SMS Text and Health. SMS and Health Blog

Posted by Fox on August 13, 2007 at 2:04 PM

Coinciding with the recent ban on smoking in public places, leading online SMS service TxtLocal is providing SMS support for the Government’s new Packitin campaign to help smokers quit. Packitin is a 24-hour, online community website that designs a custom-made programme for giving up at the individual’s own pace, incorporating texting, video hosts, chat rooms and interactive features.

As part of the Packitin initiative, SMS reminders and tips will be sent directly to the mobile phones of smokers who have signed up to the scheme to help keep them on the straight and narrow. These will include encouraging words and tips for those who want to quit outright, cigarette allocation reminders for smokers who have chose to cut down, and direct orders at tricky points.

Said Darren Daws, MD of TxtLocal: “Texts are a great way to keep smokers motivated while they’re quitting and makes them feel looked after within the quitting style that suits them best. It can be all too tempting to light up if there’s no-one at hand to encourage you not to, so the SMS reminders will play a really important role in providing some support and a sense of shared responsibility.”

For more information on the Packitin scheme, log on to www.packitin.org.

For more information about Mobile Marketing services with Txtlocal, log on to www.txtlocal.com.
Source : TxtLocal Online SMS Blog

Posted by Fox on June 27, 2007 at 3:16 PM

Not long now until the public smoking ban comes into affect, and Manchester NHS has taken thie opportunity to launch a Stop Smoking campaign via SMS Text.

Manchester NHS now uses Mobifi’s SMS text messaging service for people to contact its Stop Smoking Service and receive stop smoking support.

By introducing SMS text messaging campaigns this increases the accessibility of the Stop Smoking Service and thus increases the number of requests from people who need support or wish to quit. People can now contact the service outside normal working hours and they can do this immediately – whereas the use of telephone numbers may get lost or forgotten.

It is being used in a number of different campaigns and by utilising different keywords it provides valuable feedback to measure the success of each marketing ploy. For example, the keyword ‘Galaxy’ is being used for a target campaign with Galaxy Radio and the keyword ‘Smoke’ is being promoted on beer mats which have been distributed to over 100 pubs in Manchester.

People send an SMS text to the Stop Smoking Service and then receive a call providing them with a list of support options, including local trained pharmacists where they live, nearest drop in sessions and also to book appointments with specialist stop smoking advisors.

The Stop Smoking Service records all referrals to the service and the method of referral. Therefore, it can break down the number of people using the SMS service according to the keyword received by SMS text (linked to each campaign) and the outcome of the conversation (e.g. referred to specialist advisor/pharmacist/info only, etc).

Richard Holford, Senior Public Health Development Advisor, at Manchester NHS, comments: “SMS text messaging is proving to be an efficient, cost-effective and controlled way for people to access the service. It is a good way for young people to access the service and with its ease of communication, its immediacy in terms of response and the way the success of each campaign can be measured are just some of the benefits.”

Links:
mobifi.com
stopsmokingmanchester.co.uk

Source : publictechnology.net
See Also: SMS Text Service to help you give up smoking

Posted by Fox on June 21, 2007 at 6:22 PM

This is a great example of taking a regular web based SMS text service and creating a niche application. An SMS text service for the deaf.

Text4Deaf was created to make SMS text messaging easier to use, more convenient and more accessible. Text4Deaf allows users to send text messages from the Web to both individuals and groups, while enabling recipients to respond directly to the originating PC or Mac. Text4Deaf web texts can be sent from any web-enabled device worldwide to any U.S. or Canadian mobile phone.

Text4Deaf offers two different services: Basic and Premium. The basic service is free and allows you to send up to ten messages per month and have access to most of the advanced features. The premium service, which costs as little as $2.95 per month, enables you to send and receive unlimited text messages and provides access to all Text4Deaf features including advanced contact management and history of all messages sent.

Link : www.text4deaf.com

Posted by Fox on June 20, 2007 at 4:21 PM

I'm working like at madman to finish of some major tweaks on this site. You may notice one or two pages not working at intended. I should be done in a couple of hours.

Posted by Fox on June 5, 2007 at 11:24 AM

More than a year and a half after Hurricane Katrina hit Gulf Coast communities, emergency officials in New Orleans took the lessons they learned from Katrina and Rita and launched a city-wide interoperable emergency SMS text communication system called NOLA Ready.

The City of New Orleans is using the Roam Secure Alert Network to power NOLA Ready and deliver messages to first responders, local government officials businesses and the residents of New Orleans.

via: earthtimes.org

Posted by Fox on April 16, 2007 at 12:03 PM

With numerous UK Police Forces setting up SMS text alternatives to 999 for the deaf, there are calls for a Nationally Recognised Standard...

Emergency text/sms services are being set up across the UK however there are teething problems. One problem is that some police forces require you to register your phone number with them first - which is okay if you are at home but no use if you are travelling into a different county and you then deal with a different police force. At the moment, every police force seems to be different, there should be a nationally recognised standard.

Link: Read the complete article

Posted by Fox on April 16, 2007 at 11:30 AM

Just in time for the Hurricane season, but let's hope they can get the SMS text out before the local network is flattened.

Mobile-FYI has launched an SMS mobility gateway and platform that enables organizations to distribute critical hurricane information through the burgeoning text messaging protocol. With the 2007 storm season approaching quickly and planning efforts commencing at the National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans two weeks ago, FYI has debuted this innovative free platform and already anticipates agreements with three major Florida counties and one city shortly.

Link: Read the full story