Personnel changes at Faithlife

And they really need to improve and expand the functionality of Biblia (web) for their primary user base.

They are doing so. Biblia.com remains a place to access books and read the Bible for free. However app.logos.com will be where additional functionality is to be found. They already have some interactives, various guides from the desktop, the atlas, etc. there. To access the beta version, you must have a Logos Now or Logos Cloud subscription. 

And they really need to improve and expand the functionality of Biblia (web) for their primary user base.

They are doing so. Biblia.com remains a place to access books and read the Bible for free. However app.logos.com will be where additional functionality is to be found. They already have some interactives, various guides from the desktop, the atlas, etc. there. To access the beta version, you must have a Logos Now or Logos Cloud subscription. 

At the risk of jumping into another rabbit hole and moving this thread off topic again.... There is a small hope that the web app may be released to a no subscribing public. Part of the NOW model is to develop things, some items like new features that are very data intensive will likely always remain inside the NOW model... Other things like RSV OT interlinear I would expect to find it's way into Verbum 7.0 Libraries/Logos 7.0 Libraries. The WEB APP is something I am not sure if it has been decided yet if it will always be subscription only or once finished will be made available to all users. There is no doubt it is sever intensive being done completely on FL servers, but then most all the heavy lifting of the mobile APPS are using the same servers to get their results. This is the one thing that gives me hope that this one day may replace Biblica and be the natural web access for all FL customers. But as said above as far as I have heard no decision has yet to be made on it, but until it is fully fleshed out and functioning it will remain within the NOW model I am sure.

-Dan

Only a customer since Logos 4.  Anyway I am a civilian user (not clergy, teacher, preacher, etc) and have the software for my own enjoyment.  I have not spent thousands but it might be a little over a thousand over time.  Regardless, I trust Bob and company not to leave me high and dry.  I do wish them the best of luck and reading all of this makes we want to go find something I want to buy even if it is not in the thousands of dollars category.

You're going to be fine, and we're going to be here to support you. 

To Bob, The Laid-off workers, and Logos users,

One unknown source gives a breakdown of what the average person worries about:  

This sounds like Dale Carnegie from How to Stop Worrying and Start Living.

Due to the server issues that happened tonight, I wonder if anyone in the "server management department" was on the list. :-)

It might have something to do with this: http://www.zdnet.com/article/serious-security-flaw-found-in-openssh-puts-private-keys-at-risk/

If you are sure of the source, I will pass it on to the compiler who sent it to me. Regardless, the principle message remains.

I can not check my paper copy to be sure because I can no longer read the printed page due to visual impairment. I agree the principle is true.

Faithlife don't use OpenSSL - they're on a Windows stack. 

Does this have anything to do with "personnel changes at Faithlife?" 

However, is there any truth to the content of this website? https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Faithlife-RVW9169552.htm

I tried to respond to the individual directly, but unable to do so.  If this site is so, or partially true, we have been misled. I am not worried, but I am concern about those laid off (frequency and treatment of workers). I am the let Bob, be Bob person. However, this in no way I endorse  him or anyone to exercise unchristian behaviors or create a hostile work environment.

Who is James G. Fowler? He claims to present "another perspective of the recent lay-offs"   I don't want to be the source of fear mongering, but have we been sold a "bill of goods" on the laidoffs?  

However, is there any truth to the content of this website? https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Faithlife-RVW9169552.htm

I tried to respond to the individual directly, but unable to do so.  If this site is so, or partially true, we have been misled. I am not worried, but I am concern about those laid off (frequency and treatment of workers). I am the let Bob, be Bob person. However, this in no way I endorse  him or anyone to exercise unchristian behaviors or create a hostile work environment.

Bob will probably respond on Glassdoor fairly soon. He normally does. He's probably waiting for the dust to settle a little.

A great company doesn't become a terrible company overnight. As I understand it, two major decisions have been made in recent months — the first to dramatically downsize the Verbum department, and the second to dramatically downsize the marketing/sales department.

With regard to the former, whilst the Catholic focus has been very much appreciated by many, it's taken a massive marketing push to get where it has, and it's still less popular that Logos Reformed and Logos Baptist, which don't have their own branding, blog, videos, training materials, etc. It looks like Faithlife may have taken the view that whilst they want their Catholic market to continue to grow, a massive marketing push is not the way to achieve that.

With regard to the latter, the majority of complaints about Faithlife over the years on the forums have been to do with marketing — over-promising and under-delivering, or simply poor communication. Plus, the 'salesman' model is surely dead in 2015, isn't it? So we shouldn't be surprised that there have been big job cuts in sales, and we shouldn't be surprised that people leaving the marketing department are generally negative (sometimes very negative). Most of us have been negative about the marketing department at some point.

You can take this one of two ways.

On the one hand, you can conclude the company is in crisis, and disaster is around the corner. On the other hand you can applaud  the company for finally attempting to fix a long-standing problem. Probably the truth is somewhere in between, although I'm inclined to believe it's nearer the latter than the former.

I hope that Bob and others will be taking the opportunity to ask, "How did we get here?", and the lessons learned through that should serve the company well into the future. The need for better HR oversight and more honest marketing/sales seem to be two recurring themes. But there are other things too, no doubt.

is there any truth to the content of this website?

Charles,

I have tried to avoid even posting a emoji on this thread, but I'll jump in here.

First, everyone who is a regular on the forums knows I'm not a Faithlife Fanboy. I have been critical of FL where I thought it was warranted (and perhaps overly so on a few occasions). I quit playing the trumpet 30 years ago, so I'm not about to jump on any bandwagons.

But as a manager of people, I'm going to have to come to FL's defense on this one (particularly Bob's, even though I'm sure he doesn't need my help). Without going into a treatise, let me simply say that if you manage anyone or anything and don't tick somebody off, you aren't doing your job. If you do your job well, you will really make someone mad, and if you do your job exceptionally well, you'll **** someone off royally (pardon my French) [6].

That's to say this: Take everything you see posted on a review site with a grain of salt, if not a teaspoon full. (Yes, that'll make you throw up, which is a fair response to much of what is posted on review sites.) We don't know the whole story. Remember the proverb about one man's story seeming right until the other side is heard? That proverb was written with managers in mind. Yes, there are bad managers and there are good managers that make bad decisions. But in 20-something years of managing, I can't recall ever seeing one of these types of accusations that didn't fall apart when more of the story was revealed. Remember, patience is a fruit of the Spirit. I have yet to find a translation where jumping to conclusions is listed as a fruit. (Truth be told: the way I've learned to be patient on these issues is by jumping to conclusions and then losing a chunk of my behind as a result. I may gain weight as I age, but I'll never have a big butt.  Too much of it has been bitten off over the years. [:P] )

Hope this helps. I appreciate your concern for folks, or I wouldn't have bothered to write this.

However, is there any truth to the content of this website? https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-Faithlife-RVW9169552.htm

I tried to respond to the individual directly, but unable to do so.  If this site is so, or partially true, we have been misled. I am not worried, but I am concern about those laid off (frequency and treatment of workers). I am the let Bob, be Bob person. However, this in no way I endorse  him or anyone to exercise unchristian behaviors or create a hostile work environment.

Who is James G. Fowler? He claims to present "another perspective of the recent lay-offs"   I don't want to be the source of fear mongering, but have we been sold a "bill of goods" on the laidoffs?  

There are 2 sides to every story... I feel it is important to hear the people at the glass door but we are only herring their experience and it very well might be only a partial truth (their truth fully as it is known but does't take FL side into account. Is FL a perfect place to work.. probably not, is Bob doing his best to make it better, I would hope so. I have heard rumours outside of the forums from former employees but do not repeat them here. I hope we have not been sold a "bill of goods", time will tell... I wish noting but the best for all the employees who have been let go from FL in the past few months.

-Dan

Contrast Logos with YouVersion for example.

I like both Logos and YouVersion, but don't confuse a business with a church (YouVersion).

How is YouVersion a church?

Just scanning through all these posts, am I getting it correct that just sales people are laid off or does this include people who are working on the technical side of things.

I for one am a bit nervous, having seen Biblesoft go through a similar (or not so similar path) suddenly & with a lot of hints that it would go down the tubes. 

I've mentioned this before so suffer the repetition, but things that should have been addressed a year or go or more are still in limbo. Thus my question regarding the techies - have they been reduced in number also? Unfortunately, I saw this trend with Biblesoft, e.g. things which were being promised / suddenly people leaving or laid off and now we know, the rest of the story!!!  

Again, pardon my ignorance, but if things were ever to go pads up at Logos, or is it now just Faithlife, does this mean what I presently have purchased / the program itself, is not going to work at all or as well?

I'm not nervous at all ... just thinking of doing a few laps around Tim Hortons!?!