We are a brand-new Lakewood nonprofit organization, Amel Learning Inc. As a collaborative, tax-deductible supporter you and countless other Jews will benefit from using Amel (עָמֵל), our kosher ve'yosher group messaging chidushei torah app. This app is simple to use and designed with precision to connect Klal Yisrael with learning be'iyun through an exciting app. The very act of writing and also having the ability to share your work in a simple platform are both very powerful tools in encouraging effective and exact Gemara learning thoughts. The app design is relatively ready to develop and release for iPhone and Android (special thanks to Mr. Cohen, Softsmart for the demo design). At this first stage, Amel appeals directly to an estimated 50,000 Jews with smartphones. Smartphone apps tend to deliver colossal return on minuscule investment; we anticipate positive Torah learning return from Amel. We believe we deserve your donation because this a rare lifetime opportunity to connect countless Jews to a continuously incredible Gemara learning experience. For an app demonstration, please email amel.learning.app@gmail.com or call 424 262 6276. We are absolutely grateful for every donation of any size. Please be so kind as to consider a generous contribution. Thanks so much.
- AS Ebriani
Conceptual Amel User Stories:
Conceptual User #1: Yitzi lives in Brooklyn, NY. He makes a living in the business world. In the past, he has tried more than once to participate in a Gemara shiur in the various local shuls but never felt satisfied. Usually, he would lose his ability to focus and drop out of a shiur before he was even warmed with his environment. One day, he notices two colleagues occupied with their smart devices but also, interestingly, discussing a question on the daf. Curious, he notices that they're using the same app. "Amel," they tell him. "Amel?" He remarks as he finds it in the App Store. Yitzy discovers other like minded Users and even finds a local connection for a Shabbos chavrsua. Yitzi also finds the Amel experience more engaging as he could sharpen his questions and ideas as he writes them out. Other people enjoy his writing contributions and he is now motivated to sit through a local shiur and raise his thoughts and initiate Gemara discussions with his new, real-life friends.
Conceptual User #2: Andrew tragically has no specific plans on marrying Jewish. He's a scientifically inclined young man living in Richmond, Virginia focused on making a lot of money and enjoying life.
One day he incidentally discovers Amel. "What do I have to lose?" he thinks as he downloads it in the App Store. He opens the app and sees an option to view the trending question on today's daf. He reads the question and admires the open and honest critical analysis invested into the question. He reads through most of the replies but seems to enjoy the logic of the question more than the suggested answers. Andrew continues his day as usual. A few hours later, he's curious to read through any updates on that discussion. He's pleased to discover that another app user in fact forwarded the question in person to a brilliant talmid chochom living in Yerushalayim who relayed an answer back through that user. The answer was sweet, logical, and informative. Andrew makes an account, subscribes to the User who posted the question, and also to the User who relayed the answer from the Yerushalmi talmid chochom.
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Conceptual User #3: Reuven is a reputable yungerman in kollel. He is learning a new masechta this zman. The limud is connected to sugyos he studied in yeshiva in the not so distant past.
As he's revisiting those relevant Gemaras, he knows that he and his chavrusa from that time had substantial questions and novel explanations but he just can't seem to recall them with the full detail they had in the past. He wishes he could have stored his ideas in a notebook to connect them with the current limud but he wasn't ever able to maintain or organize a notebook. His notes always get lost in a mountain of paper so he never bothers starting. Reuven hears about Amel. He gets himself a used tablet, unboxes it at his local TAG office, and starts to use the offline journal in Amel. Years later, Reuven stores every new insight into his Amel account and backs them up every so often onto a USB flash drive. Reuven has even discovered a new motivation to produce and think into every last nuance in the Gemara knowing he will have it stored and retrievable forever. He's at ease knowing he has a written legacy on the Gemara to share with the next generation.
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Click to view Amel's appeal
Our 70K Goal:All of the best apps start off with only simple elements so as not to overwhelm you with unnecessary features and only then do they steadily incorporate new features and enhancements with every app update as user wishes are noticed. Only real-life user experience can properly determine the desirability of such enhancements. (Some examples of conceivably important elements that we would need to use real-life user experience in order to integrate include notification enhancements, search options, presentation adjustments, bug fixes, user profile elements, and more.) The 70K estimate we have gives us the ability to seamlessly incorporate new enhancements as the desirability emerges to give you the incredible Gemara learning experience you deserve. We are applying all our resources to making this your favorite app you'll ever use in both design and technology.
