The 2010 Voxbiblia WordPress Theme Design Competition

February 4th, 2010

Get a free audio Bible download with every submission! --Sponsored by Voxbiblia, your audio Bible companion
Get a free audio Bible download with every submission! –Sponsored by Voxbiblia, your audio Bible companion

Join now to win an iPad or an iPod Touch!

Aim:

Voxbiblia has been hunting for ways to equip churches and Christian bloggers with tools to spread the Word. The 2010 Voxbiblia WordPress Theme Design Competition aims to do just that – To generate free templates for churches/bloggers to build up a nifty website easily.

There are THREE categories where you can compete in:

Category 1: The Pro

In this category, we’re looking for entries with professional/mature looking Christian themes that are suitable for church websites and church member blogs.

Category 2: Funky Designer

Here we’re looking for funky and cool themes that youth and young adults alike are proud to show off! Use your imagination, just keep it clean! :P

Category 3: Kids for Christ

Prizes go to the best design for little tots! Make it cute, cheery and full of love :)

Prizes up for grabs!

To encourage everyone to get started on this competition, Voxbiblia is sponsoring TWO prizes for EACH category! There’s no limit to the number of entries you can send in, but you can only win one prize per category – if you’re that good!

1st prize for each category: 16 GB Wi-Fi iPad

2nd prize for each category: 8 GB iPod Touch

Voxbiblia will also be sponsoring one free audio Bible (download) for every entry submitted! This is our way of expressing our thanks for the hard work that you have put in! All this, as well as the webfame from getting your designs viewed, posted and downloaded for use in websites all around the digital world!

Rules of the game:

  1. Designs must have a Christian theme.
  2. You must design a new WordPress Theme specifically for this competition.
  3. The design and template cannot be old, or be posted anywhere online before it is being posted in the competition gallery.
  4. Designs will be judged based on uniqueness/originality of design, functionality, ease of implementation and completeness of design.
  5. Designs will be viewed and judged using stable releases of Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Explorer.
  6. All designs entered will belong to Voxbiblia. Voxbiblia reserves the right to use, modify and distribute all Wordpress Themes freely.

How to enter the 2010 Voxbiblia WordPress Theme Design Competition

  1. Design a Christian centered template that showcases your talent. The template must not be available anywhere on the web.
  2. Place the template directory in a Zip file. The Zip file should be labeled with your template design name.
  3. Place Voxbiblia’s web banner in your website or blog. To insert Voxbiblia’s web banner, simply copy and paste the code below to your own webpage.

    4. Don’t have a site/blog? Sign up at Wordpress or Blogger today!

  4. Send us an email with the subject line “2010 Voxbiblia WordPress Theme Design Competition” to chris [at] voxbiblia.com. Include the Zip file and URL of your link to us from your site or blog, along with the version of the audio Bible (NIV, ESV, KJV) that you would like to get. A list of the audio Bibles available can be found at http://voxbiblia.com/store. We will then send you a coupon with which you can download your audio Bible!

Deadline

4th May 2010

Participating?

Link to this blog or drop us an email with the subject line “Participating – Voxbiblia Design” to chris [at] voxbiblia.com to let us know if you’re interested in participating! That way, we can send you live updates about the competition!

Questions?

Drop an email with the subject line “Voxbiblia Design Questions” to chris [at] voxbiblia.com!

——–

FAQs

1. What makes a Theme Christian? Isn’t it just about the graphics?

It can be just the graphic design (please do make sure that all pictures, if any, are originals though!), but it can also be able the navigation or usability of the site! Christian sites are all about building a community, and encouraging interaction between different church members. If you’re into theme functions, please feel free to add in elements that enhance the functionality of a theme for church/Christian needs! Think outside the box, and don’t be afraid to experiment! We give lots of merit to all creative designs, and would love to see themes that help churches to bond and grow!

Don’t be discouraged if graphics are your thing though – We’re also looking out for creative graphic designs that are appealing, so if drawing/photography’s your forte, send in your entries too!

2. How many entries can I send in? Can I send in more than 1 entry per category?

There’s no limit to the number of entries that you can send in, as well as the number of prizes you can receive :P Voxbiblia’s goal is to have as many quality themes to distribute, and we would love to see some interesting designs and widgets that cater to the Christian community!

<a href=”http://blog.voxbiblia.com/”><img class=”size-full wp-image-96  ” title=”Voxbiblia – Free Audio Bible, Win an iPad or iPod Touch!” src=”http://blog.voxbiblia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Voxbiblia-Free-Audio-Bible-Win-iPad-iPod-Touch1.jpg” alt=”Get a free audio Bible download with every submission!           –Sponsored by Voxbiblia, your audio Bible companion ” width=”462″ height=”143″ /></a>

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Voxbiblia at the Reboot Conference

March 9th, 2010

Every now and then we get invited to speak at various events. Thankfully, most of the time they don’t shoot a video of the speech. At the great Reboot conference in Copenhagen last summer I got to speak about when New Media meets Really, Really Old Media. They filmed it, alright, but I somehow managed to forget about it. Then the other day I was alerted to the online existens of me talking about Bibles in front of a great crowd.

It was fun, and I even think that some people managed to get something out of it, but when you watch yourself making a public speech in English (which isn’t my native language), you always notice those small little language twists you use. I promise to be way better then next time around.

The video can be found here.

Johan  Jorgensen

Founder and CEO

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The 2010 Voxbiblia WordPress Theme Competition

February 5th, 2010
Generating free templates for churches and bloggers to build great websites easily!

Generating free templates for churches and bloggers to build great websites easily!

Posted in What we see and do | No Comments »

People We Like: Lars Dunberg, Global Action

February 2nd, 2010

Lars Dunberg is one of those people you wished you met long before you actually did. I met him in Colorado the other year, and was instantly impressed, not only by Lars himself, but also by what he has accomplished, and continues to accomplish. In his book “Risktaker for God” (which comes highly recommended) you can read about Lars’ life-long quest to serve, and the amazing things he has accomplished. A true entrepreneurial spirit in a field that knows too few. So we asked him a few questions who he is, and what he does.

Name: Lars Dunberg, President of Global Action

Lives: Colorado Springs, USA

Family: Married 42 years, have 3 children and 5 grandchildren

Favourite church: Woodmen Valley Chapel (past elder)

Favorite Bible translation: New Living Translation

Favourite book in the Bible: 1 John (read it here on Biblesearch.org, or listen to it here on Voxbiblia.com)

Which are your favourite Bible passages (name as many as you like)?: 1 John1, Romans 8:1-3

Please tell us about a situation in life when the Bible really helped
you?: Not knowing God’s will….Rom 12:1-3

What do you do when you don’t read the Bible?: Read books

Address to a blog or website you would like us to publish?: Global Action, www.global-act.org

Johan Jorgensen, Founder Voxbiblia.com

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In Swedish: Ibland blir man riktigt glad

January 14th, 2010

…när en användare berättar följande:
“Det har varit mycket intressant att lyssna på Bibeln hos Voxbiblia. Jag har ju läst bibeln i olika delar tidigare, men det
här var ju annorlunda!

Jag har följt den plan som Sv Bibelsällskapet gjort upp, med läsning i GT på morgonen och NT på kvällen. I stort har jag följt planen, men vissa tider har jag kommit efter och fått “läsa ifatt” för att hålla schemat, och faktiskt nu mot slutet har jag läst i förväg…

Läsningen började för mig (och för en rätt stor grupp människor från olika kyrkor och samfund i samhället) den 24 jan 2009 och tog alltså slut idag!

Schemat jag följt har varit bra, det har varit väl avvägt och i avsnitt som lite hängt ihop i GT och NT.

En annan sak som varit bra är Voxbiblias hemsida med information. Särskilt bra har avsnittet “Om Bibeln” varit. Bästa sammanfattningen jag läst, tror jag. Och inläsarna har gjort ett strålande jobb.

Hemsidan har varit klockren och lättskött, allt har fungerat och logistiken på sidan är föredömlig!

Hälsningar från en mycket nöjd Jan Nordlöf.”

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Voxbiblia Videos – A Statistical Surprise

October 18th, 2009

Sometimes statistics prove fun reading. And I got a report the other day that made me rather happy. Just before summer we made and launched three videos based on various passages in the Bible. Instead of doing them in the old (very old) way with marvelous natural scenery, a full orchestra, waves crashing in on the coast and with seagulls crying in the distance, we let a friend of ours play around with pure text.

Now, at least I thought they were stunning already from the start, but I like them even better now. I have loaded them onto my iPod and show them to people as often as I can. And I know that a few other people have as well.

How are they doing? Pretty good I think. Esepcially given that videos are seldom that marketing phenomenon that the press claims them to me. In many cases it is for sure about creating something, but far more about marketing the video itself. If everything works out, the video will hopefully market you as well. But it will be very much up to you and your hard work if that is going to happen.

What did we do in order to market our videos? Well, we didn’t do what we should have, that’s for sure. Summer came along. We were swamped with work. Biblesearch.org was coming up in its first iteration. So, we did exactly nothing, beyond posting them to a couple of video sites. And they still have been watched 8,500 times so far. I can tell you that is far beyond my expectations.

And, you know what, since it is the Bible, those videos will hold for years, maybe even decades to come. That 8,500 figure will increase and increase and increase.

Why don’t you take a look at them on Youtube?

Entreat Me Not to Leave Thee

In the Beginning Was the Word

The Lord is My Shepherd

Johan Jorgensen, CEO and Founder

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Frankfurt – Book Fair en Masse

October 16th, 2009

Just back from the book fair in Frankfurt. Have you been there? If you have, you’ll never forget it. It is so enormous – the New York of book fairs. And just like New York, it is over-crowded, hot and full of action. The main difference is that most people speak German, and while mine is a little rusty, I still managed to get a lot out of it.

The first thought is – who are going to read all these books? Then, after a while you realize that probably you see all the major books that are brought to market at this specific moment. It is a rather mighty feeling.

Bibles? Yes, there were Bibles. Not too many of them. The Americans probably had most Bible related stands as far as I could count. But the Germans were not bad either. Even if you from time to time can feel greatful that there actually are anybody out there still, I wasn’t overly impressed with what I saw from the novelty perspective.

Once again I have to make an exception for the Germans. I think the German Bible Society (www.dbg.de) and their work with www.bibelonline.de is very promising. They showed several good digital products. It felt fresh and compelling.

I was also happy to note that we got a very good reception for our thoughts concerning Voxbiblia and Biblesearch.org everywhere we went. Except for Libreria Editrice Vaticana – the Vatican Library slash publishing house (www.libreriaeditricevaticana.com). On the direct question from one of his assistants if he was interested in digital publishing the director  answered a blunt “no”.

Well, I guess there still are some souls out there to win for the digital age.

Johan Jorgensen, CEO and Founder

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Time to update “About Voxbiblia”

October 13th, 2009

Well, sometimes you get ashamed of yourself. When seeing our new frontpage and playing around with the links, I came to our “About” page. It was like being transferred in time to the medievals, or similar. Everything wrong. How come I have let it go this far? The only answer is that you get blind after a while. Please promise not to do the same misstake.

So, this is what it will look like online tomorrow.

About Voxbiblia

Voxbiblia was founded in February 2000 with a clear mission: to use the most advanced technology to bring down the thresholds to Bible usage. Today, we provide content-specific digital publishing solutions for the Bible in text, audio and combinations of the two. This includes audio-streaming, downloads and powerful search features, as well as an innovative new form of thematic Bible navigation and user-generated Bible recommendations/guidance.

Our solutions are offered to partners either by providing their Bibles through Voxbiblia’s domains (Voxbiblia.com, .co.uk and .se, as well as our new and up-coming Bible search service, Biblesearch.org), or by providing our partners with all the technology they need in order to reach out, which is then delivered through a Software as a Service (SaaS) model. This means that our partners actually never have to touch anything technical – Voxbiblia will build, host and maintain everything for you.

Voxbiblia is not affiliated with any specific church or other religious organization, but rather see every Bible translation as the “right” Bible.

Voxbiblia is incorporated in Stockholm, Sweden, but has the world as its working field.

Welcome to Voxbiblia!

Johan Jorgensen, CEO and Founder

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The Power of Online Churches

October 13th, 2009

I have during the last few days had several meetings with the legendary Swedish pastor, Stanley Sjöberg, who has shared his new project with me – an online church. Now, this idea has been around for quite a few years, but in Sweden it has been a rather neglected phenomenon.

Stanley, who in addition to being a very kind man, also is a very strong defender of the faith, has throughout his career often taken a firm public stance. But then again, his early years working closely with the legendary Pentecostal leader Lewi Pethrus, has probably fostered him better than most in the virtue of not being afraid.

Now, is it hard to start an online church? Not at all. The underlying platform for Webbkyrkan.com, together with the graphical implementation, was bougth from a catholic church in the US for approximately $100. Then Stanley forked out another couple of hundered dollars from his own pocket to have a couple of people translate and adapt the content. Off he goes with an online church. Once a week he sits down and delivers a speech that is then quickly edited and published on Youtube. And subsequently embedded on webbkyrkan.com

Does he reach people? Absolutely. His clips are viewed by far more people than visit even the largest church in Sweden on any given Sunday. Should we learn? Even more so. I wrote the other day about a speech made by Gary Hamel in a Menlo Park church where he argued for re-inventing the church. We need to do that. What makes anybody believe that you can only be a good Christian if you go to church on Sunday? How many are locked out by that attitude? I don’t even dare to follow that question to the end…

www.webbkyrkan.com

Johan Jorgensen, CEO and Founder

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Gary Hamel on Re-Inventing the Church

October 9th, 2009

The other night I spent an hour watching a web clip. It wasn’t anything from Youtube, it didn’t have a high entertainment factor, but it was nonetheless one of the best I have seen i quite a while.

It was quite simply Gary Hamel, the famed strategy guru, who spoke in front of an audience in his church in Menlo Park, California. The church’s name is Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, MPCC, and the congregation seems highly affluent, not the least when it comes to creativity, tech-savviness, etc.

Gary Hamel, who reach the status of world-famous a couple of decades ago through books that proliferated like wildfire through business schools all over, took his analytical skills to the world of the Church. It wasn’t all nice things he had to say of how the Church is conducting business, espcially its core business – reaching out to people.

With hard data he showed how the Church has a very different view from the peple on the outside, concerning what it stands for in terms of openness etc.

Gary furthermore put the awkward question if we tend more to focus on organizational issues and tradition, than to actively do what the Church should do – namely reach out. The comparison with corporations, that start out as agile beings and that later on become more and more sleepy before they eventually demise, was also to be had.

Gary encouraged us to put our creativyty and abilities to work in order to change the downward trend. And, as they say, everything starts with recognizing the problem.

I have put the film in the hands of everybody I think has the task of re-inventing the Church. Now, please pass it forward.

http://mppc.org/series/ripple-effect/gary-hamel/shifting-tides

Johan Jorgensen, CEO and Founder

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