A global network of people using mobile technology for social impact.
MobileActive held its first conference call for activists, exploring sms bulk messaging.
Thanks to Ben Rigby of Mobile Voter! Audio of the conversation is here. (thank you, Eric!)
Notes from the call -a Primer on Bulk SMS messaging (focused on the US, for the most part) are here on the MobileActive resource wiki.
Topics discussed included:
* what is bulk text messaging?
* how does it work through an SMS gateway and through an aggregator?
* what are the pros and cons of either method?
* what are other systems (FrontlineSMS, and others) and how do they work?
* what does it cost?
* what is the connection to applications such as CiviCRM (a constituency relationship management system) and Drupal?
Meanwhile, MobileActive Justin Oberman wrote a feature of Frontline SMS, a low-cost tool for small sms campaigns:
Justin over at Personal Democracy has a great article on MobileActive participant Becky, Firoze, and Patrick from Fahamu and their cell phone petition: SMS, Social Justice Style, in Africa - I had the pleasure of meeting with three representatives of Fahamu while at the MobileActive convergence in Toronto, one of which was the groups director Firoze M anji.... [Live from the conference:]
Donga.com, the Korean news site on technology and the internet, has this little tidbit of an article:
21st Century's Democracy Comes From Citizens
The democratic movement in the Middle East, the democratic revolution in Central Asia, and China;s anti-Japanese protests. These events are weighty incidents that have shaken the world this year. Behind all these incidents are mobile phones and the Internet. In other words,mobile power; and Internet power; made people power.
If the print media led a modern revolution and TV pulled down the Berlin Wall, the thumb revolution,represented by text messages from mobile phones and the Internet, is currently destroying the wall of a controlled society after emerging as a new kind of political power.
Experiencing the recent candlelight protest around Gwanghwamun organized by high school freshmen, the rally against the impeachment of President Roh, and the group of extremely supporters of President Roh in the 2002 presidential election, Korea is already a developed country in terms of mobile phone demonstrations.
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Advirtek
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Ben Freda Consulting