Welcome to our Textopoly Blog! We made this so clients, mobile groupies, and curious passer byers can not only get caught up on mobile news but be enlightened by our thoughts and interests. So take a look around and feel free to share your thoughts as well. And remember, text like no one is watching.
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 Written by LizmarText messaging has completely revolutionized flirting, naughty talk and even romantic schmoozing. But as amazing and fun text messaging that girl from Gym you halooged to get a number from..it can also be a very dangerous act for new relationships and even worse for those already in motion. So I’ve devised several Dating text messaging etiquette and rules that are sure to keep you in safe range. #1. DON’T DRINK AND TEXT: It goes without saying that when drinking your most positively not going to be on your best behavior and no, your no poet either. So avoid these middle of the night, outside local pub, hellos and dirty smiley’s, because it’s sure to get you ignored and even deleted from a mobile phone book. Its best to just leave that phone in your pocket and save yourself the embarrassing questionnaire in the morning. Plus, depending on how intoxicated you are, these normally never end up making any sense due to your inability to press the right buttons, so a simple “hey wanna do something with me later” can very simply turn into “ hi wanna do me and slater?” #2. DON’T TAKE THAT TONE: We’re all very careful the way we write emails, because the hand and face gestures aren’t present to make a point soft or loud. Try not to use any large fonts, as this may seem like your YELLING!!!, and only if you’re in a big rush should you use the cliché abbreviations like lol, brb, ttyl or ysad (you’re such a dork) in a message. Nothing is a bigger buzz kill then a future date who can’t seem to figure out a cooler response then LOL or (even worse) LMFAO. Uh. Yeah. To that we say, CU L8TER. Remember that your intentions in a message can and will be taken the wrong way if you are not careful with the way they are written. #3. The Rule of THREE: If your conversation takes more than three messages to get a point across…PICK UP THE PHONE!! Bombarding someone with your story of how your day was in hopes to have a full fledged conversation can prove to be quite annoying for the person on the other end receiving a pesky DING! For every message you send, Especially if the relationship is just starting off. Calling all Cheaters!! #1. DON’T CHASE OR DO ERASE: the new age ‘lipstick on the collar’ form of getting caught has now changed to the “old messages” in the undeleted inbox. The simplest mistake a womanizer makes is never assuming a message can be read by more than one person. Trying to explain a dirty sext message to the new secretary in accounting may prove harder than climbing Mt. Everest doing a handstand all the way. So be safe and erase, just in case. #2. NIGHTY NIGHT PHONE: As you’ve learned that it is not in YOUR best interest to drunk text, doesn’t necessarily mean others have chosen to follow in this savvy path. Sharing a bed with your love one clueless one, and all the sudden start receiving those One AM’ers can render that person suspicious. And I doubt the “oh it’s just my buddies drunk texting me” excuse will be accepted every time. Put that phone to sleep and therefore excuses and worries along with it. #3. PUT IT ON MY BILL: just like old messages in an inbox can prove you are dishonest scum , a phone bill can just as easily sell you out. Paper trails are just as good as an electronic one, just not as easy to delete. Opt to save yourself from getting caught with a phone bill & balance your karma a bit by just switching to electronic billing. (Save yourself and the environment, it’s a win-win!) Unlike earlier eras when a dalliance might be suspected but not confirmed, nowadays text messages provide proof. Its even made a valid evidence appearance in divorce cases around the U.S. The American Bar Association began offering seminars to all marital attorneys on how to use electronic evidence like text messages, social network activity and even browsing history in proving a partner has strayed. All over the world, text messaging has for some time outed normal and celebrity infidels and had some type of effect on romantic relationships. In your minds, has this forced us to be more honest or just wiser text massagers’?  Written by KangThe 7.0 earthquake in Haiti is a tragedy. People are struggling and are in need of help. I remember seeing a picture my colleague sent to me of a child reaching out for a bottle of water. That image really had a lasting impact on me and translated how severe the situation has become. Amidst all this chaos, I am really glad to see so many people donate their time and money to provide relief. Among many mobile donation campaigns, the American Red Cross has seen highly successful participation and support. According to industry numbers, by the first day a million dollars was raised through micro-donations of $10. Within a week, the campaign raised nearly 20 million dollars! I think these results can be attributed to a few reasons: 1. The process is simple. No call centers or re-directing the user to a website. The transaction is completely isolated on their handsets. 2. The amounts are small, but in copious amounts they add up! People are willing to donate if it doesn’t break the bank. The future of charity is not big galas or huge donations. It’s the reach of a huge audience! 3. Some people are wary with entering credit card information online on a website. SMS donations are answer to the reluctant donator. What did you like or didn’t like about the process?  Written by NaushadThis is a quickie – I’ll randomly post brands that I was thinking about that would be fun to work with. Johnny Rockets & Atkins are two I was thinking about today. A mobile site (and/or iPhone app) for JR with location finder, nutrition info and fun bells and whistles would be cool. For Atkins, a strategy that would tie into their social media efforts on facebook and a strategy using SMS/WAP for health tips, menus, meal plans, etc.  Written by EvanInteresting news from AppleInsider:
It’s about time Apple! Thank you for opening up the SDK. After years of rejecting VoIP apps for the iPhone, you finally get it through your thick stull to stop hindering progress and let the marketplace figure it out. How does this affect AT&T though? In our opinion, not much. They might lose some money on people reducing their plans, but all in all, as more people get better phones we’ll all be spending more money on data and texting plans and less on minutes. Hopefully one day we can have city wide Wi-Fi coverage. Then we’ll have the city of the future which we were all promised as little children. By the way, where is my flying car at anyways! Written by NaushadIs this really the ‘year of mobile’ when you have a premiere brand like Kaplan set to spend over $21 million dollars this first quarter on Online, Print and TV – yet $0 on mobile? Did Kaplan think that Google and Apple dropped over 1 Billion dollars in one week in mobile because they had an untimely brain-freeze? The full story was posted on Media Post last week (http://leep.it/cR). I won’t rant on and on about this. However, it is amazing that neither mobile nor social media made it into the final plans of how to spend $21 million dollars. They could have allocated less than 0.01% of that and created some truly engaging interactions with mobile to compliment their TV,print and online elements. Even if they didn’t want to expend the effort in creating original interactive mobile engagements, or placing ads on the mobile internet, or creating mobile landing pages where their target users (full-time workers) could get more information while they eat there $5 subway footlong, they could have at least added text call to actions on print & TV ads to get some measurement of the media spend! If you’re interested in knowing how we would have used SMS/text, mobile ads, a mobile site and social media for Kaplan give me a holla’, we’ll chat over a footlong & a diet coke. Naushad out.  Written by Taj Mr. Franklin Goes to Washington Today, a recent Supreme Court ruling (HERE) paved the way to lift the ban on Corporations making independent campaign expenditures for political advertising in books, films and other media. Regardless of how you stand on the issue, for us in the mobile world, this can provide an additional opportunity to create great gains and showcase the value of mobile. A recent AdWeek article (HERE) suggested that political advertising will hit $3.3 billion in 2010, an 11 percent increase over 2008. Broadcast TV will reap the lion’s share at $2.2 billion (or 67 percent of the total), with $2 billion going to local TV, $150 million to cable and $50 million to network TV. Direct mail will get $650 million (or 20 percent of the ad spend), followed by radio at $250 million (or 8 percent) and newspaper at $95 million (or 3 percent). Outdoor and the Internet are forecast to reach $55 million and $50 million, respectively. Now, while it may seem paltry, mobile (SMS, WAP and APP) can be used to bridge all of those expenditures together and will probably account for a portion of the estimated $55 million in internet advertising. While it is amazing that a venue like direct mail will get $650 million in an era where “green is king”, mobile is slowing showing that it is more than just a tool for selecting the best American Idol, it can be a tool for getting the message out while reducing waste. Written by EvanAccording to this QSR Web article (http://leep.it/dB), it seems like Subway it testing out text ordering. Way to go Subway! You know what we always say, the more texting the better!
 Written by JocelynThe holidays were supposed to be filled of joy, happiness, and laughter. I wish I could say that they for me but unfortunately it was quite the opposite. The reason you ask? Sprint! All decency and good spirit was forsaken from them as I was scrambling to update several clients campaigns per my favorite carrier (sarcasm font) last minute request. December 1st, 2009 Sprint released their new rules and regulations for compliance. By now, I’m used to ever-changing carrier compliance regulations, but this has gotten a bit out of hand. Not only do constantly changing carrier regulations create more work for me and my clients, but it makes it hard for the mobile industry to stay consistent. I can’t tell you how many clients have asked me to review a new advertisement or message flow and then I have to go back to them a month later to inform them that a particular carrier has changed their requirements yet again. Ahhh so frustrating! Carriers must realize that sudden changes affect many aspects of a campaign – successful marketing campaigns don’t work in silos. In an attempt to make my job a little easier and help avoid adding to Sprints bank book, I figured I would help get word out about Sprints new rules and regulations. -Opt-out MT’s must confirm that service has been “canceled” or “terminated”. The use of the word “unsubscribed” is no longer be accepted as notification of cancellation of service. -Opt-out information must be displayed as “Reply STOP to cancel”. No exceptions! -Help information must be displayed as “Reply HELP for help”. No exceptions! -Display PIN or command after pricing information only. For example, “Phox Mobile Alerts: To get alerts for $.99 (4msgs/mo) Reply YES. Msg&data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help. Reply STOP to cancel”. A large part of my day is spent working with clients to make sure all aspects of their campaign are compliant including; any advertisements or call to actions, websites, message flows, and terms and conditions. At this point, I’d like to think I’m a professional compliance proof reader. I am here as a resource, so please feel free to email me at jocelyn@textopoly.com for further information regarding new carrier standards.  Written by MichaelThe iPhone comes with almost 20 apps pre-installed, but I’d like Apple to increase that number – by 5 to be exact. The App Store will turn 2 this year. In the time we’ve had together, a few apps have risen to the top of the pack. The following apps are so useful, so synonymous with the iPhone experience, that I think Apple should save us all 10 minutes and have them installed on the phone out of the box. In no particular order: (All titles link to the iTunes App Store.)
Yelp (free) While Google Maps will tell you how to get somewhere, Yelp tells you where to go in the first place. I’ve used Yelp more than any other downloaded app by a wide margin. The user rankings and the ability to narrow and filter your browsing set Yelp apart from other recommendation apps. It’s helped me discover culinary gems in unfamiliar places and has saved me from a fast food fate on numerous occasions.
Shazam (free) Unless you’re a professional DJ, you probably don’t know the name of every song you hear. Shazam wins where you fail as it identifies tracks by sound alone. The experience is so novel that I sometimes forget I have such a futuristic technology right in my pocket. Shazam succeeds by making us feel not only smarter, but also cooler at the same time.
[Your Favorite To-Do App] Apple’s Notes has its uses, but this default app just doesn’t cut it for real note-taking and list-making. I’m pretty sure there are 23 flubtillion to-do apps in the App Store, which makes finding a good one a matter of personal preference. Do you need online syncing? Try Evernote (free). A desktop companion app? People seem to like Things ($9.99). Voice dictation? Check out reQall (free). I personally like a simple, responsive, and cheap notes app. I recently discovered Done ($1.99) – an app with a clean interface that looks fairly promising. Whichever direction you take, finding a good app for notes is a must.
IMDb (free) As a big movie geek, IMDb is an app I can’t live without. (Sports fans can stop reading now and download ESPN Scorecenter.) Now maybe you don’t see the big deal… you can just go to the website, right? If you think so, get out your phone and look up Kevin Bacon on imdb.com. Go ahead, I’ll wait. See what I mean? The web site is slow and small and just not much fun. As someone who uses IMDb almost constantly, I can tell you this app is a godsend! See also Wikipanion (free), which is essentially the same thing, but for Wikipedia.
Words With Friends (free) This list isn’t about games, but Words With Friends really should be on everyone’s phone. I defy you to find someone who wouldn’t enjoy an asynchronous Scrabble-esque word battle with a buddy! And if chess is your scene, the companion game Chess With Friends (free) will hit the spot. Either way, you can’t go wrong. Out of the 8 pages of apps on my iPhone, these are the ones I would let sit at the big kids table. Apple isn’t likely to include any of these apps out of the box, but we can be glad they’re out there. Do you use any (or all) of these? Did I leave out your favorite? Hit the comments to let me know! Written by NaushadOver the holidays I was visiting my girlfriend’s family which included a lovely 18 month old. This particular 18 month old did typical 18 month old baby things, ate typical 18 month old baby food, desires typical 18 month old baby things, like mommy & daddy, and played with the family dog, like a typical 18 month would. Trying to win brownie points, I attempted to amuse the 18 month old with typical, yet wildly unsuccessful, baby-talk. In the midst of pinching her cheeks my iPhone buzzed. I took it out of my pocket, slide the screen ‘on,’ checked the text message and clicked the phone back to sleep. As soon as the screen went black the otherwise unamused 18th month year old perked up with interest. She reached as far as she could with her tiny hands, made a little cry, and huffed a bit before I handed over my phone. If she threw it, it would land on the couch. If she drooled on it, the protective film would protect it, and if she fed it to the dog, it would get a little slobber-y. No biggie. Instead of any of those things, this ‘typical’18 month year old looked at the blank screen, pushed the ‘on’ button at the bottom of the phone, slide her tiny finger across, and opened the home screen! Wh-wh-what?!? This 18 month old then began sliding back and forth between screens, opening application, and closing them by pushing the round button at the bottom and returning to the home screen! This surely is not typical…right? How can a child who has yet to speak a complete sentence and learn to walk completely know how to work the fundamentals of an iPhone? Did Apple just do that good of a job with its UI? Surely not. A recent statistics showed that that more than one-third of 10-to-11-year-olds in the US owned a mobile phone in 2009, compared with 20% in 2005 – a 13% growth in 4 years. In the 10-11 year old market, this is huge! Ownership among kids ages 6 to 11 rose from 11.9% to 20% over the same time period. (see the report here: leep.it) This means, on average, ¼ of 6 – 11 year olds own a mobile phone. All I had was an etch-a-sketch and a Rubik’s cube, and these kids have Androids! Though I inherently know stats such as the ones above and have been spouting them off for years, it wasn’t until I saw the interaction between an 18 month old and the technology that I truly grasped the reality of the world and, to be grandiose, the future. This most likely atypical, yet personally astonishing realization has me thinking about how technology has become such a necessity in everyday life that its use can be picked up by kids as easily as they pick up how to walk. Anyhow, click the link below to watch the video! The hand that is turning off the phone is my hand; nothing in this video has been doctored. Enjoy! |
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