New Media
People need to engage with God’s Word in order to have their lives changed. What if they could engage with without picking up a Bible? What if it could be delivered in a new way? One that is always with them? 411God delivers God’s Word to users’ cell phones in either SMS, voice or e-mail format at a convenient time they choose each day. It helps engage people who may not otherwise take the time to read from the Bible regularly. [more...]
A presentation given at the Mobile Ministry Forum Consultation in December 2011, highlighting 7 key trends in the mobile space:
- Saturation - It is projected that we'll reach 7 billion mobile phone subscriptions in 2012. That doesn't mean everyone will have a phone, but most will have access, whether with their own phone or through friends and family. In 2011, there were 1 billion mobile broadband subscriptions. 2 billion smartphones are predicted for 2015.
- Mini Tablets/e-Readers - These are becoming more affordable, such as the $60 tablets being developed in India for school children.
- Operating Systems - Android sales are increasing, although a large proportion of current phones run on Symbian.
- Content - New content repositories are being created, such as REAP (SIL), ETEN (Every Tribe Every Nation), TWR's Linguablast and LinguaDMS.
- Facebook - Facebook is expected to reach 1 billion users in 2012.
- Engagement - There's a desire to encourage and measure engagement with content. It's estimated that 90% users read/watch content, 9% interact with it (e.g. comment/like/share), and 1% create new content.
- Security - Complete anonymity doesn't exist. There is an increased ability to monitor people's mobile use. Sharing SD cards and bluetooth transfers are safer in sensitive situations. Some countries are trying to phase out anonymous SIM cards, requiring people to register.
Watch the video in Vimeo... [more...]
"When it comes to audio and video products, the mobile phone can be an effective method of getting the Scriptures to people... who then pass them on to other people... who then pass them on to other people..."
This article discusses some of the implications of mobile phone technology for encouraging the sharing of audio/video Scripture products. Questions raised include:
- Who is your target audience?
- What are the best Scripture products for the phone?
- How will people get their first copy of the media files which they can then share with their friends?
- Are there any copyright issues involved?
- How could mobile phone technology become an obstacle to people engaging seriously with God’s Word?
- What are the most positive aspects of using mobile phones for Scripture distribution?
Bible.is from Faith Comes By Hearing brings together Bible text and audio so you can read and listen to God's Word using a web browser, iPhone, iPad or Android smartphone apps. Verses can be shared via Facebook and Twitter.
You can select from over 96 languages and 160 Bible versions, and this continues to grow as part of FCBH's Digital Bible Project - an exciting venture to create "the world’s largest online library of Bible text & audio – all in a friendly, simple user interface." [more...]
Blind and partially sighted people who cannot read standard print may use one or more accessible formats to read the Bible. Their choice may depend on the degree of sight loss, whether they are at home or in public, the amount of storage space available, how much they have to read and whether they are comfortable operating modern electronic equipment.
Torch provides an online listing of Bibles in accessible media available from a range of organisations. These include: audio, braille, e-reader, large print and online resources. [more...]
How do you get Scripture video into a format that people can watch and share on their mobile phones? You'll need a program that can convert video to 3GP and MP4 file formats.
In this paper, David Phillips compares three video conversion programs: Miksoft’s Mobile Media Converter, Acala 3GP Movies Free, and Any Video Converter.
Choosing the right video file type can take some trial and error with sample phones among your target audience. You might need to distribute mobile phone video in at least two file types. For example, H.263 3GPP (.3gp) video files are used for many low-end phones with small screen sizes and less powerful processors. MPEG-4/H.264 (.mp4 or .3gp) video files are what you'll need for higher-end phones and smartphones (such as the iPhone) which have larger screen sizes and faster processors.
There are all kinds of options to choose from (video and audio codecs, bitrates, frame rate, sampling frequency, screen size, etc.), so it can get complicated. That's why it's good to have a converter program that meets your needs and level of expertise, giving you the options you need but not too many to confuse you. [more...]
Two entire generations have been born in a digital world who favor digital media over any other... But there's very little that is good interactive media that connects them with the Bible, that is designed for them. We really felt that the time was right to create a digital Bible that would connect with this generation, as an alternative to paper for them, because they don't use it.
Releasing in late 2009, Glo is a digital edition of the Bible with thousands of articles, photos, animations, videos and maps. Interactive features allow users to customize reading plans and journal, with access available from a computer or smart phones.
Next year the publishers hope to add an audio Bible and social components to allow users to interact with friends and encourage each other in Bible reading. [more...]
The JESUS Film Project is developing a Digital Media app to make all of the JESUS films and related videos (Magdalena, Children's version, short films, discipleship films, etc.) in all languages available via smartphone and tablet apps.
"As revolutionary as Bill Bright’s original vision was to reach the world through the university campus, so the new Digital Media app could have just as much potential to transform the world. Tens of millions of people in closed nations will be able to see and hear the gospel on their smartphones or video tablets in their heart language─no matter where they live or how dangerous it may be for Christians there. And people can link anyone to the app through Facebook, a blog or a Tweet with Twitter."
You can find more details and an introductory video on the JESUS Film website. [more...]
The Jesus Film Media app is now available (currently in beta) for iPhone, iPad, Android smartphones and tablets.
It features the films JESUS, Magdalena, Story of Jesus for Children in full length and segments; the series Following Jesus and Walking with Jesus and catalog of short films like My Last Day.
Users have the ability to find resources by country, language name, theme and title of the film. Languages are being added, with the aim that users will have free access to films in over 1,100 languages. [more...]
The Logoscom association trains pastors in preaching with visual aids and encourages systematic Bible meditation using audio and video. They seek to create relevant visual tools for our modern world of communication.
Take a look at these websites for Scripture Engagement resources in French:
- www.logoscom.org (resources for churches)
- www.allobible.org (video and audio Bible downloads, teaching on personal Bible meditation, ideas for leading groups)
- www.allobible.mobi (website for mobile phones).
Henri Bacher is a creative Bible engager and used to work with Scripture Union in Peru. See for example, the video Bible Stop. [more...]