Use Emoji to Search the Bible on Bible Gateway

N E W S   R E L E A S E

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jonathan Petersen, Marketing Manager, Bible Gateway
616.656.7159, jonathan.petersen@biblegateway.com
Newsroom: https://www.biblegateway.com/newsroom

In Time for World Emoji Day July 17,
Use Emoji to Search the Bible on Bible Gateway

3% of public Bible notes and 2% of Tweets linking to Bible verses contain emoji

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (July 13, 2016) – Bible Gateway (BibleGateway.com; @BibleGateway), the Internet’s most visited Christian website, is now providing its millions of visitors the ability to use more than 330 emoji in keyword searches to find their favorite Bible verses and passages in more than 50 English Bible versions.

“We’re not changing any words in the text of the Bible–we’re simply letting people search using emoji that they type themselves,” says Stephen Smith, senior director, digital products for Bible Gateway. For example, when the emoji for “clapping hands” and “tree” are entered into Bible Gateway’s keyword search box using the NIV translation, the search results display Isaiah 55:12 — “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

Bible search using emoji on Bible Gateway can be achieved by using the emoji keyboard on iPhone or Android smartphones while accessing Bible Gateway’s website or mobile app (when connected with the Internet).

Social sharing statistics show Bible readers use emoji while they read Scripture. About 3% of public Bible notes and 2% of Tweets linking to Bible verses contain emoji, with the percentages increasing each year. The most-common emoji associated with Bible verses include: “praying hands,” “heart,” “praising hands,” and “open book.” A collection of emoji can be found at Emojipedia^®.

For more information see the Bible Gateway Blog post (http://bg4.me/29IZT8v).

Bible Gateway is ranked number one on global search engines and is the most visited Christian website in the world by users in more than 200 countries. Among its many free features are the abilities to:

·         access more than 200 Bible versions in more than 70 languages

·         listen to Bible audio

·         comprehensively search the Bible using keywords and phrases

·         display & compare up to five Bible translations side-by-side at once

·         read translator footnotes within the context of Bible verses

·         highlight and favorite Bible passages

·         write notes while reading Bible verses and save them to a personal account

·         easily share Bible verses with friends using Twitter, Facebook, email, and print

·         download the free award-winning Bible Gateway App

·         sign up for customizable Bible reading plans

·         select from more than 60 email and online devotionals

·         learn personal Scripture Engagement principles and techniques

·         discover new books and read Bible-related articles and interviews on the Bible Gateway Blog.

About Bible Gateway

As the Internet’s most visited Christian website, Bible Gateway seeks to equip people to read and understand the Bible, wherever they are. Celebrating more than 20 years online, Bible Gateway offers free access to the Bible in more than 200 different versions and more than 70 languages. Bible Gateway’s website and app are used by more than 18 million unique visitors per month. Bible Gateway also offers the membership service Bible Gateway Plus, which begins with a 30-day free trial (https://www.biblegateway.com/plus/). The company is part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. Please visit Bible Gateway at BibleGateway.com.

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