Help Blesstype bring the Bible online for everyone

We're Blesstype. We're a couple from Greece that hopes to design and create the perfect online version of the Bible. To support Blesstype and bring it to life in 2021, click 'Donate Now'.

If you want to know more, do scroll on.

 

 
The Bible can't be upgraded. The way you read it, can.

When you think of the Bible, an actual, tangible book comes to mind. In this digital era though, 2.3 billion followers and countless appreciators can't find an enjoyable, readable online experience. Introducing Blesstype, the simplest way to read the Bible on the web, with an unrivalled user experience. See Blesstype Beta › 




Our aim is to bring the Bible to everyone. For free.

So, why redesign the Bible? Because we tried to read the Bible online and all websites failed us miserably. Because traditional websites and apps have a critical flaw: no typography. The result is a reading experience that is not pleasant for the eyes, tiresome to the user and does no justice to the most famous book in the history of humanity. Alongside an infestation of low-quality ads, exploitative monetization schemes and confusing user interfaces, the Bible online has some really serious issues. We promise to fix that, and more.

 

 
 As many great ideas, this project also started in a moment of clarity. After spending countless hours on the web to find a proper reading experience for the Bible, the result was obvious. There is no proper online presence for the Bible. And we, should create one.

We spent 3 months designing an online version of the Bible from the ground up to provide excellent legibility and an unparalleled user experience. But we didn't stop at design improvements.

We minimized ad usage and utilized turbo-fast hosting so the website loads in lightning speed — nearly twice as fast as the traditional solutions. We used state-of-the-art code so it's intuitive and delightful to use. We hand-picked professional-quality photography to immerse you into a different, almost mystical experience. We used the best-in-class technologies to improve performance. And we added thoughtful features to help you truly enjoy reading the Bible anywhere, from any device.

We built Blesstype around the online reader's experience. How? We are online professionals.
 
 

 
According to a research by IBM & Google, good typography changes the way we read. Eye-tracking tests have proved that by using the correct combination of typefaces and size/line-height, the reading speed increases and the "sweep time" (how much we spend re-reading something because we missed it on the first try) decreases. Blesstype takes advantage of all this knowledge, to bring a proper reading experience to its users; and according to our data, it does make a difference.

We compared Blesstype to the world's most visited website on the Bible, and the results were astounding:
 



 
Because with your support, we can open Blesstype to the whole world. Because we are — literally — two passionate individuals who will stop at nothing till we fulfil our dream to make this online experience come true. Because this is a truly Herculean task, that needs an immense amount of resources to be setup — and we can't do this alone. 

We launched Blesstype on GoFundMe because it provides us with the freedom to run this humongous project exactly how we want. The funds we will hopefully manage to generate on GoFundMe make it possible for us to continue developing Blesstype without seeking venture capital. That means we will not be beholden to growth goals, revenue targets, or product timelines imposed by other people; we will instead, focus on doing exactly what we love: building something truly amazing, fuelled by support from the best audience we could possibly ask for.

We want you to have 100% clarity on why we ask for your help. Read on, to learn more about everything that is necessary for Blesstype to come alive.
 



A project of Biblical proportions.

The Bible is still being translated in over 3,000 languages, with more than 7,000 living languages existing on the planet. The fully translated versions (including both the Old and New Testament) exceed 670; and if someone takes into consideration that each version contains more than 600,000 words, Blesstype's task is unprecedented, no-one has ever done it before incorporating such beautiful typography and seems to be utterly impossible. We'll gladly take that chance.

People need to have proper access to the Bible — from everywhere. And completely free from exploitative monetisation.

That is our driving force, and we need your help to achieve it. We plan to use advanced automation mechanics, partner with the top resources and get up online as many translations of the Bible there are, as soon as possible.
 



Whichever you prefer, we will have it.

The interpretations of the scriptures are many — and this is something to be respected 100%. No matter how famous a version will be, Blesstype will host it. Our goal is to bring to everyone an unparalleled reading experience in every different version that exists, because the most famous book in history needs to have an equivalent online presence and a digital legacy for the future generations. By supporting our campaign, you will bring us a step closer into fulfilling that goal.




We're not just going to copy-paste the Bible.

Blesstype is here to provide a proper reading experience — and to do so, is not an easy feat. Our beta version only hosts one version of the Bible and when more will be uploaded, it needs to be redesigned so that the user will be able to find their version easily and effortlessly. A fantastic User Account Center needs to be introduced, where all personal preferences will be securely hosted, like language, bookmarks and favourite verses. 

Moreover, to amplify readability, we need to cautiously work behind the scenes and make sure our code is ultra-effective, so as to provide a top-notch website speed and an uninterruptible experience. We will conduct a large number of A/B tests to measure important details that improve legibility, plus add extra features like Dark Mode & Night Mode for reducing eye-strain. 

On top of that, features for the advanced scholar — like a Live Compare between versions tool — will also be developed, so that we cover all our readers' needs. Last but not least, Accessibility matters a lot for us; and Blesstype will have the top of the line service for our members in need. We plan to develop a Colourblind Mode for every different case (Protanopia, Deutanopia, Tritanopia, Achromatopsia, etc.) and make sure all people have proper access to the scriptures.

This is one of the most important steps for Blesstype. And we aim to do it right.



 
Visuals to be worshipped. 

As we carefully hand-picked (literally, one by one) every photograph that enhances the aesthetics of Blesstype's beta version, we plan to invoke the creative genius of real-life artists from all over the globe and commission them to create custom art for each book and chapter of the Bible. This will not only provide Blesstype with an exceptional, unique identity, but will also deeply enhance the user's point of view, who will be able to have a visual connotation to the passages they would be reading.

Furthermore, each and every tiny element of the website & apps will be hand-crafted; from visuals elements, to the user profile icons — providing a seamless and friendly interface that you can relate to. The Bible is the most read book in history. It's online presence, should be equally represented.
 



To properly understand the Bible, is even more important.

That is why we plan to contact as many official Churches — starting from the Vatican itself — to provide us with comments from the Clergy for every book, chapter and verse. We desire to:

- Enhance the experience of the reader, by supplying necessary context when they want, via a well-thought user journey

- Provide an official interpretation for every version of the Bible, so people can better understand and appreciate the passages

- Set the ground for potential new scholars, to have an one-stop destination with all available resources at their grasp

- Transmit the true meaning of the most famous book in human history, to everyone around the globe

This feat is equally "impossible" as the rest; we must contact hundreds of Churches, get in touch with their representatives and receive feedback from them all, perform all the legwork of the extra data entry, develop the feature and make sure the user experience is as polished and uninterruptible as it could be. But if we manage to make this happen, it could potentially change the world.
 



1.2+ trillion words.

From our rough calculations, this is what needs to be uploaded for Blesstype to truly house all of Bible's versions and languages. Combine that with the levels of excellence in typography we want to achieve, and you may grasp the level of careful data entry that needs to happen.

We can't just, copy-paste.

You see, there is one surprising element that extremely enhances the reading experience and is present in every physical Bible, but not online. Paragraphs.

Using proper paragraphs, instead of just pasting the verses one-after-another greatly improves the way we read. The Bible is not a poem, nor a "bullet-point" reading material; it is a gargantuan piece of literature, that can't be read in the form of "1-2-3". So, what are the difficulties behind using paragraphs?

- In data entry, combining paragraphs with the infinite number of verses the Bible has, creates a logistical "nightmare"

- We have to follow the official scriptures' paragraph structure

Following that, we have two equally important elements to adhere to: Royalties and Proof Reading.

You see, some famous versions of the Bible are what we call Public Domain, which essentially means they are free to use and reproduce. However, many of them are not — their publishers hold the rights, so we need to afford to pay these extra fees. 

Our final concern, is proof reading; we can't just rely on our skills to proof read all the Bible's versions and different languages, not even if we had a lifetime to do so. We would either need to employ help, or develop an A.I. to do so. In any case, we can't just leave this detail behind; the Bible is too important to be left with possible mistakes in its text.

Rest assured though, we are committed to our cause. As you can see in Blesstype's beta version, we are going to do our best so that every version gets the fantastic treatment they deserve. We are adamant about that; we just need your support for the heavy-lifting.




The miracles of technology.

To have a website that serves millions of people every day might seem as easy as a tap on the browser for the average user, however it requires strong and well organised partners to do so. Our servers need to be robust, make sure the website and apps are up and running continuously without errors and hiccups that disrupt the experience. The website and apps on the other hand, need to host technologies that are lightweight and efficient.

This is why when Blesstype becomes the one-stop destination for reading the Bible online, we're going to upgrade our excellent hosting at WPX Hosting to the premium level, plus incorporate the best platforms in the business to help us serve our users and automate our tasks; from Notion for CRM & Project Planning and Zapier for Automations, to Mailchimp for Email Marketing and Zoho for our Subscribers. Plus some extra, which (please allow us) we will keep a secret for now.
 



The Holy Spirit of the digital world.

In order for Blesstype to reach its readers and offer them its services, it has to be both known and easy to find. This means that our online presence and the way we connect with our users is on every possible available channel depending on their preferences, devices and capabilities. 

Let us begin with the "simplest" task of them all; how can people find us in Google. Something that seems relatively easy, is immensely complex and requires vast amounts of knowledge and experience, if you aim to do it properly. The main paths here are Paid Advertising (also known as Google Ads) and Organic Advertising (also known as SEO). The first one, as the name suggests, requires a marketing budget — something we want to explore in the future, after Blesstype kicks off (and wouldn't ask crowdfunding to support). The second one is where we must put our focus on, simply to appear in the first results whenever someone searches for "Reading the Bible online" and its relative terms. Trust us on this, it is so complicated that we need to delegate this task to a professional and will take 6-12 months till the efforts bear their fruits.

Moving on, we have to develop both our Social Media presence so that users can easily find us on platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, plus provide the reader with the ability to use a dedicated Blesstype App on their favourite devices, instead of the website. Both of these tasks require extreme dedication (we will personally monitor all social media channels and their development) and crazy amounts of development. We won't just use a "website-to-app" converter, to put it bluntly. 

So, yes: These marketing matters, do matter. And will infinitely boost our effort.




Hello Bible.

We have big plans. Big. Plans. For us, Blesstype is not only another website/app combo. We shower imagining how to implement experimental Audiobook technologies (we did in the Beta with the help of Trinity Audio and it sounds amazing) for all the people that prefer a listening/podcast-like experience, instead of reading. We spend our days planning how to implement accurate personalized experiences for our users, not generic recommendations that make no sense. Voice-commands? You're in our mind. 

We even sleep dreaming of even crafting a beautiful, cinematic experience of an interactive Bible (yes, even in VR) that will be used in both storytelling for the most wonderful story ever told, and children learning the scriptures for the first time. 

So many big plans, but all of them have one thing in common. The hope that all of you who read these lines, will share, speak about our journey — and if you choose so, support it.
 



We plant a tree with every donation. And give back all our love.

You read that right; all pledges of support will result in an actual tree planted in your name. If we reach our funding target, we pledge to realise this plan by committing the necessary amount to Plant a Tree in selected areas of our planet that need it the most. You can be a part of Blesstype, and help our planet's forests regrow.


 
Credits:
Editing & Production: Aristotelis Gkouvitsas  
Presenter: Jessica Walker  
Voiceover: Jack Everitt  
Shooting: Sancia Trouillot  
Footage: Motion Places  
Music: Paul Fowler


Thank you for letting us continue on this incredible journey. 
 


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