The Bible is cleaning up in Afrikaans on the Internet. Five months after www.bybel.co.za saw the cyber light, it is already the biggest Afrikaans only religious web site and growing rapidly.
Since 18 February this year, more than a thousand Afrikaans speaking Internet users have already visited www.bybel.co.za. About 70% of these hits are from regular visitors. And in addition to the web site visits, over 100 people a day subscribe to the Vers-`n-dag (Verse a Day) service - a modern version of the little box of Bible verses that is becoming rarer and rarer on bedside tables.
What makes this achievement all the more remarkable, is the fact that www.bybel.co.za was born from the initiative and unpaid hard work of two busy computer specialists. Albert Bredenhann, owner of the site, is a full time consultant at one of South Africa`s premier IT companies, PQ Africa. His colleague, Jaco Roux, was responsible for the programming and was supported by other experts from the company.
"The Bybel site was born out of disbelief and frustration - disbelief, when after many hours of searching, I could not find an Afrikaans translation of the Bible on the Internet. And frustration, because I had to go to English sites to read the Bible on the Internet. Religion is one of the aspects of life that I, and I believe most other people, want to practice in my own language," says Bredenhann.
After a presentation to the Bible Society of South Africa, copyright holders of the Afrikaans Bible, Bredenhann was given the green light to let the Afrikaans Bible see the cyber light.
The site was designed to make it as user friendly as possible for daily use and research. Both the 1953 and 1983 translations of the Bible (Together comprising a mighty 88 Meg) are available to read on the site. The user can also compare the two translations.
But the biggest aid to Bible study is probably the search facility. A forgotten verse can be found instantly by merely typing in key words and phrases.
The Vers-`n-dag service is currently provided to 5600 subscribed members. The service is free and about 100 new members subscribe to the service daily. "We are aiming for 20 000 subscribers," says Bredenhann.
Vers-`n-dag subscribers receive a daily e-mail message with a Bible verse and a short message. The service is an electronic version of Brood op die Water (Bread on the Water), which is compiled by Radio Pulpit.
"The feedback we receive from Vers-`n-dag subscribers, is particularly encouraging. I receive an average 40 e-mail messages from subscribers a day and forward each of these messages to Radio Pulpit, where qualified counsellors react upon it if necessary," says Bredenhann.
In addition to links to other Christian web sites, www.bybel.co.za also offers users the opportunity to donate money to charities through a very secure Internet link with ECnet. ECnet also forms part of the PQ Africa Group and is South Africa`s premier e-commerce enabler. The world`s most sophisticated technology ensures donations reach its destinations and there is no danger of a cyber fraud abusing the information.
For regular users of www.bybel.co.za there are also a few surprises in store. Bredenhann and Roux are currently researching the possibility of adding additional translations of the Bible, including a reference Bible, to the current translations. They are also in the final polishing stages of establishing a Bible discussion group.
Share