How to send text messages to groups of recipients
From Shareideas
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Sample uses
- Manage membership of an organization
- Communicate specific messages with specific groups of people
- Send out news alerts, fundraising appeals, and other periodic communications
- Contact and manage emergency teams
What is SMS notification?
Short Message Service (SMS) is a telecommunications protocol that allows the sending of "short" (160 characters or less) text messages. The individual messages are often called text messages and, more colloquially, SMSes, texts, or even txts (in "text speak"). It is available on most digital mobile phones and some personal digital assistants with onboard wireless telecommunicatios.
SMS notification is a service that allows multiple recipients to receive the same SMS. The sender has just to outline a message and select the group of receivers to receive the message using a simple software application.
There are commercial, shareware and freeware applications that allow users to easily set up and manage groups of recipients. The user generally has the option to setup automatic periodic messages that can be sent to different groups depending on the topic.
How to send an SMS notification?
First you need to set up the service, typically by contacting your service provider to register to an SMS Gateway Service. Most service providers allow the direct virtual connection of a local workstation (desktop connected to the World Wide Web) to a central server running the SMS Gateway Service.
SMS gateways exist to connect mobile SMS services with instant message (IM) services, the world wide web, desktop computers, and even landline telephones (through speech synthesis). Devices which can connect to mobile phones and PDAs through protocols such as Bluetooth can also sometimes use that link to send SMS messages over the wireless network.
After having established the connection with your telecommunication service provider server, the local software application (referred above) must be configured by inputting recipients’ phone numbers and configuring network connections. These are very simple applications that do not require special technical knowledge.
An alternative to the solution described above is to use available online services. Generally these are commercial and you have to pay for each message. The price per message is normally higher than with the first solution but the initial cost with local equipment and software application is avoided. This latter solution does not allow the same level of flexibility to manage recipients and confidentiality is reduced.
