AskMosesWhat is AskMoses.com?
AskMoses.com.com is an innovative and vibrant website where one can log-on and get instant advice from a number of qualified men, women and Rabbis who make up the AskMoses.com staff. These staff members operate on AskMoses.com 24 hours a day six days a week. They are available to answer any and all questions posed to them on a variety of issues ranging from simple questions on Jewish Holidays to complex personal issues. AskMoses.com.com has been operational for three years.
Upon visiting the AskMoses.com website, one is prompted to enter a temporary “chat name”, click on a button and is thereby connected to a java-based chat engine that allows for live chat and interaction between visitor and scholar. They may do so anonymously or by giving their name. A group of “live” experts, the “Ask Moses Scholars” are available world-wide, managed by an internet-based software control system. Each expert is scheduled to be available during specified hours, such that the number of experts available at any time of the day or night is sufficient to cover user demand with minimum waiting time.
The user asks for either the next available expert, or for a particular expert with whom they’ve had, for example, a previous interaction. They are then connected (depending on the user load, possibly after a short delay of which they are informed) to the expert, live. They can then have a private,, live, chat-conversation with the expert (who is identified via a picture and short bio sub-screen) to ask questions, seek advice, obtain pointers to information, or for other purposes. After the conversation, the user, knowing the expert’s name, can request that expert for future follow-up or other conversations.
The site software retains conversations, so that a list of the top ten (for example) questions and answers each day can be posted anonymously on the welcome page for other user’s benefit. The system also retains statistics on system access by country, time of day, user wait time, and other traffic factors for feedback and system resource management. The system stores all conversations in text format for future use, after editing and removal of private information, in the AskMoses.com search engine. Finally, the system permits management review of past conversations in order to insure quality assurance of the experts’ responses and management feedback to the experts for performance improvement.
2. Meeting People’s Needs
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54% of American Jewish children are being raised as non-Jews; Ask Moses provides a vital outlet for alienated, indifferent or distraught Jewish people
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Ask Moses is the only Jewish site that provides live, one-on-one access with Rabbis and scholars
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Ask Moses provides a human connection amid an environment of static spiritual text sources
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People are more apt to broach sensitive issues on-line with the safety net of anonymity. Ask Moses visitors benefit from one-on-one personal attention, without fear or embarrassment
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Jews who feel alienated from the ‘community’ due to distrust or indifference lack a comfortable forum where they can talk candidly about sex, drugs or abuse. Ask Moses provides Jewish values-oriented advice and discussion of these issues
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Access to sensitive, quality Jewish scholars is geographically limited; Ask Moses on the Internet provides global access.
3. AskMoses.com.com resources to match people’s needs
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Ask Moses personally guides people towards their individual Jewish informational needs, including books, literature and resources
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In addition to the English-speaking ones, Ask Moses employs Hebrew, Russian, French and Spanish speaking Scholars.
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Ask Moses is the only Jewish site that can instantly connect troubled people with professional services
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Visitors range from a teenage girl struggling with her identity, a family that needs help with Jewish burial procedures, a victim of substance abuse reaching out, to a college student looking for the Jewish view on the Big Bang theory…
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The pool of scholars, based in countries including the USA, Israel, China, Thailand, and Uruguay, represents a wellspring of collective wisdom composed of individuals with diverse life experiences, exposure and scholarship.
4. Content and coverage
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In a unique, non-intrusive environment, Ask Moses shares the depth, love and spirituality of Judaism
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Ask Moses answers questions from Jews and non-Jews alike; scholars experienced with real life address everything from the basic ABC’s of Judaism to complex personal issues
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A dedicated editor maintains the vital Ask Moses database of Jewish content emerging from previously asked questions
5. Technology
Server system
AskMoses.com runs on a highly efficient and advanced server array system, custom made and configured for the unique uses of AskMoses.com. It includes high-speed data enhanced, with complete, real-rime redundancy so that if a server fails another can take up the load. AskMoses.com.com servers are globally load balanced and power is assured through a multiple redundant power backup facility.
Proprietary software
AskMoses.com.com uses a custom built, powerful Java based Chat engine. A custom database is used for the question and answer process and for other data backend purposes. The website itself is custom-made, and uses proprietary web applications.
Live! One-on-one. 24/6
