more. In contrast, the truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more."

– Gabriel Zaid, So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance

Pam Larson

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82209#Comment_82209

It seems like a lot of people are waiting to hear back from Pam regarding that awesome price. What a blessing for her! At $800, I'd purchase Portfolio in a heartbeat!

Christina

Gee, now I'm starting to wonder if Logos made a mistake! It's true I have participated heavily in the pre-pub offerings, but the big ones like Anchor and NIC aren't in Portfolio. I did already own Baker Exegetical, ITC, SPCK, and Baker Hermeneutics collection. Also I think the Christmas Library Builder from 2 years ago had a lot of the individual titles.

Rev. D.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82517#Comment_82517

It seems like a lot of people are waiting to hear back from Pam regarding that awesome price. What a blessing for her! At $800, I'd purchase Portfolio in a heartbeat!

Christina

Gee, now I'm starting to wonder if Logos made a mistake! It's true I have participated heavily in the pre-pub offerings, but the big ones like Anchor and NIC aren't in Portfolio. I did already own Baker Exegetical, ITC, SPCK, and Baker Hermeneutics collection. Also I think the Christmas Library Builder from 2 years ago had a lot of the individual titles.

Pam, I don't believe they made a mistake. A representative from Logos actually saw my post, reviewed my account and explained why my upgrade price is so much higher than other massively blessed people like you and David (smile)[:)], who only paid $787, is because I hadn't previously purchased a lot of the items included in the Portfolio package. I too have purchased a ton of additional resources like Anchor, Hermenia, Interpretation, Word Biblical Commentary, NICOT/NICNT, Library Builder, The Forms of Old Testament Literature, along with several other individual items. Unfortunately, once again, none of my major purchases and very few of my additional purchases were included in Portfolio so my price was much higher.

After reviewing Portfolio closely, I realize there are at least 3-4 resources I wanted to purchase this year. The cost of those items alone is almost as much as it would cost me to upgrade. I am waiting anxiously for the Apple announcement tomorrow because I really need some type of tablet device that would enable me to access my Logos library in a more powerful way. I hope Logos will let us know what type of tablet devices are compatible with Logos after the announcement.

I also want to thank Philip from Logos for taking the time to read and respond to my inquiry. It's the dedicated, hard-working and compassionate people like Philip that remind me why I love Logos so much!

Everybody, thank you so much for your input. Please feel free to keep the comments coming! They are helping out more than you could ever imagine.

Blessings,

Christina

Abraham M. Payton Jr.

I upgraded the first day it was available and have no regrets. It was worth it for me and I am quite satisfied. Like others I have spent a considerable amount of time utilizing and exploring this vast resource. It will be interesting to read your decision.

Abraham

Paul Strickert

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82572#Comment_82572

IIRC, I spoke with Philip last month, too. (It had nothing to do with Portfolio.) He was VERY helpful. [:)]

Daniel Bender

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I'm not seriously interested in the Portfolio package, though I have been eying some of the Jewish resources in it; I was also curious if those who made the investment were truly satisfied. Currently I own Platinum and have about 35 items in Portfolio as well as many others not in any of the packages. It would be difficult for me to make that large of an investment ($2000) for things I may never use (there are only a few items in the package that perk my interest and yes, I understand that I would still be getting a deal). I'd rather save my resources for the Pre-Pubs.

Your comments were helpful.

Friedrich

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82852#Comment_82852

fwiw, the "value" of Portfolio also changes, once the extra percentage discount vanishes after January 31. That I also had to keep in mind. I figured I would rather want Portfolio than not, but if I waited, and it essentially doubled after Jan 31, upgrading would be that much more difficult for me.

There are a lot of hidden gems in portfolio. I DO think it is lacking a killer commentary series, like NICOT, AY, Hermeneia, ICC, or something.

Matt Rees

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/82488#Comment_82488

This was written about paper books, but it applies equally well to digital ones:

"Those who aspire to the status of cultured individuals visit bookstores with trepidation, overwhelmed by the immensity of all they have not read. They buy something that they've been told is good, make an unsuccessful attempt to read it, and when they have accu :)mulated half a dozen unread books, feel so bad that they are afraid to buy more. In contrast, the truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more."

– Gabriel Zaid, So Many Books: Reading and Publishing in an Age of Abundance

Rosie,

That made my evening, thanks! [:D]

Rev. D.

I upgraded to the Platinum Logos 4 package, but my heart wanted Portfolio. However, I was too scared to make that large of a financial commitment, plus I had pretty much burned my 2009 book budget.

However, it's now 2010 and I have a new book budget but, unfortunately, the introductory special ends soon. So, for those of you who took the Portfolio plunge, was it worth it? Are you satisfied with your purchase? Any regrets?

Thanks for your input as I only have a week left to make a final decision.

Christina

I took the plunge and upgraded to the Portfolio package a few minutes ago! The cost of 13 resources I wanted that are included in the Portfolio package was $4,452.40, and this doesn't even include all of the other resources I'll probably end up using. This fact, plus the release of the iPad, gave me the final push I needed. I'll be able to get more use out of my library using the new technology and the price was just too good to pass up. I'm still regretting not purchasing the Yale Anchor Bible Commentary series when it was on pre-pub, so I promised myself, if at all possible, not to make that mistake again.

Another reason for my decision to upgrade was also based upon all of the wonderful feedback that you, my sisters and brothers in Christ, gave me in your various posts. So keep me in your prayers as I learn to enjoy popcorn, peanut butter and store brand jelly which will be my diet for the next several months! At least I can grow some vegetables in the spring. Yoo hoo!

Have a blessed weekend!

Christina

Jim VanSchoonhoven

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/84220#Comment_84220

Well congradulations, it looks like you made a great buy based on YOU, and YOUR wants and needs and that is what counts! I am sure you will enjoy the additional books!

In Christ,

Jim

Michael G. Halpern

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/84230#Comment_84230

Maybe I should not have read this thread today...I too purchased the Platinum (in December from Gold) and right after reading Christina's final entry above, I decided to take advantage of the best price I could get as well and made the final plunge to Portfolio...thank God for Academic Pricing!

Brent Hoefling

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/84437#Comment_84437

I bought it. I think it is worth it, and no regrets about the portfolio itself.

If it was an l3 offering, I think I would have stuck to that though.

l4 isn't done. can't see many of my resources that l3 has. not sure if I will ever be able to. Further; every time I have made a major version upgrade, I have lost some number of resources from my total. happened from 1 to 2, from 2 to 3, and now again from 3 to 4. they say the 3->4 is because of the way the metadata is and that some resources are now considered one, instead of several volumes. but I just can't see the requirement to do that. when I open my L3 and see over 4000 resources, and then open my l4 and see less than that (not by just a few), my OCD kicks in and I wnat to know not only why, but exactly what is missing.

with all that said... reread the post and understand that I have been around since the stack of floppy discs, and will continue, as their support for this tool as a "library" and their commitment for me to be able to keep my "library" in new versions is amazing. kudos to Logos for maintaining a view of the big picture of the whole.

I dont' know the tens of thousands of dollars I have spent on resources and continue. When I die, I have placed my library in my will to give to my daughter.

Blair Laird

I do recommend upgrading. I upgraded from gold to platinum and after more consideration upgraded to portfolio. I am fully happy with the resources I now have available. I do wish they had more reference material in Porfirio but for the price it is definitely the way to build your library.

Emery Horvath

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/84526#Comment_84526

I do recommend upgrading. I upgraded from gold to platinum and after more consideration upgraded to portfolio. I am fully happy with the resources I now have available. I do wish they had more reference material in Porfirio but for the price it is definitely the way to build your library.

I went the same route though I did call Customer Service when making the final upgrade to Portfolio. I was given a slight discount by the salesman because apparently you pay a little more by going through these three steps individually than if you go directly from Gold to Portfolio

Friedrich

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/84752#Comment_84752

I went the same route though I did call Customer Service when making the final upgrade to Portfolio. I was given a slight discount by the salesman because apparently you pay a little more by going through these three steps individually than if you go directly from Gold to Portfolio

I should have called. I emailed, but no discount! [:O]

That said, I didn't see a difference. I went Gold to Plat to Port and i believe the relative cost was the same (noticing how much the Port was to begin with, and then after I upgraded in 3 steps.