Usages
This page lists various ways that people/organizations/companies are using text messaging in the political and commercial arenas... A good place to get inspired or cross-polinate.
Video Podcasting the Elections ...
Happy Election Day! Hopefully if you're reading this from either California or Ohio you're either voting or already voted earlier today.
I voted absentee ballot this time, which I thought would give me more
time to research the initiatives in depth, but I really got hung up on Prop. 80. 80 involves reregulating the California's energy market, and if you've read or watched "The Smartest Guys In the Room" you know what a mess the energy situation is out here.
You can always count on your local PBS affiliate to produce thought provoking, well rounded analysis of local ballot propositions. Usually they'll invite a panel of experts with varying opinions on the different initiatives into their studios. The time constraints of half hour or hour shows forces guests to be concise - the possibility of being immediately challenged on anything they say forces them to tell the truth.
Unfortunately, on the afternoon I'd set aside to vote the only thing our PBS affiliate was airing was reruns of 'Sesame Street' - actually I recognized the episode as one I'd watched back when I was a kid, which was a long time ago, and it looked old back then!
As a former TV producer, I actually think that TV is a fairly efficient way of distributing information. I did a google search for video clips for different ballet propositions and the only thing I could find was this website which was created by the League of Women Voters and the California Channel - a state channel created by the cable industry.
And then it hit me - somebody should license cheap local programming explaining local ballot issues and make it available as a video podcast. Or they could shoot it themselves. That way you could watch the podcast while you are reviewing your ballot, or at the gym, or on your commute home. Or you could lend it to a friend. And viewers could easily skim through issues or replay them later.
In any case something to think about for next year ...
Posted by Bart Cheever at 07:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Commercial Applications/Ideas
* hair salons remind customers of appointments (salon.textalert.com)
* traffic on commuting route
* weather by zip code
* pollution alerts for asthma sufferers
* pick up line of the day (sms.ac)
* sports trivia
* public transit - location/timing of busses/trains
* TV voting: american idol, dancing with the stars
* dating: txt2flirt.com
* text to screen in bars (Vibes Media for Anheuser-Busch)
* text to screen in sporting arenas
* bank to send low-balance alerts
* buddy finder. determine if a friend is in your vicinity
* selling art specifically designed for mobile phones (http://www.startmobile.net) - [br: could see some sort of art-based incentive for political participation; receive mobile art from a famous artist in exchange for political contribution/registering to vote]
Posted by ben at 01:05 PM | Comments (0)
Political Applications/Ideas
* Live 8 series of concerts. At concert, send a text message in support of debt relief for African nations.
* U2 concerts. Bono pitches his anti-poverty ONE campaign and asks people to text in their names to sign up to the list. As they do, the names are displayed on giant screen.
* disaster warning: tsunamis, tornados, escape routes in the event of terrorist attacks. more info about disaster systems here and here and here and here and here's an article about why uptake has been hampered by carriers
* disaster relief donations. Katrina: 2HELP by Verizon, Tsunami: 4CARE
* general organization and campaigning:
- greenpeace argentina
- txtpower movements in the philippines, s. korea, spain
* SMS in a box - frontlineSMS - hook your nokia phone up to a laptop to work as a mobile low-capacity sms gateway
* mobile fundraising - get people to donate using SMS - check out mobileaccord - problem is that currently, the carriers take 50%
Posted by ben at 01:02 PM | Comments (0)