Posts filed under 'News and Information'
Trendhunter Magazine recently published a great list of their favorite 40 Text Message Innovations. The article is a comprehensive round up of some truly amazing text message news, alerts, and services; from referencing last week’s popular story of a British surgeon who saved a 16-year-old Congolese boy’s life with text-messaged amputation instructions to giving nods to Domino’s for enabling pizza delivery via SMS (which Codespotter caught onto a few months ago. Trendhunter’s article is a fun look at some of the more creative uses for SMS text messaging and directs readers to all the services via an onscreen slideshow. It can be found here.
-JPK
December 9th, 2008
“No other campaign has done this before. You can be part of this important moment.”
I received an interesting mass email this morning from David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s campaign manager. It seems that Obama wants to make a further gesture of gratitude towards his technologically savvy supporters by alerting them to his choice for Vice Presidential candidate. Members of Obama Mobile will be emailed or texted the candidate’s official running mate before any other outlet receives the news (although realistically, it probably will all happen at the same blink-of-an-eye speed. It’s the thought that counts…)
By signing up for Obama Mobile on Obama’s website, members can opt in to recieve either a text message or email. By texting VP to 62262 (OBAMA), members can also register for a text message bearing the news. It is certainly the first time in history that a candidate has actively used SMS (see our article on Obama Mobile here). As crunch time begins for the election and the final months approach, I have a feeling that this will be the lead off to many exciting SMS alerts and updates about the campaign. Sign up today and be part of history!
-JPK
August 11th, 2008
With the opening of the Summer Olympics less than 3 weeks away, NBC has offered a generous assortment of mobile alerts for the Beijing Games. There are two ways to sign up:
Online: Services require free registration through www.nbcolympics.com under the mobile tab. There you can sign up for mobile alerts, but also video clips and mobile web. You are then able to customize your alerts (as described below) and format (email and/or SMS text messaging).
Mobile: You can also sign up for services directly from your phone. NBC offers the following alerts:
Daily Alerts
- Top Stories: Text “OLYNEWS” to 51515
- NBC Primetime Alerts: Text “OLYTV” to 51515
- NBCOlympics.com Livestreaming Alert: Text “OLYLIVE” to 51515
- Daily Medal Recap: Text “MEDALRECAP” to 51515
Real-time Alerts
- Breaking news: Text “OLYBREAK” to 51515
- Gold Medal alerts: Text “MEDAL” to 51515
- U.S. Medal alerts: Text “USMEDAL” to 51515
Media Alerts
- Video Highlights: Text “OLYVIDEO” to 51515
- Photo of the Day: Text “OLYPHOTO” to 51515
I will soon be reviewing NBC’s mobile alert services, but the full range of customizable alerts is promising. With the 12 hour difference, real-time alerts should satisfy the thirst for Olympic news for those who cannot wait for time-delayed Primetime coverage.
Upon registration, you will need to send a confirmatory text, ‘OK’. Text STOP to quit, and HELP for support. Again, alerts are free, but carrier charges may apply.
-BMS
July 21st, 2008
Codespotter’s quest for the best-of-breed mobile coupon deal has turned up a new contender. Ugotitfirst (as in YOU Got It FIRST at http://www.ugotitfirst.com) is offering consumers a triple incentive to sign up during July for their text-to-phone mobile coupons:
- Every member joining this month has a chance to win a new 3G iPhone
- Once you join, you can select the type and the number of coupons you want to receive– and even the time of day a coupon is delivered via text message to your phone
- For every coupon sent to your phone (or the phone of a friend you have referred), Ugotitfirst deposits a few cents into your member account – so you share in the revenue in a small way that can grow over time if you spread the word and get lots of friends to join too
This three-part offer got my attention, along with Ugotitfirst’s promise to put consumers in control of how many coupons are sent and to be completely SPAM –free. Plus, I liked the option to sign up instantly with a text message (text JOIN2WIN to 99134). So I joined on the spot and contacted Ugotitfirst to set up an interview with Noam Samson, CEO to find out more about how he plans to grow this business.
Here’s what Noam told us:
Q: What do you think it will take to motivate US consumers to switch over from print to mobile coupons?
A: A mobile coupon service has to be really, really easy for consumers to use –everything from signing up to getting the coupons onto the phone to redeeming them at the point-of-sale must be fast, simple and convenient. That’s one reason Ugotitfirst is using SMS text messages to deliver the coupons – we see that most people are comfortable getting a text message today, but a lot of consumers are not ready to download a special application to their phone. Consumers also need assurance that they won’t end up with unwanted coupons that are not relevant to them. So our system was designed to give members direct control over how many coupons they get and select only the products and services they care about. Online profiles let members pick out their areas of interest; they provide a zip code to get special local offers along with national brand coupons. We have had great success signing up local businesses in major cities, so members can get big discounts –like 15% off the tab from a participating restaurant in the member’s neighborhood. That’s a great savings and something that consumers are likely to value and use.
Q: Do you think the payback feature will be a big attraction? A few pennies per coupon received will not add up to much money for most members.
A: Everyone likes to get some reward. And research shows that consumers have consistently picked cash incentives as the most important motivator for opting in to mobile marketing campaigns. We make it clear on the web site that the cash back from Ugotitfirst isn’t likely to make members rich. In fact, we provide an option for members to donate the cash back directly to their favorite charity. So the cash back program can be a way for members to donate to charity as well as an extra motivation to spread the word and encourage friends to become members too.
Q: How many members do you have now and what are your goals for 2008?
A: We have almost 8,000 registered members today and sign ups are growing quickly (we just launched the site in March 2008). Our goal is to have 50,000 members by the end of the year and we are on track to meet or even exceed that number. We are still adding features; next up is a Facebook application that will let members join and manage their coupon profile and activities right from their Facebook page.
I will be reporting on my own experience with Ugotitfirst (and what coupons I receive) next week. –MJ
July 2nd, 2008
It’s summertime Codespotters, and as it gets hotter, the beach is a prime location to cool off and beat the heat. The last thing that you want to do is get to the beach and find that it has been closed due to bacteria or pollutants in the water. Thanks to Heal The Bay, a non profit group dedicated to monitoring and keeping the waters of California clean and uncontaminated, you can learn the water condition and quality of your local beach via text message. Through their Beach Report Card program, which grades beaches based on water quality, you can text your local beach to the group, and in return they will text you the beach’s current grade.
To use the Beach Report Card, go to Heal The Bay’s website and look up the beach that you want a grade for. Each beach in Heal The Bay’s database has a keyword assigned to it, or at least to a portion of it. For example, Royal Palms State Beach’s keyword is royalpalms while Redondo Beach’s Avenue I section is avenuei. Text the beach’s designated code to 23907, and instantly you will recieve a message containing the beach’s current grade. The beaches are constantly updated and their grade is up-to-date and current.
While Heal The Bay’s service only works for California beaches, it covers over 100 beaches and spans through 17 coastal counties. Check your local beach today!
June 30th, 2008
While Codespotter does not express any particular political allegiance, Barack Obama’s innovative use of text messaging in his campaigning is definitely newsworthy. One of the tenets of Obama’s campaigning is finding creative ways to appeal to youth voters, and the SMS options on his website attempt to use modern technology to bridge the gap between voters and candidate.
Obama offers mobile alerts and campaign updates to those subscribers who text GO to 62262 (OBAMA). Obama followers can expect news about upcoming campaign events, as well as periodic news. For specific campaign-issue related messages, users can text HEALTH, EDUCATION, IRAQ, JOBS, or REFORM to 62262, where they can recieve alerts and news about the topic of their choice.
“Obama’s SMS information service is a quick, concise way to identify his stance on key political issues”
For those who are particularly interested in constant updates about Obama’s activities, texting FOLLOW BARACKOBAMA to 40404 will access the candidate’s personal Twitter feed (As of this posting, Obama has 37,558 followers on the site and is currently “Kicking-off a two week tour focusing on the current economic crisis & the need for new economic policy”). Obama’s SMS site also includes multiple ringtones and screen wallpapers that promote the candidate. Supporters, for example, can text “ringtone6″ to 62262 and receive an alternative rock version of the candidate’s 2004 DNC speech.
Obama’s SMS options are clear attempts to inform his younger, hipper supporters about his views and beliefs. His SMS information service is a quick, concise way to identify his stance on key political issues. His Twitter feed gives him a personal quality that politicians can easily lose in their final months of candidacy. Although the real indication of his success lies in the nation’s voters, one thing is for certain: through his SMS service, Obama has made a clear attempt to take one of many different, creative roots in campaigning.
June 10th, 2008
For this interview, Code spoke with Darryl Cohen, CEO of AskMeNow. AskMeNow is an innovative service that provides users with information and answers. The service can be used by visiting AskMeNow’s website; by texting questions to ASKME (27563); or by visiting AskMeNow’s mobile site, which is easily accessible and has a link that can be downloaded to most phones.
What is the first thing that people should know about AskMeNow?”
“AskMeNow is the easiest way to get access to information on your phone; specifically Wikipedia entries and current news, weather, sports, and stock quotes.
Where does AskMeNow get its answers from?
“We use a variety of databases under contract, including Wikipedia and the leading providers of sports news, flight information, and other information.”
What types of questions do people ask?
“About 50% of our answers come from Wikipedia, while about 20% come from 411 related questions. The rest is a balance of sports, weather, financial, and news questions.”
How specific must questions be? How intelligent is the answering service?
“The questions can be either general or specific. The site redirects questions using a template for structural examination. If you ask a question that Wikipedia can answer, the site will direct it to Wikipedia. If it’s another type of question, the site will direct it to another source.”
“We’re pretty excited about it. We believe our Ask Wiki Search is the most advanced natural language search available on mobile devices today.”
Does AskMeNow cost anything?
“No. AskMeNow is free, outside of standard carrier texting rates, because it is entirely ad supported.”
Is there a specific use that you envisioned AskMeNow would be used for when starting?
“When we started, we believed that 80 to 90% of our questions would be 411-related. We saw that only about 20% were. It was the amount of generalized questions that surprised us.”
Are there any new features or services being added to the site? Is there anything new going on?
“We’re building a service to allow for daily alerts; pre-ordered content if you will. It should be done in a couple of months. We’re also developing a social networking service, so that users can communicate with other people based on similar topics of interest. We’re pretty excited about it. We believe our Ask Wiki Search is the most advanced natural language search available on mobile devices today. Text a question to 27563 and try it out.”
June 3rd, 2008
