When you think about your typical day, week, month, or year and the things you need to do personally, parentally, pastorally, professionally, and academically as it pertains to reading, studying, learning, discussing, writing about, counseling from, defending, teaching, and preaching the Bible, what are your biggest problems, pain points, frustrations, obstacles, and annoyances that take the wind out of your sails, suck up your time, stress you out, and keep you from doing what you love, what you're best at, and what you've been called to?
We're always looking for ways to "use technology to equip the Church to grow in the light of the Bible," and we'd love to explore how products and services leveraging technology might help to solve some of your biggest pain points and give you back time to spend on more meaningful activities and relationships.
If you have ideas on how we might solve your problem, feel free to share them, too. But I'm mainly interested in understanding what your biggest challenges are.
To be clear, I'm not looking for your pain points with Logos. We're already aware of most of those, and we're always eager to hear more about them. But let's do that in other threads. It's okay if your biggest pain points intersect with ways Logos isn't serving you as well as you'd like it to. Go ahead and include those things where that's the case. But I'm not primarily looking for your list of bugs and annoyances with Logos. Think bigger and broader than that.
I'll give you a few real examples to get you started.
"My library is spread across Logos, print at home, print at the office, PDFs, etc., and it's difficult for me to remember if I already own a book and, if I do, where to find it. I'd love it if I had a master catalog of my entire library in one place, ideally in Logos, that requires little work to build, maintain, and search."
"I'm constantly writing sermons, lectures, articles, emails, letters, blog posts, comments, etc. While some of what I write is stored in systems I control, organize, and can easily search, much of it isn't. Some things I write get lost on other people's platforms. I'd love to have a central repository of all of the Bible-related content I produce, enabling me to more easily find and reuse it."
"My children ask me questions about the Bible that I don't always have good answers to. Finding reliable answers takes more time than I have and requires wading through lots of unhelpful and unbiblical answers. I wish there were a place I could go to get solid biblical answers to the kinds of questions my children (and others) ask about the Bible."
Thanks!
I am particularly interested in the intersection between scripture and art - for personal Bible study, for youth & family Bible study and for corporate worship. I am constantly trying to remember whether it's the web (esp. The Text this Week), a Logos resource, or a book in my library that had the picture/sculpture/film/music/poetry/fabric art/folk art that fits with a particular passage. And being limited to what I remember is not a great way to gain familiarity with new materials. I can "waste" a day trying to find a particular item ... especially since I'm not great at remembering the precise title and artist. I'd love to have a substantial scripture to art index that I could explore whether or not I owned a resource ... with items I claim to own (In Logos or otherwise) highlighted.
Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."
Phil Gons (Faithlife):When you think about your typical day, week, month, or year and the things you need to do personally, parentally, pastorally, professionally, and academically as it pertains to reading, studying, learning, discussing, writing about, counseling from, defending, teaching, and preaching the Bible, what are your biggest problems, pain points, frustrations, obstacles, and annoyances that take the wind out of your sails, suck up your time, stress you out, and keep you from doing what you love, what you're best at, and what you've been called to?
(The following are not numbered in order of importance. The two most painful are 1. and 4., followed by 5. and 7.)
1. Lots of scanned .pdf journal articles from the last two or three decades are accessible as image .pdfs, not ones with text that can be copied and pasted into a Word document, and if they are in text, they don't wrap when copied and pasted, and don't get me started on copying a sentence that breaks across a page and how footnotes and page numbers interfere with this. All of these things also make read-aloud software a pain for me to use when I don't want to stare at a screen anymore and don't need to take detailed notes on everything. Plus, image .pdf scans of these articles are often relatively difficult to read.
2. If I half-remember a phrase or sentence from the Bible (usually in I-don't-know-which translation) and want to find it quickly, I need to use Google, which is annoying when I don't have Net access.
3. ATLA's tool for finding journal articles based on what Scriptures they cover is the best tool I know of for doing that. It also seems slow, looks ugly, gives some garbage results, and also misses some relevant stuff. Using it eats time, raises my stress level, and usually leaves me disappointed. Yet I use it anyway.
4. I can borrow physical books for academic-level theological and related studies from academic libraries, but rarely ever can I find any such volumes in an ebook library that I can borrow, never mind the ones I actually want. More and more I can access some through means to read them online, but they're often unwieldy, seemingly designed primarily to prevent book piracy while lacking in user friendliness. I end up not accessing works that I need, or accessing them after an inconvenient delay. I want an ebook lending library that actually stocks the academic theology, philosophy, and related volumes that I want to read, even if I don't want (or can't afford) to purchase everything I want to consult. And those ebooks better have page numbers!
5. I can't conveniently put quotations from texts I read on my phone or tablet (including but not only in the Verbum app) into a Word doc that I can conveniently access on my laptop. This reduces the academic reading that I do on mobile, which ultimately reduces the academic reading that I do.
6. I don't have a convenient means of building diagrams to put into handouts or other documents, so I just plain don't do it, even when it would potentially be very helpful/effective to do so.
7. My .pdf (or Verbum floating tab) on the left, Word doc on the right standard research layout relies heavily, in the case of .pdfs, on a convenient relation of document line length to font size.
Lent is here.
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About the only thing for me is SineNomine's #1 (and other aspects related to that). As Phil requested, this is not a Logos gripe other than being embarrassingly spoiled by things like PBB. But to take say, music manuscripts (say ones provided by IMSLP.ORG) such as Handel's "Messiah", would be a rich, biblically based experience for me.
1. My library resources are spread among Logos, print books at home, print books in the church office, Kindle, WordSearch, OliveTree, Tecarta, and PDF's downloaded from various sources over time. They are in English and Chinese. I need an efficient way of getting all of them in one central, searchable, filterable catalog.
1a. It would be ideal if I can stop buying Christian resources for multiple electronic platforms and get them all onto one platform.
2. I need a quick, simple, easy way (other than Google) to fuzzy-search English and Chinese biblical verses based on a few synonym keywords.
3. Over time, I have acquired a large number of Christian resources in Kindle. But Kindle doesn't provide biblical text popups. It'd be nice if there's a way to show Bible verses as I read Kindle books.
4. I have a large number of resources and ebooks on Logos and other platforms. I currently spend about an hour every morning on Apple News (and sometimes other news aggregator apps) to catch up on the day's news. It would be nice if we could have a similar feed aggregator that will suggest articles or sections from different categories of books from my library so I can enjoy and consume parts of my library by spending 1-2 hours every morning. E.g. Just like I subscribe to Politics, World News, Health, Technology in Apple News, if I can subscribe to Counseling, Pastoral Care, Youth Ministry "channels" and have it "feed" small chunks to me from ebooks in these "channels"...
Phil, thanks for asking! To pick up on MJ's glancing reference to music: probably many of us are indebted to Calvin College's hymnary.org. A few days ago I was wishing there could be some sort of link between Logos and Hymnary (think Perseus as the kind of link I have in mind). This would relieve a large "pain point" in finding suitable music for worship.
Phil Gons (Faithlife): What Are Your Biggest Problems and Pain Points? I'm not looking for your pain points with Logos. We're already aware of most of those
I'm not looking for your pain points with Logos. We're already aware of most of those
My left knee.
My thanks to the various MVPs. Without them Logos would have died early. They were the only real help available.
Faithlife Corp. owes the MVPs free resources for life.
I've given this some thought since I first read your post yesterday. I used to have quite a large collection of personal books that I would lend out to people with whom I was ministering. I would say "This is something you should read" and lend them a copy from my library. I knew that the chance of them ever purchasing it was low because many times the people I want to lend books to just don't have the money to purchase them. Since migrating 95% to Logos I can no longer do this which has been frustrating. Perhaps it is just a reality of our new world but not being able to lend my digital books is a pain and at times wish that I just had paper copies.
A second pain point is simply finding time for study and reading. I'm fairly disciplined in my time as it is but it always seems a challenge to find the time I would like.
A third pain point for me is, when I do find time to do extensive study, my eyes get strained reading on my computer. I've recently invested in blue light-blocking glasses with the hope that may help and time will tell.
I'm guessing that there is not much Faithlife can do about these things but, since you asked, I thought I'd share a few of my thoughts. Perhaps I may be missing something that you see.
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Bruce Dunning:A third pain point for me is, when I do find time to do extensive study, my eyes get strained reading on my computer. I've recently invested in blue light-blocking glasses with the hope that may help and time will tell.
I had to buy a new computer screen a year ago when the old one quit. The new one is much sharper and has 60 Hz refresh rate, and causes much less eye strain. It is almost like reading a paper. Sometimes the screen is just too bright - tuning it according to the room light level helps, too. I also use single focus glasses for the computer screen, tailored for the distance. And various eye exercises are available. All that helps.
Unfortunately bicycling in the winter also causes red eyes, but I love that kind of physical activity
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I pretty much agree with all that Bruce posted above, BUT I think that faithlife CAN do something about these things. Figure out a way to let us lend books, something that is fair for everyone. Also, as I wrote in another post, focus on improving the reading experience. Allow us to change the fonts of individual resources, and allow us to set images as custom backgrounds for our resources. Sometimes the eyes have trouble focusing on text on a pure color background because of the lack of texture. Allowing us to upload subtly textured papers for backgrounds in our reading can improve the eye strain problem.
Mine are mostly personal:
1. Self & family, I'm 82, in pretty good health, but it's all down hill from here. Our oldest son had a stroke 3 years ago and is now living with us. My wife had a stroke 9 months ago and has problems with her left arm. She's beginning to have severe memory problems. I have to do most of the scheduling for appointments, keeping everyone on schedule, a little coooking, and driving our son around. I do most of the paperwork, insurance, taxes, etc. We're hoping our 2 younger sons, and/or other family members will be able to pitch in when the time comes. We all live in the same city, except for one granddaughter.
2. Email, spam, robo calls. I like to use email because I'm hard of hearing. The email has gotten out of hand. A little is OK, but some companies (Logos) are way over the limit with repeats. We get repeat robo calls from bill collectors who are looking for people who have never lived here. I'd like to block both selected names as well as numbers. Who has the time to do all this stuff?
3. We're drowning in stuff. I'd like to sell my stuff on eBay, but don't have the time. My wife and our son don't want to yard sale their stuff or give it away. Yes, they're hoarders. I don't want to offend them, but it's already a big issue. I need to convince my wife to quit volunteering and clean out the garage.
4. Lexham has about 3 different websites that have incomplete or conflicting information in lists and/or item detail. Is it on sale or not, amount of discount, print or digital? Please pick one website, fix it with complete information, and get rid of the rest.
5. What were we talking about?
Looking forward to heaven, Dale Heath.
My biggest issue isn't something that Logos software can solve, it's a problem with the availability of books that I want to buy on impulse. Way too often, I find a book on Kindle that is not available for Logos.
As I posted on a Suggestion thread just now:
It feels like I'm always having to keep an eye on the new stuff coming down the pipeline from publishers that Faithlife usually carries. Why is it that Amazon automatically gets them all, and Faithlife has to be nudged to get some of these into the pre-pub stream?
Don't publishers like IVP, Zondervan, Baker, Eerdmans, Fortress, Brazos, Cascade/Wipf & Stock, Paternoster, P&R, and other publishers of Christian books that you have a longtime relationship with, notify you of all their new publications?
I would like to see all new books coming from the above big-name Christian publishers show up in pre-pub as soon as they're available for Kindle. I would likely buy 25% of them simply because I like those publishers and most of the new stuff they're coming out with looks interesting to me. I'm willing to wait a bit for it to ship in Logos or Faithlife ebook format, but if I don't even see it available to pre-order, I'm going to buy it from Amazon.
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With the amount of money I've spent on Logos, there is something not right when I have to go outside the program and use Google to find a verse I cannot remember because it's faster.
Ronald Quick:there is something not right when I have to go outside the program and use Google to find a verse I cannot remember because it's faster.
I must confess that I too have googled a theological topic even when Logos was open on my computer.
Bruce Dunning:there is something not right when I have to go outside the program and use Google to find a verse I cannot remember because it's faster.
Bruce Dunning:I must confess that I too have googled a theological topic even when Logos was open on my computer.
Same here, for both!!
I always used and appreciated the old, but-no-longer-supported, Instaverse app. Simple and easy to use, all one had to do was hover the cursor over any bible reference in any (Windows) program or app and the text would pop up. Brilliant! And so useful! But now, because it has been unsupported for so long, it barely works - if at all.
Why can't FL/Logos develop and support a similar app? But pulleeez - K.I.S.S.!
EDIT: Maybe I should clarify "K.I.S.S." All I would want is a simple text pop-up to be used as I read anything on my computer. Just give me the text and maybe some copy and paste - I don't need/want it larded up with all sorts of FL advertising or links, or Logos word studies or Heb/Grk parsings, multiple windows, etc., etc.
How blessed is the one whom Thou dost choose, and bring near to Thee. (Psa 65:4a)
Phil Gons (Faithlife):"My library is spread across Logos, print at home, print at the office, PDFs, etc., and it's difficult for me to remember if I already own a book and, if I do, where to find it. I'd love it if I had a master catalog of my entire library in one place, ideally in Logos, that requires little work to build, maintain, and search."
Even though it is not IN Logos, I already have this in Book Collector by Collectorz.com
Thus I would hate for Faithlife to waste time on this, since it is readily available somewhere else.
Charlene:Book Collector by Collectorz.com
FWIW: I use Movie Collector by Collectorz - they do a *great* job and put out a fantastic product for a very reasonable price!
Question: When I use Movie Collector to organize and catalog our dvd collection, I scan the UPC code on any dvd and MC will then search any of several dvd databases (including their own) for the exact version I have, then, assuming it finds the correct dvd, it will place it into my collection. In other words, I do not have to manually enter the data (except for truly obscure or long-forgotten movies). Am I able to do the same/similar for books on my library shelf?
Assuming Logos were to develop a similar, universal, library program as Book Collector, I would like to see them be able to scan the databases of any non-Logos program(s) on my computer in order to populate and avoid manual entry (if that makes sense).
JRS:When I use Movie Collector to organize and catalog our dvd collection, I scan the UPC code on any dvd and MC will then search any of several dvd databases (including their own) for the exact version I have, then, assuming it finds the correct dvd, it will place it into my collection. In other words, I do not have to manually enter the data (except for truly obscure or long-forgotten movies). Am I able to do the same/similar for books on my library shelf?
Yes you are - as long as the books have a UPC/ISBN barcode. The older books are, the less likely this is. I used Book Collector for a large library of German and English books of our family in the past and ended up providing much of the data by hand - the books being published mostly between the 1970s and the 2000s. It really was a lot of effort.
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Something like this would be a great help!