ooBible makes Bible-reading social

Friday, July 1st, 2011

The best selling book of all time is about to change with the introduction of the ooBible.

ooBible, the new digital Bible website is being designed to transform reading scripture, converting it into a type of social media experience.

Former Google engineer Colin Wong came up with the idea last October when reading the Bible. His experience was similar to everyone else’s since the advent of the printing press; one not really built for the e-reading generation.

“We wanted a clean, simple interface, something that people can come in, and really just focus on the words,” Wong told GeekWire. “We wanted to create an experience that mimics physical books, so you can highlight, annotate on it … and bridge the gap between physical books and the e-book world.”

“It is really perfect for collaboration and sharing,” said Wong. “You can imagine a pastor sharing notes with their congregation or doing a Bible study with a group of friends.”

Despite there being thousands of digital copies of the Bible, Wong said ooBible stands out from eBooks.

ooBible is an integrated reading experience, where notes and highlights can be shared across multiple Bible versions, on the iPhone, iPad, Android, RIM, Windows Mobile and the web, PR Leap adds.

What separates it from other Bible websites is a focus on the social experience, enabling users to follow the teachings of popular Bible teachers in their readings.

Wong, who worked at Google from 2002 to 2006, believes that books will eventually transform into full-featured applications with more immersive experiences.