Text messages aid disaster recovery
BBC NEWS | Technology | Text messages aid disaster recovery:Text messaging technology was a valuable communication tool in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster in Asia.
Here's my take:
1) SMS-to-blog: I think this would have saved a lot of trouble in disseminating information from the ground. None of the popular blogging services offer it; obviously because it involves inter-operability with service providers across the world.
2) Remember MTNSMS? The South-African telecom service provider had a website that allowed people to send (and receive) text messages to cell phones worldwide. They shut down the free service later on. Maybe we could revive it to use it for disaster alerts.
3) Even now it is possible to blog via SMS. But it is a work-around. It involves syntax that a lay person might find difficult to use. I am for a service similar to Blogger's e-mail-to-blog: you choose a secret e-mail id, and publish posts by sending mails to that id.
4) Mobile phone service providers may want to offer a service helping bloggers. I read somewhere that blog readership has gone up by more than 50%. So, this could be a great value-add to service providers.
5) Maybe we should look at toll-free text messaging. No charges when you send a message to a particular number (the message is published on an alert website or an e-mail group).
The flip-side though is the possible misuse of such services. I keep getting junk mail on sumank.tsunami[at]blogger[dot]com (a mail to this id is published on http://tsunamihelpindia.blogspot.com). Some moron was sending stupid messages to it. But I don't think a few morons should deter us from lending a helping hand to the millions.
Here's my take:
1) SMS-to-blog: I think this would have saved a lot of trouble in disseminating information from the ground. None of the popular blogging services offer it; obviously because it involves inter-operability with service providers across the world.
2) Remember MTNSMS? The South-African telecom service provider had a website that allowed people to send (and receive) text messages to cell phones worldwide. They shut down the free service later on. Maybe we could revive it to use it for disaster alerts.
3) Even now it is possible to blog via SMS. But it is a work-around. It involves syntax that a lay person might find difficult to use. I am for a service similar to Blogger's e-mail-to-blog: you choose a secret e-mail id, and publish posts by sending mails to that id.
4) Mobile phone service providers may want to offer a service helping bloggers. I read somewhere that blog readership has gone up by more than 50%. So, this could be a great value-add to service providers.
5) Maybe we should look at toll-free text messaging. No charges when you send a message to a particular number (the message is published on an alert website or an e-mail group).
The flip-side though is the possible misuse of such services. I keep getting junk mail on sumank.tsunami[at]blogger[dot]com (a mail to this id is published on http://tsunamihelpindia.blogspot.com). Some moron was sending stupid messages to it. But I don't think a few morons should deter us from lending a helping hand to the millions.
Labels: tsunami
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