BulkSMS.com will be showcasing its BulkSMS.Community messaging solution at MobileActive08. The conference began today and runs until the 15th of October 2008 at the Wanderers Club in Johannesburg and addresses how mobile technology is used within civil society.
“We are excited about the opportunity to be involved in MobileActive08, the first global event to bring together key players in civil society and the industry to showcase how mobile technology can be used for social change. We look forward to exchanging ideas and learning about the innovative mobile programmes that have been set up locally and in other parts of the developing world,” says Dr Pieter Streicher, managing director at BulkSMS.com.
Glen Thompson, from BulkSMS’s marketing and communications desk, will be exhibiting the company’s SMS messaging services at the SIMPLACE, in the main foyer of the MobileActive08 venue. BulkSMS is sharing the stand with Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), an organisation that uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) to empower women.
According to Dr Streicher, “SMS messaging provide the most immediate means of conveying relevant information to specific contacts no mater their location. With this in mind, we developed a SMS solution some years back to support the vital role NGO’s play in social development. For instance, we have organisations that work in the fields of social welfare, health-care, conservation and youth development that use our messaging services to mobilise volunteers to support humanitarian relief efforts, create awareness about climate change, or keep in contact with staff in rural areas.”
The BulkSMS.Community service is aimed at providing public benefit and social development organisations with a cost-effective, fixed price bulk SMS messaging solution. The user-friendly service uses an Internet platform to send and receive SMS messages and can be use from any Internet-connected computer.
In providing an effective mobile communications channel to advance social action, BulkSMS offers two services within the BulkSMS.Community solution.
• A Web to SMS offering allows an organisation to upload contacts, create groups and then send notifications, alerts and event reminders using their Internet browser (such as Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer or Apple Safari).
• The BulkSMS Text Messenger is a software application that downloads to a computer. It has the familiar look of an email programme and allows an organisation to send SMS messages as well as effectively manage contacts by either uploading to the application or linking to an external database (such as a spreadsheet or an ODBC linked datasource).
Both services support the sending of SMS messages to large contact lists of 20,000 or more within a few seconds. The solution also receives replies to a message to allow for two-way communications. Messages can also be personalised or scheduled for sending at a later date. Furthermore, the BulkSMS.Community solution provides detailed delivery reports.
