Bits, Bytes, and Beyond

Yes, I am still a person of hobbies. My newest time distraction is to discover how to cook from scratch. I have learned that with flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, milk, eggs, cooking oil, and water you can make almost any bread from cookies to croissants. It is inspiring to realize that with just a few basic staples many great foods are tastefully enjoyed. It is ironic that building web applications is often like cooking from scratch. With Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP, HTML, XML and a few good recipes you can create custom communication tools for any audience.

The latest recipe WBS bakes up is blogs. We use a common recipe with just the right mixture of 1’s and 0’s’. A blog is a shared on-line journal where people can post content about relevant topics. A blog will often provide the added feature of allowing readers to post commentary or ask questions to the content author.

These tasty goodies can be delivered to large desktop computers or to the smallest mobile devices. The user can view blog content using off the shelf browsers and readers or custom applications giving the user a wide selection of options depending on their need.

WBS has created several blogs for our unique and various audience groups. One audience group is the students. We have just released student course blogs for each of the seven master series courses. This blog provide a public forum so that students can discuss questions about courses. Their purpose is to improve student retention by engaging students in current discussion about course content. WBS believes these blogs will add value to the teacher and student by enhancing a student’s sense of Christian community.

Please take a look at the student blogs by using the links below.

God Speed,

Lance

• 1. Way More
• 2. I AM Speaking
• 3. Not Your Usual News
• 4. Know Way
• 5. Birth Right
• 6. Next of Kin
• 7. Living It Up!

The other day my four-year-old son saw a LP record album and with amazement exclaimed, “Dad look at that huge CD. Wow, that’s cool.”  

A few days earlier he saw a rotary phone and with confusion asked, “That’s a phone. Where are the buttons?” No doubt, a four year old can make one feel old as he unknowingly points out how much the world has changed. 

In the world of technology, evolution and invention occur at an accelerated rate, often bringing about positive change. Take for example the use of “Live Person,” a service that allows web visitors the opportunity to chat with a real person in real time. WBS is utilizing this technology on all of our web sites to help seekers navigate the study options WBS has to offer.

In the coming months, myWBS will launch a new chat mechanism for teachers and students. Students who use our new myWBS 2.0 will have the option to interact with their study helpers 24/7. This 24/7 real-time availability will extend to all students and teachers, whether postal or Internet, by midyear. 

WBS strives to connect, build, support and nurture relationships in every way possible for the cause of Christ. “Live Person” is just one of several current technologies that WBS is using to reach into the lives of people at GodSpeed.

It’s true.  We are informed, educated, and interfaced to others through technology.  

WBS uses technology as the middle-ware between Christ and those who seek Him.  We use technology to inform, educate and interface with students.  Through new automated courses, easy access to articles, WBS news, and devotionals, WBS will continue to engage students as they learn about Jesus.

On-line social interactions with WBS Study Helpers will provide an arena for faith-centered relationships to develop and be nurtured.

The Technology Department helps WBS to recruit and retain new students through: 

· Bible courses on demand

· Intelligent advertising

· Viral proliferation through communities

· Content accessible by mobile devices

· And of course, by faith. 

The follow-up system integrated into the new myWBS will continue to bring students and follow up workers in contact more quickly than ever before.  JT Martin, in Lampasas, Texas says the new technology has closed the time gap between the baptism request and the follow up.  “In less than 48 hours after my e-mail to him, Jacob Sesay in Sierra Leone responded with the news of my student, Samuel’s, baptism.  To God be the glory.”

WBS is the provider. You are the helper. Technology is the enabler.