A few weeks ago we released a new REST API to use our text messaging gateway. To make it easier to get started with our REST API we've just added code samples in six popular languages:
Check out the code samples here and the documentation for the API here. Visit the Developer Center to learn more about our SMS API.
The Mobile Internet Content Coalition (the MICC) advocates for policies and provide educational opportunities that encourage all members of the mobile Internet ecosystem, regulators, and policymakers to adopt technology-neutral regulations that serve to empower consumer choice and provide a level playing field for all mobile content providers.
Today they're doing just that, in reaction to Sprint's move to restrict certain content in text messages:
According to information obtained by MICC, a trade association that advocates for policies ensuring the mobile Internet remains open, accessible and competitive, Sprint’s content restrictions are expected to go into effect on April 1, 2011. Once implemented, the restrictions will prevent organizations, like newspapers, health care providers, and first responders, from sending web links and coupons to consumers over the Sprint network. Sprint also intends to implement significant price increases for businesses using their network to send text messages.
Sprint’s unilateral imposition of these content restrictions and price increases is the latest proof that the wireless marketplace in the United States lacks sufficient competition. “It is ironic that just as Sprint is calling on the FCC to block the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile because of its fears regarding competition, it is simultaneously planning to abuse its market power by imposing unreasonable content restrictions and exorbitant fees on consumers,” said Amanda Antico-Majkowski, the Executive Director of the MICC.
Head over to the MICC website to read the full release and their filing with the FCC.
If you’ve ever talked to us about mobile video you know that cross carrier multimedia messaging services (MMS) just aren’t there yet. Today we’re excited to let you know about a great service called MyBrainshark. MyBrainshark is a free online service that enables you to easily create, share and track online and mobile video presentations using your PowerPoint documents and your voice. If you have a plain old video file, that works as well.
So here’s how it works. Sign up for MyBrainshark – basic usage is free but the paid plans are well worth the upgrade, starting at only $9.99/month. Once you’ve created your account you can upload videos (or presentations – we’ll get to that in a minute) and they’ll automatically convert them into a mobile-ready format. They’ll give you a short link that you can add to your text messaging campaigns. MyBrainshark supports pretty much every smartphone. If you’ve been waiting for a way to enhance your mobile campaigns with video, the solution is here.
About the Powerpoints. MyBrainshark is guided by two philosophies. ‘Create once, share anywhere,’ is the first. Everything you upload to MyBrainshark is available on the web, can be exported to YouTube, and of course is available on mobile devices. The second philosophy is ‘Video Presentations…Anytime, Anywhere.’ Thousands of companies and organizations use MyBrainshark to share eLearning presentations and marketing materials. After you’ve uploaded your Powerpoint you can record a voiceover using your telephone, mic, or by uploading mp3’s and add background music for a multimedia viewing experience. If you’re one of the hundreds of trade shows or conference presenters who run at-event Keyword campaigns, MyBrainshark can take your campaign to the next level:
For $9.95/month you can upgrade to MyBrainshark Pro, but if you use the promo code –JPLRPKGPDJ, they’ll knock 15% off that price. Among MyBrainshark Pro’s added features there are three we want to highlight:
If you want to learn more about MyBrainshark for mobile, check out their blog post that covers all of their mobile tools – including their iPhone and iPad apps. Even better, if you want to see what you can do with MyBrainshark, watch their mobile presentation!
Ready to go? Try MyBrainshark now and start adding mobile video and presentations to your text messaging campaigns. The promo code again is: JPLRPKGPDJ
Americans send over 1.5 trillion texts per year - up from less than one hundred billion only a few years ago. If you look at the entire world you come up with this staggering prediction:
A study by ABI Research finds that consumers worldwide will send more than 7 trillion SMS messages in 2011, indicating a huge opportunity for marketers.
The study found that messaging is more prevalent among younger subscribers, and as they replace older subscribers, messaging will get a further boost.
The upshot for businesses looking to reach their customers?
With the expected growth in SMS for 2011, more brands will likely jump on the SMS marketing bandwagon.
"In 2011, marketers will continue to use SMS along with other mobile channels,” Mr. Strother said. “Not everyone has a smartphone, and communicating with those that do not via SMS is the best way to reach a wide audience.”
Ars Technica has picked up on some interesting research releated to text messaging and its applications for the ways that cellular networks can be managed:
Human communication patterns, particularly in the form of text messages, appear to follow a pattern that's a fusion of two mathematical models. In a paper published in PNAS on Monday, researchers analyzed a large set of text messages from service providers and found most users trade over 90 percent of their messages in bursts with only one other person, followed by an exponential drop into silence. The pattern may be due to interplay between the number and priority of tasks the two parties are trying to accomplish together, and the math behind them may help service providers manage their resources.
Scientists have lately been swimming in human communication data, from emails to texts and phone calls. As more and more people get cell phones and computers, all this information is begging to be analyzed for the benefit of mobile and Internet service providers, not to mention for its value as a wider indicator of human behavior.
To see if they could identify a communication pattern, a group of researchers culled data on text messages from three different mobile service companies over the course of a month. Specifically, they were interested in the length of time between messages, and wanted to know if there is a typical pace.
When they looked at the data, they noticed that 50 percent of users send 90 percent of their text messages to the same person. Since this covered a large chunk of all the text message business, they used this subset to see how time between messages was distributed.
The always informational Textually.org reports:
The Primetime Emmy Awards has added mobile to its repertoire with a new SMS program that engages television audiences in the run-up to its 62nd annual ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 29.
Mobile Marketing Watch posted an important article yesterday, Nonprofits Ban Together To Petition FCC Over Use Of SMS And Carrier Hurdles. Please check it out:
Washington-based public interest group Public Knowledge has filed a letter to the FCC on behalf of several nonprofits urging the government body to take action on the state of SMS communication and the fact that it’s severely hindered by “layers of obscure, interlocking bureaucracy” that make it hard to innovate, communicate and connect via SMS.
Some of the nonprofits involved include the likes of the American Public Media, Center for Community Change, The Humane Society of the United States, Reform Immigration for America and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. These and other nonprofits have banned together to get behind a petition Public Knowledge filed with the FCC back in 2007 asking that it clarify that text messaging is subject to the same nondiscrimination rules as voice communications. Though the FCC has yet to act on the petition, more and more companies, groups and nonprofits are coming together in support of it.
Nonprofits care about text messaging because they want to use SMS to advance their mission. Text messaging could be a great way to reach out to supporters, tell them what’s going on, and even raise a little money in the process, but as of lately they’re learning what Catholic Relief Services found out the hard way – text message campaigns can be fickle, and arbitrary carrier rules are not helping.
Read the entire article at Mobile Marketing Watch.
Mobile marketing is stretching into nearly every industry, including to end
the abuse of animals. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have
launched their “Elephants Never Forget” campaign to raise awareness about the
abuse of animals all around the world.
“Mobile gives PETA the tools to deliver our messages to a laser-targeted demographic of young music fans at the Vans Warped Tour and allows us to get the word out about our future initiatives,” said Joel Bartlett, director of marketing at PETA, Norfolk, VA.“No longer is a computer necessary to stay informed and get active for animals—that can now happen anytime, anywhere,” he added.
To read the entire article, click here.
To learn more about mobile marketing, visit Ez Texting.
Last week, Lang Lang and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra performed in Central Park and demonstrated a new way to connect with the audience. Prior to the show, the director of the orchestra announced that the audience members could vote for an encore via SMS message. Immediately after casting their votes, the senders would receive a text message offering them a discount on Lang Lang's new CD, "Live in Vienna", as well as an invitation to follow him on facebook.
“It’s a new way for us to connect to an audience that’s not a traditional audience for us,” said Jennifer Mire, a spokeswoman for the Houston Symphony.Read the entire article at The New York Times.
To learn about mobile marketing, visit Ez Texting.
We're always looking out for new, interesting uses of text messaging...and everyday we're amazed at what we find. Today we heard about farmers in the Philippines using SMS text messaging to optimize rice production:
Farmers can now text back and forth with a central farming advisory, thanks to a system instituted by the International Rice Research (IRRI) council in conjunction with the Philippine Department of Agriculture. No, they won't be playing walkey talkey all day with rice-paddy-command-central. The system is automated: rice farmers text information about their particular farm, and back comes advice on amounts, source, and timing of fertilizers for growing use. The Agriculture Department hopes this will streamline production of rice and make more efficient use of resources in different regions.
Read the entire article @ Lay Scientist.
