Well, I asked my loyal readers/followers/friends what would make youversion.com better and neither of you had a single idea…or you think YouVersion is perfect just the way it is. Actually, Darren tried to leave a comment, but alas, comment part of my blog went belly up; that one’s on me. (By the way, the mission critical parts of the blog are working, but there are some cosmetic things I’m still working through.) I even provided an idea to prime the pump, “Out-Google Google/Youtube; make on-line sermons, (youtube, vimeo, tokbox, podcasts, etc.) searchable and cross-referenced via search terms, Twitter hashtags, etc.” But, I got nothin’ from you, so I guess I’m on my own.
As visionary as my prime-the-pump suggestion was I realized that it’s an awfully selfish suggestion. Ultimately it’s born of a desire to make my life easier. Oh, and it’s also trying to show-off; to show how outside the box I can think…well, maybe not that far outside of the box.
All of my other ideas were self-serving as well: syncing bookmarks between platforms, i.e. Firefox and iPhone; downloadable reading plans; off-line reading; live chat with friends…on and on ad nauseum.
So, here’s an idea that really doesn’t help me at all. It’s what one of my best friends would call a “Kingdom Idea.” And, yeh, I’m intentionally trying to get out of the box.
With that said, I’m offering an open letter to youversion.com; let’s think of it as a challenge. That’s right, I’m throwing down and talkin’ smack! Let’s see what you got, playahs!
My idea starts with a client for the One Laptop Per Child initiative [http://wiki.laptop.org/go/The_OLPC_Wiki] notebook called the “XO”. An open-source Linux client for Sugar should be easy. How about an Adobe Air app for the Microsoft XP “lite” OS that runs some XOs? Another possibility is a Java client. Porting the existing smart phone Java client for youversion over to the XO shouldn’t be too difficult.
Rwanda is getting ready to distribute 100,000 XOs to their children [http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1997940,00.html?xid=rss-mostpopular] and then follow up with a distribution to at least half of their 2.5 million remaining school children. What if each of those had a copy of the Bible, or even just the New Testament, in Kinya-rwanda, French and English on it? That would rock like a hurricane!
Peru and Argentina plan on distributing 260,000 and 60,000 respectively. A Spanish translation on each one? Dude!
I realize there are a ton of “politically incorrect landmines” to this plan of installing Bibles on PCs distributed by governments. I don’t know Mr. Negroponte, chairman of the OLPC idea, personally and I don’t know his spiritual disposition, but there probably will be some substantial hurdles to overcome the “proselytizing” aspect of this.
So, why not develop, build and distribute our own $100 PC? We can call it the “tO!” Get it? The “t” looks like a cross. Oh, well, marketing isn’t my thing.
But really, it can be done. We’ve spent $250 billion in American churches over the last decade or so. We can certainly can poney-up $181 per notebook (yep, that’s what the XO costs) to equip missionaries to build relationships through education and technology. Yeh, I know that there are technophobes who think that technology is inherently evil, but once upon a time the Guttenberg press was cutting edge and look where that got us.
We don’t need to start “over-there”, either. We could start right here with at-risk kids in our cities or on Native American reservations. There’s no shortage of beta-testers.
And, the money is out there, too. I’ve worked a telethon for CBN, c’mon Patty Rob. Or, how about the Salvation Army? They’re still working through that cool $1 billion from the Kroc’s (the brains behind McDonald’s). I know that the Kroc donation is intended for Kroc Centers, but think about each kid that comes to a Kroc Center with their own PC with the youversion app on it. S. Truett Cathy? I’d give up my profit eating Chik-fil-a coupons to free up some funds for this project. I don’t know Mr. Cathy, but I bet he’d be all about this. Hey, Southern Baptists…how about throwing some of your Great Commission Resurgence money behind this?
Yep, the money is there. Besides, God’s plan done God’s way never lacks God’s supply. He owns the cattle on a thousand hillsides. If He needs to raise some capital He can sell some burgers.
Anyway, there’s my idea. Do with it what you like, but please don’t waste it. And, if you need someone to head up this project, then I’m available. Hmmm, I guess this idea was a bit self-serving after all.
Oh, one more idea…how about a cooler mobile app icon? Really, is that brown thing really representative of the most progressive, visionary Christian on-line presence in the world?
We’re having some technical difficulties with the site…duh! That’s why the pictures at the top don’t match at all the menu selections you’re used to. Also, none of the permalinks are working. Can you believe it? Just when I need this site to show my social networking savvy it goes kablooey!
The fine technical people at my hosting service are looking into it. The good news? Just like Jesus, I save. Well, not exactly like Jesus…OK, not at all like Jesus, but still my data is safe.
We’ll return you to your normally schedule RealWords as soon as possible.
*For those of you attempting to help me by adding comments to my post about YouVersion.com, the link for comments isn’t working, either. Please visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bassett.joe and leave comments there.
OK, here’s the deal. YouVersion.com (you know, the online Bible thing that all the 20 somethings claim they’re bringing up on their iPhones when the pastor says, “lets’s stand in honor of reading God’s word,” but instead they’re checking Loopt to see where everyone is going for lunch?)…anyway, they’re looking to hire a Zealot; um, someone to work with and recruit partners and to tout the obvious virtues of silicon-based Bible materials over carbon-based ones. Well, that might not be exactly how they would put it, but you get the idea.
I’ve applied for this position. Those of you who know me will probably picture a name plate outside of my office that says, “Joe Bassett – Zealot” and say, “duh.” Well, they’ve asked me to submit several writing samples, one of which is a blog post to the YouVersion Team with “some ideas on how you think YouVersion could be better, offering suggestions and recommendations. So, I thought, “Hey! I’ve gotta blog already and I can use it to demonstrate what a ‘social-media maven’ I am and how much I get the democratic incubator that is the internet!”
Here’s where you come in. Chances are that you followed a link from one of my tweets, or Facebook, Linked-in, etc. posts (see, I’m entirewebs savvy) that asked for help. Please help me write my blog post by leaving comments on how YouVersion could be better…sure, as if (shameless sucking up to YouVersion Team).
Just so that no one can say I didn’t come up with anything on my own I’ll make the first suggestion: “Out-Google Google; make on-line sermons, (youtube, vimeo, tokbox, podcasts, etc.) searchable and cross-referenced via search terms, Twitter hashtags, etc.”
OK, I’ve done my part, now how about helping a brother out? Lines are now open…
Here’s some streaming video from my amateur radio shack. You might catch me checking into an EmComm (emergency communications) net such as SATERN or ARES, a travel and information group or working a contest. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to hear my end, but you will be able to hear transmissions from far off and wonderful places around the globe.
I laugh hardest when comedy stretches reality just one or two millimeters beyond itself. Do you remember the Saturday Night Live commercials that were only one small step outside of realism? Sometimes you couldn’t tell if they were real or not.
Or, how about the best Seinfeld routines? Was the second spitter really any more plausible than Oliver Stone’s JFK? How many of us know, or are, close talkers?
My particular favorites are when people take my personality quirks and just barely stretch them through imitation. Through tears of laughter I ask, “Do I really do that?” The answer from family and friends is inevitably “yes!” It’s a chance for me to see myself through someone else’s eyes. It’s a rare, and sometimes uncomfortable, gift.
Recently, those of us that call ourselves Christian were given this rare gift. The creative PR folks at Electronic Arts gave us a rare chance to look at ourselves. Using a viral marketing technique they staged a mock protest of their new game “Dante’s Inferno.” You can read about it here: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6211829.html?part=rss&tag=gs_all_games&subj=6211829 It was such a good “production” that it fooled The Los Angeles Times for a while http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/06/e3-protesters-target-dantes-inferno-game.html. The viral marketing also included a faux website.
The upstart to it all is that it didn’t real stretch reality all that much. Protesters marched in front of E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center with “trade in your playstation for a praystation” posters and handed out tracts that read “a video game hero does not have the authority to save and damn… ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE and he will not judge the sinners who play this game kindly.”
Compared to some of the posters seen at the memorials to US service men these are rather tame. Granted, those are extremes, but did the actors employed by EA really carry slogans any different than the bumper stickers some of us put on our cars.
As a consultant that seeks to help churches understand and relate to the culture of their times (like the Sons of Issachar) I have spent years striving, in vain, to truly see Christians and their churches through “outsiders’” eyes. As I approach my thirtieth “spiritual” birthday it becomes extremely difficult to “remember my chains.”
Finally, thanks to the unsuspecting modern day prophets at EA I have just a glimpse of myself through the eyes of someone else. I’m not laughing. Do I understand why those “outside” Christianity find it funny? Absolutely. Do I blame them for finding it funny and entertaining? Absolutley not! I would find it hysterical if I were them. And I hold no malice or contempt for anybody that chuckles, giggles, guffaws or ends up ROFLOL. In fact, I choose to laugh with them.
But, for those of us that are “in the family”…well, it should break our hearts. It should break our hearts that they’re right. Their perspective is true and accurate. We really do behave exactly as they have portrayed us. Maybe not us personally, but that really doesn’t matter. As a group we really are more “against” than we are “for.” We really are more against homosexuality than we are for the homosexual; more against abortion than for the pregnant teen; more against pornography than for setting sex slaves free; more against a particular political view than for finding common ground to solve society’s problems.
And, true to form some Christians missed the opportunity to take a look at themselves and instead decided to take offense. Christian commentators and bloggers came out attacking EA and the mock protest. But, there is some encouraging news: many of the usual suspects in the “against” crowd haven’t stirred the pot. Maybe, just maybe, we’re starting to abandon our failing “against” strategy.
I propose that we replace it with a new “for God, for people” approach. In keeping with the whole internet/texting/tweetshrink groove I suggest it be the IALMFGATPHLTIAATSPDTIDLS (I’m A Lot More For God And The People He Loves Than I Am Against The Stuff People Do That I Don’t Like Strategy). OK, so I’m not as clever as the PR people at EA.
Hey, wait! Isn’t the IALMFGATPHLTIAATSPDTIDLS just the Greatest Commandment? Love God…love people.
