The BLB Blog

The official blog of Blue Letter Bible

BLB: Year in Review (part 3)

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2011 was quite the year here at the Blue Letter Bible.

We added a lot of new content to the BLB website, including (but not limited to) commentaries, devotionals, and image galleries.

We also labored hard, by the good grace of God, to serve you beyond the BLB website. This year, we did this through two big initiatives:

Social Media in 2011

The world we live in today is not only more technologically savvy than the generation prior, but it is also more technologically connected. With what they are calling “Web 2.0”, the Internet is no longer just a place for information and business; it is also a tool for media, networking, and relationships. Riding in on this new wave of technology is social media. As a ministry of people who love God’s word and desire to serve you in your own love for God’s word, we started leveraging a few social networks to better connect you with our free resources and tools. This year, we ramped up our usage of Facebook and Twitter, and we launched this blog you’re reading now.

The Blog gets updated every weekday in order for us to share free content, introduce new resources, and provide other articles to serve you in your studies. Here is what a few of you have said about the blog over the last year:

“It truly is a blessing this Blue Letter Blog! I did not discover it at its inception. Read starting here and see the progression of its blessing. As I read starting with the beginning entry I felt my faith grow even stronger. The pointers to Scripture so sweet. Thank you Blue Letter Bible Blog authors for your work as a vehicle to share amongst the nations.”
—Pat G.

“Merry Christmas, everyone. I am blessed to be part of this online community. I feel like I have another family in these pages. I, too, use these pages to study God’s Word. I think one of the greatest ways God has been working in me to change me is through Day by Day Grace. And I learn so much from my “family” on these pages (all of your posts enlighten me, too, and cause me to think). Thank you, Blue Letter Bible writers, for this amazing ministry. I look forward to more in 2012.”
—Debi C.

“I’m happy to see the BLB squad ought to minister in more and more ways to those hungry for studying the Word of God.
I tweeted, ‘Check out the new @blueletterbible blog! http://blb.sc/00009X‘
Thank you for all the great tools to study the Bible. God Bless.”
—Lewis C.

“Thank you for sharing such a powerful message of truth. It is more important than ever that we fill our hearts with the Word of God and Know Jesus more & more intimately.”
—Pat D.

Thank you for the kind words! We praise God for the fruits of this ministry. We hope and pray that the blog continues to bless you in the next year to come!

In addition to the new blogging initiative, we have continued to post updates and resources on our Facebook and Twitter profiles. We started 2011 with around 50,000 Facebook users following our page. The interaction there has grown over the year, and as many of you continued to share BLB resources with your Facebook friends, that number eventually grew to 70,500 (today). On Twitter, we began the year with around 4000 followers, and with increased usage and the growing popularity of our free Bible study tools, that number has more than doubled.

Is there anything to look forward to in 2012 for the social media realm? Yes! Through the blog, we will be adding new updates and teaching series in 2012. You can also look out for a more user-friendly Facebook experience and a BLB page on Google+. Stay tuned for more information in the coming months!

Mobile Apps

Another initiative we worked hard to develop this year was in mobile apps. So far, we have only been able to develop apps for Apple iOS devices (iPod touch, iPhone, iPad). The app is available for FREE in the App Store. Many of the study tools available on the website are accessible through this app (including lexicon, concordance, devotionals, commentaries, and more). A favorite function for many users is the parallel viewing function which allows users to choose two Bible translations for parallel reading and version comparison.

The popular BLB app is available for FREE and offers a parallel reading view (for comparing translations), along with many other features from the BLB site.

What if you don’t have an Apple device? Have you been asking for a droid app? We’ve heard you loud and clear! We hope to begin developing more apps in 2012 to better serve our mobile users. Please pray for the provision of funds, resources, and time so that we can do this effectively. In the meantime, all mobile users can access our mobile site at http://m.blb.org.

Please consider supporting the BLB

We covet your prayers and kindly ask that you would consider supporting our ministry. Please visit the Blue Letter Bible website for more information.

 

Comments

  1. I want to say Thank-you for setting this up for our Devotioals, and studying the Bible, as I can’t read my Bible, as the print looks blurry, but when I get on this site I can read this really clearly. Thank-you again.

  2. I Thank God for BLB, especially the audio bible part. I have children who can’t read yet and some who are just learning to read. So this helps them out. For me I use BLB almost every morning and even at work sometimes.
    Thank you

  3. Used this incredible search engine for the last 10 years. Takes you to the heart of each parable with the defintions down to the base root words in three languages, truly the most advanced bible reader can go deep deep and far deeper with each day of earnest and hard study into the truth of the bible which at sometimes is overwhelming and not even close to what is being taught in the church. The greates tool ever to study the word!

  4. This Blog leads us to many resources that we can use to increase our faith.

    Thank you so very much for these special tools. Using the Blueletter Bible for Scriptural citations a wonderful way to study daily.

    Our grace grows daily. Christ is our Sabbath and Tabernacle.

    Have a Blessed Christ Mass as we remember YHVH Y’shuah Immanuel was born and through His death is our Salvation.

    “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; this DO in remembrance of Me” ( Luke 22:18,19; 1 Cor. 11:23-26 )

    The Apostle Paul says: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” ( Gal. 6:14 ). By itself, we find no salvation in the birth of the Lord Jesus, for salvation was only made possible through His death (i.e., His shed blood) and resurrection. Our focus should be on the cross and our ascended Savior.

    The birth of our Savior and King

    http://www.crossroad.to/HisWord/verses/topics/birth.html

    Give the special gift to your family The Wardrobe of the King.

    http://crossroad.to/Victory/Armor.htm

    Use these studies in conjunction with Scriptural Citations here and be blest!

  5. Thank you for those beautiful tools you have provided to support the work of the Lord, this will be a blessing for my life and ministry. However, I must point out that there are problems with versions in Spanish and some versions in English that are not online, does not appear in these Bibles the book of Exodus, would be good if you could correct this situation.
    God Bless your ministry

  6. Whenever I turn my iPhone sideways to better read the content, the computer script information is displayed. After returning to the vertical position it is still there. I have to delete the App and the re-install to get back to normal text viewing.