Where does the lone beginner start?

I'm new to Logos and need to get started learning it on my own, since I'm not part of a community/school/education. The tutorials, commercials, deals and information is an impossible mass to navigate without guidance. Where to start? My objective is to work with bible texts and commentaries only. Not sermon notes or prep. I'll love you forever, if you can help me get started.

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Keith Pang

You can check out the quickstart videos in your library. You can also look at the course how to study the bible with Logos that is included with most base packages in Logos 7. Or you can check out learnlogos.com

Fred Chapman

There are many excellent support videos on the Logos Pro site

You can also find some practical and affordable training at www.learnlogos.com

Morris Proctor, who is the official trainer for Logos, offer Camp Logos DVD's. These can be purchased from the Logos site. They are a little expensive from my perspective, but Morris does an excellent job.

Fred Chapman

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914629#Comment_914629

I left off the quickstart videos Keith mentioned. Those are good as well.

Mark Smith

You can get a good start by using the Home Page Go box and typing in a passage or topic and hitting Enter.

On the Home Page or on the layout page, in the upper right there is the word Layouts. If you click on that it will open a menu that has some pre-made layouts on it (as well as any layouts you have saved). The Home Page Layouts duplicate layouts you would get by starting on the Home Page. The Quick Start Layouts give you other simple layouts you might find useful. Click on one to have it open.

The various Interactives (like Psalm Explorer) have an About button which opens a screen that can help you understand what you are seeing and how to use the interactive.

Logos has built a large number of Search suggestions into the Search tool to make it easier to use. One caution is that not all the suggestions work with different input data, but they will show you how to build a search.

The right click menu in resources gives you many options to quickly search for information or open other Logos tools or resources. Play around with that, esp. in a Bible, to see what the options are.

Don't understand a term? Logos Help (the ? in a circle on the upper right) can often help.

Do a little exploring or learning every day and soon you will feel very comfortable with Logos.

Check out the things I've pointed you toward, but Keith's suggestions, and Fred's suggestion about Logos Pro videos are a good place to start.

Bruce Dunning

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914630#Comment_914630

Welcome to the forums Annie! In addition to those on-line videos don't forget the obvious of returning to the forums to ask any questions that you may have. I have been blessed over the years by the collective knowledge of this amazing community. Consider it as an integral part of your learning process.

John Schwandt

If you don't want to hassle with learning how to use tools first, you could consider working through a Mobile Ed book study course. This would provide links to commentaries, guides, and tools with every segment.

https://www.logos.com/mobile-ed/topics

https://www.logos.com/products/search?Bible+and+Apocrypha=New+Testament&Product+Type=Logos+Mobile+Education

David A Egolf

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914643#Comment_914643

If you don't want to hassle with learning how to use tools first, you could consider working through a Mobile Ed book study course. This would provide links to commentaries, guides, and tools with every segment.

https://www.logos.com/mobile-ed/topics

https://www.logos.com/products/search?Bible+and+Apocrypha=New+Testament&Product+Type=Logos+Mobile+Education

Annie,

You didn't say which product you have. However, all the Logos 7 sets seem to come with a Mobile Ed course on Jonah which is intended to introduce you to the use of Logos.

If it isn't listed in your resources, you can always order the FREE Logos 7 Basic which will include it.

You might want to visit a previous thread intended to garner advice for new users: http://community.logos.com/forums/p/140699/897026.aspx#897026

David

AF69

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914659#Comment_914659

I was not too long ago in your EXACT position. Trust me, I know how it feels.

I went through the quickstart videos with Morris Proctor that come with Logos. Those were helfpful, but extremely introductory and left me wanting for more.

I am in seminary so my intentions are much more academic than pastoral, so I did a little research.

The Logos team has an "Advanced Academic Training Bundle" which I sampled, but ended up going with a different product. This Mobile Ed seems to be slightly more than beginner, but nothing too in depth.

Then, after scouring the forums and asking some of my own questions, I came across the "Verbum Advanced Training" course. This series of videos is amazing. I'm two thirds the way through and I am extremely impressed. There are little projects that the tutors do on the screen and talk about what they're doing -- and with my second monitor I actively watch them while I mimic their exact motions in Logos (I mean Verbum). Which reminds me: these two are basically identical (as far as this course is concerned) so don't let the name "verbum" make you think it's not applicable to Logos.

Now, these videos might best be prefaced by going through the quickstart yourself, or perhaps the "Verbum 360." I haven't gone through that myself, but it's made by the same two people and is meant to be introductory. I presume it is very good.

After the Advanced series I plan on going through "Verbum Advanced Searching," also made by the same duo.

And in case you're wondering, I am not Roman Catholic, and these Verbum training videos are in no way "exclusive" to Verbum vs. Logos or Catholic vs. Protestant.

I hope this helps!

Alex

Anette Ejsing

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914664#Comment_914664

Gosh, I'd love to sit down with you guys, shoulder to shoulder, in real time. While you were responding to my question, living in Europe, I was sleeping. Thank you so much for your detailed responses! I find it extremely time consuming to find one's way into a big program like this online. Intro videos are way too slow and basic. Advanced videos way to packed. A jungle.

Anyway, I'm now starting to explore your suggestions. Thanks so much!

I have the Logos 7 Starter Feature Set with a base package library.

Question. What's the top commentary that you'd recommend purchasing? Wait for a deal? Where's the best place to check out deals?

Best, Anette

Anette Ejsing

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914664#Comment_914664

Thanks, Alex. Yes, this was very helpful.

Annie

Graham Criddle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914737#Comment_914737

Question. What's the top commentary that you'd recommend purchasing?

What are your areas of interest? (Sorry to answer with some questions[:)])

Are you looking for:

something academic
something that engages deeply with original languages
something that focuses on application
something that is more devotional in nature
something that focuses on NT/OT or spans both

Anette Ejsing

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914664#Comment_914664

Which Verbum Advanced Training are you now going through? It seems like there's no basic version, but that all are Advanced Training "Something". And did you really purchase it for $100? Best, Annie

Anette Ejsing

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914744#Comment_914744

I'm looking for "Something academic" mostly meaning commentaries, cross references, and some word studying. My background training is Theology.

Annie

Anette Ejsing

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914659#Comment_914659

Thanks, I found the Jonah training course. A great start, it seems. Just learned how to make notes.

Annie

Anette Ejsing

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914627#Comment_914627

Thanks, Keith.

Anette Ejsing

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914643#Comment_914643

Thank you! It seems like Mobile-Ed consists of actual courses, though. At this point I'm after learning how to master the Logos tools.

Anette Ejsing

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914635#Comment_914635

Thanks, Bruce!

Anette Ejsing

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914630#Comment_914630

Thank you!

Anette Ejsing

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914634#Comment_914634

Hey - those were good starting tips! That's my kind of approach. One little tool at a time... Thanks.

Graham Criddle

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914747#Comment_914747

I'm looking for "Something academic" mostly meaning commentaries, cross references, and some word studying. My background training is Theology.

Some worth considering are:

NICNT/NICOT - https://www.logos.com/product/134480/new-international-commentary-on-the-old-and-new-testaments (expensive but excellent - the link is to a bundle comprising both OT and NT volumes, but smaller sets are available)
Pillar - https://www.logos.com/product/55640/pillar-new-testament-commentary (again excellent, somewhat cheaper but just in the NT. Currently on sale but just during July)
Tyndale - https://www.logos.com/product/8593/tyndale-commentaries (cheaper again, less in depth but good, spans both OT and NT) Available in quite a few base packages so worth looking at those if this is of interest)
New American Commentary - https://www.logos.com/product/55024/the-new-american-commentary-series (more expensive than Tyndale and more in depth, again spans OT and NT, also available in some base packages)

And I am sure others will suggest a different set!

AF69

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914755#Comment_914755

With my academic discount, I got the Verbum Advanced Training for 54 dollars. Full price it is 100, yes. But I think it's worth it.

I did about half of the Jonah Mobile Ed and the Verbum Advanced Training blows that one out of the water (in my opinion).

The link to Verbum 360 is here: https://www.logos.com/product/50349/verbum-360-training

But that seems pretty pricey. I would recommend going through the quickstart and Jonah Mobile Ed to give you a good familiarization. Then if I were you I'd save my money for the Verbum Advanced Training.

David A Egolf

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914743#Comment_914743

Don't miss the fact that there are Logos mobile apps available for FREE. They will run on Android and Apple devices, both phones and tablets. The tool sets aren't as strong, but many of us do all of our serious reading and note-taking on tablets. Most of the books in your library will be available.

They allow you to run split screen with the resources synced. Thus, you can put a commentary on one side and your favorite Bible on the other. They allow you to take notes. All the notes, highlights, and reading plan progress is automatically synced to your desktop.

Knowing that many mobile devices have limited storage, the apps will allow you to pick which resources should be downloaded to the device for working while not connected to wifi. (Alabama, one of the guys who can answer the hard Logos questions on this forum, would usually step forward, at this point, and point out that it is not a good idea to download too many resources to mobile devices. The apps work much better if you hold it down to a few dozen of your favorites.) However, as long as you are connected to the web, your full library will be available.

Justin Gatlin

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/914751#Comment_914751

Thank you! It seems like Mobile-Ed consists of actual courses, though. At this point I'm after learning how to master the Logos tools.

While the Jonah course involves some teaching on Jonah and a lot of instruction in the software, all of the Mobile Ed courses offer a lot of teaching and some instruction in the software. The webinars on LearnLogos.com are much better value, though, if applied instruction is what you are after.

I second Graham's commentary suggestions. Gold is the peak value for base packages, if you are committed to using Logos to study the Bible. NICOT/NICNT is not in any base package, is very expensive, and is the commentary I would (as a full-time pastor) take a second job to get if I did not have it.