Please don't overwhelm our brothers

[AsherO]

Non-respectful question: How can you not have a minyan 3 times a day? There should be plenty of people where you live to make that happen. Why can't you get your local stores to carry kosher food or why don't you run a restaurant?

What are your daily minyan times and do you have a minyan for Rabbeinu Tam's Maariv? What hours is your fleishig restaurant open and do you serve <questioner's preference> Shechita?

[EliJelly]

Very possible. That's the danger of social media - your only readers are the people who know you, until someone notices a controversial tweet and it goes viral.

Was scratching my head why some bad wording in a tweet of a random shliach in a Caribbean island got five pages (as of now) on DDF.

[yuneeq]

There are plenty of minyanim in far flung areas, why is your average person supposed to know where there is and isn't a minyan?

Whenever I plan travel, if I make assumptions about what Chabad has available it’s usually inaccurate. “For sure there’s no kosher food” - oh they get huge shipments of food from nearby XYZ country and they’re actually well stocked. “This is in one of the largest US cities they for sure have a minyan” - nope.  “This is some quiet vacation city in the middle of nowhere, definitely no minyan” - actually there’s enough locals and tourists that they usually have a minyan.

As others mentioned the websites aren’t always up to date, it’s a little disheartening to think that I may or may not be annoying someone for trying to find out updated info.

Also not everyone is an annoying tourist, Chabad helps a lot of people traveling for business people that might need help with the basics.

[Dan]

Whenever I plan travel, if I make assumptions about what Chabad has available it’s usually inaccurate. “For sure there’s no kosher food” - oh they get huge shipments of food from nearby XYZ country and they’re actually well stocked. “This is in one of the largest US cities they for sure have a minyan” - nope.  “This is some quiet vacation city in the middle of nowhere, definitely no minyan” - actually there’s enough locals and tourists that they usually have a minyan.

As others mentioned the websites aren’t always up to date, it’s a little disheartening to think that I may or may not be annoying someone for trying to find out updated info.

Also not everyone is an annoying tourist, Chabad helps a lot of people traveling for business people that might need help with the basics.

The websites not being updated is a point of frustration.
I wish central Chabad.org would have an easy template FAQ for shluchim to fill out and it would populate on their sites.
Something like:
Are there restaurants within driving distance.
Is kosher food available within driving distance.
Are there daily or Shabbos minyanim.
Are there hotels within walking distance.
Click here if you're traveling here and are looking for a minyan and get updated if enough people express interest.

[Dan]

Looking at his other recent tweets, I'd vote he wrote this tongue in cheek, trying to be humorous.

You're right. I'm reading it with context, both from what I know and from his follow up tweets. Maybe someone should reach out to him and explain how it came across, so he can fix it. I'm certain that his intention wasn't to stop people from trying to daven with a minyan.

+1, bemusement, but not enough context for non-lubavitchers to know what's going on.

[yuneeq]

The websites not being updated is a point of frustration.
I wish central Chabad.org would have an easy template FAQ for shluchim to fill out and it would populate on their sites.
Something like:
Are there restaurants within driving distance.
Is kosher food available within driving distance.
Are there daily or Shabbos minyanim.
Are there hotels within walking distance.
Click here if you're traveling here and are looking for a minyan and get updated if enough people express interest.

And most importantly -
Page updated on ——

ETA: Probably better - page info current as of ______. That way if nothing changes it still shown as current info.

[yuneeq]

Does Chabad.org power all the websites? If yes, is there some way to get a campaign going to create a Dan-approved template? I’d donate to that.

[YitzyS]

I can really commiserate with these shluchim. I once got a phone call asking why my city doesn't have a minyan for Mincha at 3:29. I felt really embarrassed and inadequate. (Thankfully, Lakewood has since filled in that void and there is a minyan at that time.)

[gozalim]

Does Chabad.org power all the websites? If yes, is there some way to get a campaign going to create a Dan-approved template? I’d donate to that.

not all but many.
someone could probably reach out to their design team to offer to help design a general 'tourist info' template

(separately, perhaps including the idea upthread allowing for people to subscribe for contact to other local minyan seekers...)

[Dan]

not all but many.
someone could probably reach out to their design team to offer to help design a general 'tourist info' template

(separately, perhaps including the idea upthread allowing for people to subscribe for contact to other local minyan seekers...)

FAQ template should be super easy.
The subscribe for a minyan would be a lot more complex and would have to be actively monitored.

[gozalim]

FAQ template should be super easy.

that's why separately

The subscribe for a minyan would be a lot more complex and would have to be actively monitored.

definitely more complex. if needs to be actively monitored, i'd say don't bother. only wold work if there are possibilities that are semi-automated;
a whatsapp group signup link, some form of an automated email group subscription, or something like that

one example of the former: https://www.jewisharuba.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/5004666/jewish/Minyan.htm

[lcm]

The websites not being updated is a point of frustration.
I wish central Chabad.org would have an easy template FAQ for shluchim to fill out and it would populate on their sites.
Something like:
Are there restaurants within driving distance.
Is kosher food available within driving distance.
Are there daily or Shabbos minyanim.
Are there hotels within walking distance.
Click here if you're traveling here and are looking for a minyan and get updated if enough people express interest.

And most importantly -
Page updated on ——

ETA: Probably better - page info current as of ______. That way if nothing changes it still shown as current info.

not all but many.
someone could probably reach out to their design team to offer to help design a general 'tourist info' template

(separately, perhaps including the idea upthread allowing for people to subscribe for contact to other local minyan seekers...)

Who's not going to be the armchair critic here?
Now that these tweets have gained so much traction, there is probably a push for chabad.org to add it to the websites, as well as put out a psa for shluchim who don't have a website powered by them.
Tarb when you try this: https://www.chabad.org/tools/feedback.htm

[gozalim]

Who's not going to be the armchair critic here?
Now that these tweets have gained so much traction, there is probably a push for chabad.org to add it to the websites, as well as put out a psa for shluchim who don't have a website powered by them.
Tarb when you try this: https://www.chabad.org/tools/feedback.htm

is @Dan available to sit with them on this?

[aygart]

is @Dan available to sit with them on this?

I don't think I'm on any nice lists that they care what I have to say anymore.

[Lurker]

If someone would like to be entrepreneurial about it, I think there's an opportunity for a stand-alone website dedicated to frum travel resources. Ad revenue from local stores, restaurants, and attractions could make it into something more than just public service.

[gozalim]

If someone would like to be entrepreneurial about it, I think there's an opportunity for a stand-alone website dedicated to frum travel resources. Ad revenue from local stores, restaurants, and attractions could make it into something more than just public service.

except that in many places the best info is from the shliach

[Lurker]

except that in many places the best info is from the shliach

100%. If the site is done correctly, they'll be in touch with the shluchim. The vast majority of shluchim would love an opportunity to support local business and institutions, and wouldn't mind having a site to direct people to instead of constantly answering questions.

[Yehuda57]

The guys running chabad.org web dev are not the same people

[gozalim]

100%. If the site is done correctly, they'll be in touch with the shluchim. The vast majority of shluchim would love an opportunity to support local business and institutions, and wouldn't mind having a site to direct people to instead of constantly answering questions.

info will be much more up to date if it's the shliach's own platform

The guys running chabad.org web dev are not the same people

+1

[aygart]

info will be much more up to date if it's the shliach's own platform+1

Such as the ones last updated in 2007?