Is There Anybody Out There? SDA's?

Fred Littlefield
Fred Littlefield Member Posts: 145
edited November 20 in Resources Forum

This forum looks like it died in 2019. There is little to no activity here. What happened to all the Logos users? I am guilty of this too. I haven't posted here in about a year until today.

Does it have anything to do with the fact that Logos/FaithLife doesn't seem to respond to our needs anyway so there is no point in talking about it?

Are We out of questions and have all our questions answered?

If you happen to see this post tell us why you have not been posting here in the last year.

Comments

  • Fred Littlefield
    Fred Littlefield Member Posts: 145

    The Forum Thread title was a typo. Really! I didn't see it until I posted it. Can someone fix it or maybe that is why there are no new posts here, because we are SADs.

  • David Ames
    David Ames Member Posts: 2,977 ✭✭✭

    Does it have anything to do with the fact that Logos/FaithLife doesn't seem to respond to our needs anyway so there is no point in talking about it?

    "Logos/FaithLife doesn't seem to respond to our needs because": 

    We do not have enough members here to pass the pre-pub or community pricing test.  There are [or were] some SDA items on community pricing but they got less than 40% / 60% of the needed bids [Biblical Research Institute Collection is at 60% or so at $35]

    Logos has a working business model.  Get enough current members to agree to pay for a book and then start working on it.  Logos stays in business.  No new groups get to play as current members are not interested in the books of the new group.

    Small groups: SDA and Orthodox [and maybe others] get no new books because the vast majority of the customers are not interested in books that they want. And so Logos gets no new customers in those groups.  [catch 22??]

    [[But there are Personal Books.  But copyright and licencing often prevent us from sharing the ones we created.]] 

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,408 ✭✭✭

    Does it have anything to do with the fact that Logos/FaithLife doesn't seem to respond to our needs anyway so there is no point in talking about it?

    Sort of. 'Talking about it' usually requires a champion (eg Blair for Orthodox), and then maybe 5-6 years of mind-numbing suggestions. After a toe-hold, then it goes back to sleep, and potential customers move on.

    Logos has a working business model.  Get enough current members to agree to pay for a book and then start working on it. 

    Given what Logos offers (quite amazing, if you list everything out), and the size of the potential market (pastors, priests, Christians, and all the way around the world ... universal web on the horizon), I'd view the business model (not the software) as either a disaster, or maybe they're still getting started.

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • David Ames
    David Ames Member Posts: 2,977 ✭✭✭

     I'd view the business model (not the software) as either a disaster, or maybe they're still getting started.

    As a business plan it works - if the current customers don't want it, as measured by not enough pre sales to pay for production, don't offer it.

    But when they want to expand into another 'group' they can not sell to the current customers as they are not interested.

    With Seventh-day Adventist they had a ready source of resources from one source. I don't know how they got their start in Orthodox.

    But the next set of books for them are a problem if they use the pre-pub pricing path and use the current  customers to judge if they will sell. 

    For example wanted here is the new Seventh-day Adventist Commentary.  The old one sold for around $200. The new one will be somewhere near $2000 at $35 per volume.  [I might pickup Daniel and Revelation, Ezra, Nemiah  but that wipes out my $120 per year current budget]

  • Linval London
    Linval London Member Posts: 45

    I think the biggest issue has been the lack of representation at Faithlife.  We used to have a product manager, but he retired and they have not replaced him (though it wasn't from lack of trying).  If we had that individual who would be the one to ask the questions and push for support on products, then there could be more activity here.  

  • SineNomine
    SineNomine Member Posts: 7,043

    With Seventh-day Adventist they had a ready source of resources from one source. I don't know how they got their start in Orthodox.

    A lot of Orthodox materials are of interest in particular to Catholics, and the Early Church Fathers are a joint heritage of the two, so that helps a lot.

    “The trouble is that everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself.” St. Peter of Alcántara

  • David Ames
    David Ames Member Posts: 2,977 ✭✭✭

    A lot of Orthodox materials are of interest in particular to Catholics, and the Early Church Fathers are a joint heritage of the two, so that helps a lot.

    Yes, after backing out the Church Fathers from the count My Logos Library is:

    20% Catholic, 15% SDA,  8% Orthodox,  5% PBB, and 22% "non biblical" [[Harvard Classics, Free Library, Perseus Digital Library]]

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,408 ✭✭✭

    I think the biggest issue has been the lack of representation at Faithlife. 

    I think you're right. I clearly remember Black Thursday (I made that up, since all the other days are taken). That was after someone broke into the back door at Logos one night, followed by laying off a large portion of Verbum right before Christmas (great timing).  But they struggled back, and MJ is never one to give up.  So, an enthused SAD product manager would be good ... I think the staff is sharing the waterfront for now.

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.

  • Lynden O. Williams
    Lynden O. Williams Member, MVP Posts: 8,973 ✭✭✭

    Start calling, writing, begging, pleading, to all Adventist Printing Press to publish their material in Logos. 

    Mission: To serve God as He desires.