I know this has been brought up.... But... REMOVE IT.
Just remove this feature. I can't get the feature to stay unchecked, it’s intrusive and no offense, but I did not buy LOGOS as a social media to find out what others are reading. If I wanted to know I'd ask or I’d follow them on twitter or facebook.
As you can tell I really don't like this feature.
Anthony Hamlin: I know this has been brought up.... But... REMOVE IT. Just remove this feature. I can't get the feature to stay unchecked, it’s intrusive and no offense, but I did not buy LOGOS as a social media to find out what others are reading. If I wanted to know I'd ask or I’d follow them on twitter or facebook. As you can tell I really don't like this feature.
You probably won't like the feature any more after my comment, but here goes anyway :-)
The purpose of the reading list is not to see what people are reading, but to discover what resources outside of those easily found in Logos have been beneficial to people as they have studied a topic. There are many great discussions on a given topic within Logos resources that do not show up in Passage guides and may be difficult to find in a search. I view the reading list as an easy way to find those valuable resources.
I do agree with you, though, that one should be able to remove it from the homepage. If this is not the case right now I would certainly agree that it should be on the todo list.
I do understand the concept and recognize the potential for discovery (err-ahh, user evangelism / point of purchase or position marketing, LOL)... and I may also not be utilizing it to its Nth degree.
But ultimately its' duplication with other channels of information (already viable methods, albeit not necessarily [but nearly always]delivered directly into Logos) via forum socializing, product page web site, not to mention content delivered within Logos like "Excerpts", "Blog", "News", or external "email notification", etc, etc, etc.
The whole thing can easily be replaced by a simple question posted on the forum. “Hay, anyone know some good reading materials on topic “X”?” You would then be inundated with specific help.
It is said in scripture:
There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
Likewise it could be said that there may be all kinds of information on topics (and there is) “none of them is without signification” except that its significance is only relative if it coincides with my topical pursuits. If it does not then it’s consuming space, bandwidth, and my attention, etc., for no purpose except that through the odds of the number of individual who see the information it would find it’s mark and exult the list creator( just a joke, LOL).
Anthony Hamlin:The whole thing can easily be replaced by a simple question posted on the forum. “Hay, anyone know some good reading materials on topic “X”?” You would then be inundated with specific help.
Obviously given my involvement with topics.logos.com, I disagree. The links to web pages from topics is to me far more useful than a google search and the fact that the choices are from a broader range of beliefs than my social network leads me to articles and topics I would not have otherwise considered e.g. the recent Mennonite-leaning topic of head covering.
Anthony Hamlin:I do understand the concept and recognize the potential for discovery (err-ahh, user evangelism / point of purchase or position marketing, LOL)... and I may also not be utilizing it to its Nth degree.
There is only one pair of topics where I would 'accuse' the creator of the list to be engaging in "user evangelism". In the lists I have created, I have made a distinct effort to reflect multiple views of a topic. What I may have done that has hindered others' adoption of topics.logos is add a number of topics that stretch the range of topics, specifically to include Orthodox and Eastern topics. My apologies if this has been counter-productive. My hope had been that the topics would pique interest in the less well-known.
I have also started base topics, hoping that people knowledgeable in the area would update the list - I fear that, also, is not happening.
I also appreciate that the Logos references are organized in reading lists which can lead me more quickly to key passages.
Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."
Let me point out that I in no way was suggesting that a Google search (in fact I never mentioned Google or links from within the reading list) would garner the same quality of results but more, if I can say it another way... that a question posted within the Logo’s forum would facilitate similar, relevant (and I dared to say specific) topical resources.
MJ. Smith, I say these things to you humbly and mention this so as not to be misunderstood as chiding and remind readers that part of what I had written I said with humor as the intent.
I appreciate your position and as I said I do recognize the potential for discovery beyond say; ones understanding of the scope of a topic, or ones denominational leanings or even ones current education level.
That said I am not alone in my “attitude toward its usefulness” especially for me. Let me say that again, my perspective is its usefulness to me. Others are bond to disagree. If this feature provides significant usefulness to the customer base, by all means keep it, make it robust. I have to admit that I would eventually have an occasion to search through it and utilize it but not as a featured function.
This would really be a moot point if I could turn it off and it would stay off.
Blessings in Christ Jesus
Anthony Hamlin:This would really be a moot point if I could turn it off and it would stay off.
I'll admit to being far less interested in turning things off than many Logos users. I see each on/off switch as one more logic branch that can fail. As a result, I have a high tolerance for irrelevancy and a great ability to ignore it.