In what I view as the first serious use of mobile technology in an American election (Edwards, Ford and Schwarzenegger have the technology but have really not used it to any great extent) , Green Independent candidate for Governor Pat LaMarche has launched a major mobile campaign a week before the election. Pat has already gained a reputation for technological innovation in Maine for her Online Town Hall and a Website that the Library Of Congress has already designated as a “historic ” site worth preserving in the federal archives. The mobile part of her campaign officially launches today in a very interesting way. As of this morning students and citizens of Maine will be ask to text the word “Pat” and a topic (example: Pat Health Care) to the shotcode 30644. Later today Pat will be speaking at the University of Maine in Orono where her speech will be based on the top three topics that students and Maine citizens send to her via text message. Very interactive, very neat.
Pat also will also be using her skill as a professional Radio personality to receive questions via text message in upcoming radio interviews throughout the week.
Of course, sending a topic or question to the shotcode will send a text message back to user asking them to opt in to what the campaign is calling “Pats Immediate Response Team” the purpose of which is to send out the latest insider news, call to actions, campaign ringtones and tips on how you can help Pat win.
Opting into the text message also signs you up to receive important Get Out The Vote reminders on the day of the election (of which will include information on where to go to vote). The text will also ask users to send a text message to at least 5 people reminding them to go vote.
Of course, users can just text the word “Pat” to 30644 if all they want to do is opt in for the Immediate Response Team.
The mobile part of the campaign is aimed mostly at Maines young voters and as of the press release last night they have already have 135 people signed up.
Jed Alpert of Rights-Group has teamed up with Working Assets to create a Voter Protection Immediate Response Network should any problems arise during this November 7th midterm elections. You may remember that Rights-Group used their Immediate Response Network technology for PFAW#039s Save The Court campaign. It was very successful with uprising opt-in rates.
Much like PFAW#039s efforts Working Assets hopes to deliver a text message or place a call straight to your phone with a short and easy action that could help save the election, should something seem fishy. Why? Because there is not enough time to send out so many emails and because the issue#039s are of the utmost urgency Working Assets would like to reach you wherever you are.
The concerns and actions are everything from making simple phone calls to he local election offices to keep the polls open to compensate for delayed poll openings to asking people (via text message) to show up in person to witness poll closing procedures.
This may also include interviewing people who had problems voting with Camera phones and then posting it directly to the web! Which is an AMAZING IDEA if Working Assets has a no brainer mobile video upload infrastructure in place (can someone say Shozu or Nakama or Comvu?)
I know that this has been advertised and such all over the place but I just want to remind people of this amazing event being put on right before the Web 2.0 conference. Mobile 2.0 will take place Monday November 6th (the day before election day) in San Fran. Its A One-Day Event on November 6th, 2006 Focusing on the Mobile Web and Disruptive Mobile Innovation.
Confirmed panelists include:
* Chirag Bakshi - VP, Verisign
* Steve Bratt - CEO, W3C
* Judy Breck - Goldenswamp.com
* Ronan Cremin - Director of Developer Initiatives, dotMobi
* Tony Fish - Author of Mobile Web 2.0
* Kelly Goto - Principal, gotomedia LLC
* Kaj Häggman - Widsets
* Aron Holzman - Windows Live Mobile
* Rhys Lewis - Chief Scientist at Volantis
* Charles McCathieNevile - Chief Standards Officer, Opera Software
* Bob Morgan - VP Business Development, ShoZu
* Hetal Patel - Partner Manager, North America at Symbian
* Dave Raggett - W3C Fellow (on assignment from Volantis)
* Nandini Ramani - Sun
* Arun Ranganathan - System Architect, AOL
* Oliver Starr - Blogger at MobileCrunch.com
Looks like am AMAZING event. I will try 2 make it but it being the day before the election it may be a little tough.
This seems to make a lot of sense. Recent reports are showing that social networking platforms made for mobile applications are generating a global net of 3.45 billion dollars. This is more revenue than the other social networking otherwise known as Web 2.0. Not bad.
If you have no idea what I am talking about then you must be living in the United States. Why? The companies that are making it big in this pace include services as Cyworld from South Korea (in 6 countries), Mixi in Japan, Habbo Hotel from Finland (in over a dozen countries) and SeeMeTV in the UK, Italy and other 3/Hutchison markets/ As Tomi T Ahonen exclaims “social networking on mobile is THE first elusive killer app for 3G !”
A while ago I reported on a story filed on the popular RocketBoom about how two Polio victims in Kenya found a means for a life income using mobile phones (read here). Well Ruud Elmendorp has done it again making yet another short report on the impact that the mobile phone has had on the developing nation of Kenya and its citizens. This story is less humanitarian and more logistical but VERRY interesting nonetheless.
Highlights include how the mobile phone has helped shop keepers, there are over 7 million mobile subscribers in Kenya.
Mobile phones first become popular in Kenya in the year 2000 when two carriers where launched. The biggest, Safaricom, is halfed owned by the Kenya government and Vodafone. The network now reaches one fifth of Kenya’s 32 million population.
These figures are staggering when you consider that most Kenyans live on less than 3 dollars a day.
According to Michael Joseph (CEO of Kenya carrier Safaricom) downtown Nairobi has the highest square foot mobile traffic than anywhere in the world because that is what they use as their prime means of communication.” He claims that the huge growth in mobile phone use simply the result of a lack of an alternative. “They absolutely have to have it because there was nothing else.”
The cell phone carriers have made also peaked growth by making calls very cheap. A majority of the plans are prepaid and airtime come in small amounts such as 3 dollar and even 75 cent phone cards.
Subscribers in Kenya are not in the same profile as those in Europe. Calls are very short (20-40 second average). They make 2-3 calls a day.
Phone markets have become very popular with phones ranging from 35 dollars to 350 dollars.
Once again this shows the raw power that cell phones have even when they are stripped down to their basic functionality. They are a new technology with a different medium.
There is no mention of SMS in the report but I am sure that, as a cheaper alternative, their is heavy usage there.
While the calls in Kenya may be short and infrequent they sure can have a large impact.
I love walking around the city with friends trying to find a place and showing them how to use Google’s SMS service to find places. People are always floored and always become users. I think its a real success story but it is not until recently that Google has started beefing up (in terms of promotion) its mobile stuff. C. Enrique Ortiz on his Mobility Weblog points to this article from GoogleBlog on Google Mobiles rebirth of cool. More or less, if you want to really get a taste of what Google is up to mobile wise it is a must read and do for it talks about the changes google has made to its mobile.google.com website and the steps they have take to make it easier for you to explore google on cell phone. Its really worth a look.
I am an international guy. I have friends all over the world. I also like to text message and text messaging my international friends would be a nice cheap alternative… the only problem is that it does not always work. I have texted by friends in Germany before so I thought it would be no problem to send them a text condolence after Germany lost to Italy in this last World Cup. They never got the message.
Most US carriers have a web page telling you which international carriers they have deals with and that you can text message to. The price of an international text message varies (around 25 cents) and still goes against your text message package. But does not always work.
Thats why I was relieved to read on 160 Characters about how international text messaging is about to enter a whole new phase of reliability under a GSMA sponsored hubbing scheme.
More Michael Kowatzik, CEO of TynTec (one of the participating organizations) this move makes perfect sense and is extremely beneficial. “You can always talk to someone whatever network they’re on so why can’t we communicate via SMS?” Kowatzik points out.
This problem in SMS interoperability is caused by the current way the GSM-based communication is processed - through bi-lateral connectivity agreements between mobile operators. The good news coming up is that there is a framework solution in sight. The GSM Association (GSMA) has developed the SMS Hubbing Initiative to enable full interoperability of SMS across mobile operators worldwide, giving operators the opportunity to increase SMS reach, and therefore revenues, based on international text messaging.
This is very interesting on many fronts and levels. Especially on a marketing and political one. I wonder what company will be the first to pull of an international text campaign… this could also greatly benefit international non-profits and NGO’s who are beginning to take advantage of the technology.
The National Journal’s Daily Briefing on politics “The Hotline,” Has a very interesting article on a discussion of mobile technology and politics that took place last week. In the interest of disclosure I agree with everything the “mobile guru” quoted in the article talks about.
Are you interested in a new and cool way to use your mobile phone? Citi is offering this opportunity to a very limited number of customers so read on.
Over the next few months Citi will be testing a convenient and secure way to use a mobile phone to buy things and get information. Do you want to be one of the few to test this new technology? And you will even receive a reward to participate in this beta test. All you need to do is click on the link below for more information.
Did Citibank know that one of the customers is a mobile blogger? No, this is not Citibank’s mobile banking application rumored to be in the works…(insiders have told me that they are working on a Quicken like application for the phone). And no it is not the first bank in the US to jump on the mobile banking idea. Chase has, at least in their commercials, been providing bank account SMS alerts for some time now.
So, like the Metrocard Speed Fab (mobile payment tags) Citibank has teamed up with Mastercard and Cingular to test mobile payments and more. Participants in the New York test will receive a special mobile phone that is not available anywhere else (the phone on the webpage is a Nokia), have the ability to pay for all sorts of purchases with just a tap of their phone and get access to special events and exclusive content from sponsors. Users will also be able to download entertainment content at smart posters displaying the trial symbol (shown above next to the Citi logo).
So the phones will probably have the same chip thats in the payment tags only being a phone instead of a stick at the end of your keychain this creates the opportunity for a lot more “interaction” to take place… whatever that means.
I will let you know what happens when I get it and swipe my phone to pay at the nearest PayPass cooperating venue.
Perhaps the Mobile Banking application will be on it as well.
In what I view as the first serious use of mobile technology in an American election (Edwards, Ford and Schwarzenegger have the technology but have really not used it to any great extent) , Green Independent candidate for Governor Pat LaMarche has launched a major mobile campaign a week before the election. Pat has already gained a reputation for technological innovation in Maine for her Online Town Hall and a Website that the Library Of Congress has already designated as a “historic ” site worth preserving in the federal archives. The mobile part of her campaign officially launches today in a very interesting way. As of this morning students and citizens of Maine will be ask to text the word “Pat” and a topic (example: Pat Health Care) to the shotcode 30644. Later today Pat will be speaking at the University of Maine in Orono where her speech will be based on the top three topics that students and Maine citizens send to her via text message. Very interactive, very neat.
