Confused by Faithlife ... still
I visited faithlife today ... first time in a while ... and it seems to be the same as it was many months and years ago ... but worse!
'My Faithlife' seems to have many biblical quotes from people I have never heard of ... no disrespect is intended to them ... I simply do not want to 'follow them', to use the Twitter phrase. I cannot see why they are on my page ... unless they are in the same group as me (possibly the theology/denominations group, or the collections group). I cannot see a way of deciding which groups are generic (and to be hidden) and which groups are personal (where I actually converse with the individuals, to be seen). Does anybody know how to filter the content in that main panel of 'my faithlife'?
Not that I use the groups beyond those with useful shared documents ... simply because I still cannot find any groups! The search does not seem to be any different from the past years ... either nobody uses faithlife, or the search terms I am using are wrong ... or something! Is there a browsing facility that I have missed? One that might show by region?
Apart from the frustration of having to log in the Faithlife so that these forums will work ... I am concerned with the recent move of Logos to the Faithlife brand ... complete with forum logos and at least one MVP referring to the 'folks at Faithlife', or similar, (again, not a slur against our wonderful MVPs) ... my concern is simply that if the Faithlife brand ever becomes established outside of this community ... and people search for Faithlife instead of Logos ... they will find the Faithlife forums (unfinished) and not the bible software (world beating). I see that this forum is marked Faithlife - Beta ... is there going to a new version soon?
Thanks.
2017 15" MBP, iPad Pro
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Martin,
If you see activity in "My Faithlife" that is not interesting, just hover over those users to see which groups you have in common. In those groups, just reduce your participation to Follower and you'll no longer see their interactions on "My Faithlife" unless they specifically post to the group you follow. The reasoning is that you are closely tied to the other members of groups where you're a member and their interactions are likely to be interesting to you.
Thanks,
John
Thanks for the reply John.
The problem with your suggestion, as I understand it, is that 'Followers' do not seem to have access to the documents. So far, it is the documents that have been with only redeeming feature of Faithlife, the theology/denomination tags group in particular.
There is a tension here ... a group's documents can become more useful the larger it gets (or the more useful the documents leads to more users in the group, like myself). BUT the larger a group gets, the greater the need to filter out the chatter. It seems that whilst Faithlife is inert, there is little need to filter out chatter from groups to which you belong ... but should Faithlife ever succeed then I would expect a greater demand for users to take control of their home page.
2017 15" MBP, iPad Pro
'Followers' do not seem to have access to the documents.
You can ask the group administrator or moderators to change the groups settings so that Followers can Connect and Share documents.
There is a tension here ...
You are absolutely correct. With limited resources comes a tension between building features that will attract more people and building the features required *when there are more people*. Right now, we're prioritizing the features and design adjustments with an eye toward making Faithlife.com *the killer app* for connecting with others around the Bible so that more people feel compelled to get involved.
making Faithlife.com *the killer app* for connecting with others around the Bible so that more people feel compelled to get involved.
John,
Just a suggestion..
Maybe you guys need to throw is some free books or some type of giveaways for people to participate more in Faithlife community.
They way Faithlife is progressing now, I doubt it'll ever be a "killer app". Not enough advertising and honey..
I have looked at Faithlife on a few occasions, and each time I do I feel like I'm looking at a blank page. I haven't got a foggy clue what it does...it seems to me like a design ghost town. I just don't see any "there" there.
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"The Unbelievable Work...believe it or not." Little children...Biblical prophecy is not Christianity's friend.
Lots of good questions and concerns here. I'd also like to see some development on this. I know Bob recently noted that Faithlife.com is a priority. It just hasn't materialized yet.
Jonathan Sine
Pastor - Squamish Baptist Church
2 Cor. 4.6
I have been on Faithlife.com since they first opened it a couple of years ago. I have tried to get several groups involved and our church group was a test group for feedback.
In answer to your questions, most of the functions are the same there has been very little changed on the front end with the exception of feature additions such as discussions, prayer requests, photos, etc...
The use of faithlife.com is sporadic. There are some active groups but generally they tend to be very specialized. And example would be groups about Greek, etc.
Faithlife has great potential, but I think in the world of facebook and twitter, it is going to take a lot for it to be adopted as another major social network.
davidtaylorjr.com
That was my point you were just more blunt [;)]
davidtaylorjr.com
I agree with these analyses. I watched "The City" flop with a dull thud, and while Faithlife is more creative than was The City in some ways, it is harder to use in other ways.
I'll buy somebody's lunch if it explodes into popularity, but I don't see it either.
Eating a steady diet of government cheese, and living in a van down by the river.
NB: Perhaps the author of Hebrews was on to something when he said we should actually meet together. (Flame-proof suit on.)
Eating a steady diet of government cheese, and living in a van down by the river.
Something like that was the arguement of Gerhard Lohfink's book Jesus and Community. Of course, it is dated in that it was written before the internet explosion...
The Gospel is not ... a "new law," on the contrary, ... a "new life." - William Julius Mann
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I understand the divergence that Faithlife makes from these other social applications but the competition for learning through online/social media is pretty significant. I'm mean, just look at Moodle and Angel. Facebook, Google+, Tumblr and soon Ello. (I know, Apples and Oranges)
Well isn't that the rub of social media.... it's the illusion of relationship. I'm not speaking of Faithlife per se.
But social media doesn't model real life relationships. It gives the illusion of closeness when for the most part it’s actually superficial. I think it actually makes people feel more isolated but they don't immediately recognize it because of the emotional illusion. The tangibility of closeness is missing. This may have more to do with making a distinction of personality types and usage. Many people say things on social media irresponsibly that they would never say in a real face to face social setting. Not to mention, how does one filter down to the stuff that really matters with all the inane and combative chatter? [^o)]
Faithlife, what's the reality? What's the effectiveness as opposed to a live sit down? To divvy out a reading list before a sit down is so far the best adoption I have seen, but for the average church member that is still pretty much hit and miss. Otherwise it's all heavy Logos users and specialist groups that utilize the "inside the app/web" functions of Faithlife. The person on the pew can easily use another method to discuss and share without signing up for Faithlife, in fact they do in my neck of the woods. [:(]
I know Faithlife's purpose is to be something better than all this. But to date I still have to export out of Logos/Faithlife to have a Bible study, to teach or preach. I may access the apps briefly while doing these tasks but it's very limited. There seems to be a certain amount of distraction (I'm purposely being ambiguous here) that is associated with using the app that make people hesitant and it also seems I'm dealing with people who are still very tactile.
Is this the experience everyone else is having?
Perhaps the the purpose and goals of Faithlife are languishing... in the "eye toward the killer app". I'm spit-balling here so don't jump down my back.
Features and design adjustments are great but if adoptions rates are so low why not divvy off some of the development budget for a short time and get some fairly significant Faithlife evangelism going. Roll out some free videos showing a pastor interacting through the app with the congregation while teaching. Or better yet, make some videos with collaborative bible study in action and others on facilitation that reaches out to the person on the pew. You won’t have a hard time selling to the pastors if the congregations are already on board.
I feel better, how 'bout you. [:D]