Yesterday I wrote about the simplicity of YouVersion bookmarks. This simplicity is a mixture of "K.I.S.S." and "It just works." The folks at Lockheed Skunk Works and Apple would be so proud.
Simplicity is reason #1 of why YouVersion's bookmarks are so darn addicting. Today I'd like to discuss the other two reasons: #2 - These bookmarks are functional; #3 - They fill a great need.
A second reason why bookmarking has achieved such a colossal response from users is that it is functional. While you can simply bookmark a reference verse and store it away for future use, you can also raise your bookmark to the next level by giving it a title and a label. This makes it so much easier later on to come back and recognize the reason you bookmarked the verse in the first place. The labels make it easy to categorize groups of verses within any particular theme. When combined with the Search function (we'll talk about that in future posts), this becomes a powerful Bible study aid.
Quite honestly though, I believe the reason why bookmarking has become so phenomenally successful is because of the great need that both new and experienced Bible students feel for an easy to remember pointer. Like the GPS Navigation program remembers addresses so you can quickly pop in where you want to drive, the YouVersion bookmark helps people pre-route their future course in Bible study.
Let me illustrate with a real-life example. One of the ladies in my church, who is most excited about her YouVersion Bible app, tells me she loves the bookmark function. (Actually it's her second favorite feature. What's her favorite feature, you ask? Big Fonts!) When I asked her how she used the bookmarks here's what she told me:
I used the bookmarks the other day when I was preparing for our Bible Study. I bookmarked all the passages we would be talking about that night so that if I wanted to refer back....I had just those passages available to me....
The plain truth is that those of us who have been in the church for a long time forget how intimidating the Bible can be for those not as familiar with it. Fear may be one of the biggest reasons why some folks stay away from Bible studies or churches. They don't want to be embarrassed that they don't know where a verse is located. I think there is a need for people to be able to pre-locate verses in their Bible for quick reference later.
Certainly this need doesn't just apply to Bible newbies. Sunday evening during our worship experience, I used the bookmark function to be able to quickly jump to and read Psalm 100 and Ecclesiastes 3.
One last simple need for all levels of Bible study is the need to memorize Scripture. Being able to hide God's Word in our heart is a great advantage. The bookmark function becomes a kind of memorization program within YV. Open up your bookmarks, see the Bible reference, and test yourself to see if you can recall the verse. Then click on the reference to see if you got it right.
The YouVersion bookmark is a great tool and a great help to any student of the Bible. Use it often!
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