Archive for the 'SMS' Category

Seasonal SMS: Texting at Christmas

mistletoe_ilovesms1.jpg

With Christmas just a day away we thought we’d share a few special Christmas messages. Ever wondered what everyone else texts over the holiday season? Looking for some inspiration for a Christmas SMS? We trawled the archives for a few Christmas SMS messages saved on Treasuremytext. Here are a few of our favorites…..

“Merry Xmas sweet heart. X”

“theres bleedin xmas adverts on tv. argh”

“Have a lovely Xmas sweet heart. I hope this works out for you with the business baby i really really do. X x”

“may be one or 2 sexy xmas ideas there?! Made me think of your gorgeous body baby, bring on tonight… Lots of kinky imaginings x x x”

“thank u 4 ur pressies (altho I mite have 2 hide flyin saucer!) Are u home now? Did u have a nice Xmas?”

“Ah thats amazing babe it will be good for you to see her again! My sister got Me an amazing new computer for Me for Xmas with a flat screen its well nice. X”

“just thought of something else I need for xmas, a petty cash book! c u tommorow.. xx”

“I am all excited and xmas decorating xx”

“Merry xmass to you lats. Hope your having fun. Not much of that here but thats life. Take care jam x”

“hi sweety xx how are you? i hear a xmas tree fell on u :) love u xx u going 2 b online? i will.”

“Happy xmas iv got my iperson socks on today love u x”

“Escaped from the works xmas do back home playing of maiden of honour on the g5 of to pick her up later”

“Did it snow its white xmas here watching the pink panther then pressies”

“hi sweety. have fun today and tell reen sum1 has bought her a poodle 4 xmas :) hehe!! love u sweety”

“U have 2 pretend u r 7 and its xmas day! X”

“merry xmas miss always will b in my heart xx sweetdreams and this will b the 1st xmas of many, promise xx i love u x”

“hi sweety xx i just heard a xmas version of our song on radio 1 :) not as nice, but was funny :) love u xxxxxxxxxxxx”

“thats beacuse he doesnt want to go go church on xmas eve with granny and gpa!”

“Was at a graduation party last night,so had some wine & eats,nothing special.You can give me a CD for Xmas.”

“i 4got 2 ask would u mind if i asked u to get bec a barbie 4 xmas its the one i showed u in asda”

“Hey gorgeous x hows the party swinging? just been xmas shopping bad idea fooking packed! x might be going pub tonite wiv girls from work x missing u lots”

“Im getting a sausage from the chrimbo market”

“Had a look at crimbo presents4 u…i know i said u dont need to get me ought but without soundin too soppy its our first christmas together so i want to make it special…wakin up with u on new years day will be awesome..i want to buy u some designer lingerie..but let me know if u want something else.x.x”

“Just in bed now after Christmas Eve festivities and waiting up to play Santa. Hope you’re having a lovely day, and can’t wait to speak soon xox”

“ho ho ho, merry christmas everyone. hope u all have a good one, take care”

“Happy christmas darling. Im always holding you in my heart baby. Love you so much. Night night x x x”

“happy christmas sweetheart! talked and thought abt u so much tonight am gutted u r not in my bed tonight of all nights. yes i’m a little bit beered”

“Merry christmas! I am wearing part of your present! *standing under mistletoe*”

“I just had a worrying thought…. You do realise that it seems i actually HAVE what i wanted for Christmas… You haven’t got me anything else, have you?? I mean apart from, you know, you?? x”

“Happy christmas honey. x x”

New Feed Reader for Facebook Pages

Treasuremytext feeds in our Facebook Page

The guys over at Wiliam Web Design have created a new version of their RSS Feed Reader that works on Facebook Pages. This is so great we had to try it out right away.

picture-3.png Now our Treasuremytext Facebook Page displays the RSS feed from the main Treasuremytext Text Stream!

SMS is not IM: A problem with the iPhone

840284432_357de5d7f1.jpg

We love the iPhone, and wandering around Berlin its clear that a lot of people do too; they seem to be everywhere even before they’re launched here.

But we have a problem: “What would you want to do with these messages?” you may ask….

Well here’s some suggestions:

  • Open individual messages
  • Delete individual messages (not the whole thread / conversation)
  • Forward individual messages (to a friend)
  • Forward individual messages (to Treasuremytext for example)
  • Archive all your messages away from your phone

So we know a lot about motivation; why people want to do this stuff with SMS (which is a topic for my next post I think). But in terms of solving the treating SMS as IM problem on iPhone we may also have a plan for that too. More on that “plan” very soon!

Photo: Eric Rice on flickr.

Sexy SMS @ Ignite @ Web2.0 Expo Berlin

1886013199_f3386ae6f2.jpg

Yesterday I presented a quick presentation on “Sexy SMS” as part of ‘Ignite‘ at Web2expo Berlin. We were excited enough at the thought of presenting to the expo crowd in a bar after the keynote by Tim O’Reilly, but a change of location meant that Ignite took place directly following Tim’s keynote in the main venue!  Pretty neat!

I wanted to share what we had learnt about SMS - how and what people really send by SMS, why it is a sexy technology in terms of the nature of a lot of our ‘treasured texts’ but also in terms of its ever increasing popularity.

The Mobile Data Association announced yesterday that: “Over one billion text messages are sent every week in the UK, with September 2007 reaching an average of over 1.2 billion messages every week, the same number of messages sent during the whole of 1999.” From: 160 Characters.

Indeed 1.2 million messages were sent in the UK during the course of my 5 minute presentation.  So my presentation of SMS messages sent to treasuremytext highlighted trends in what and how people send by SMS - I presented a range of messages, and I think the audience liked it; there were at least a few giggles in the audience.

The presentation is on slideshare here: http://www.slideshare.net/katielips/sexy-sms

Sexy SMS!

caroline_texting.jpg

We are planning to go to Berlin in a few days - for Barcamp, and Web2Expo, Ignite, and Web2Open.  I’m a fan of ‘open’ conferences / unconferences / meetups / knowledge exchanges. It’s always a great chance to hear what other people are up to - to learn loads, to get ideas and of course to share. So yeah, of course we’d like to show off the new Treasuremytext & invite some beta users and so on, and also to share some thoughts on what’s made it popular with really a non-geeky crowd.

So I just applied for a quick fire presentation slot at Ignite. No idea if we’ll be selected but here’s what we proposed to talk about:

“Sexy SMS! Millions know the joy of text! Reality Texts: Sexy SMS is a short expose of what real people really say by SMS.”

So I’m not proposing to expose our user’s content, but what unites all treasuremytexters is a love of SMS. Many use SMS as a primary tool in conducting personal relationships, and whether their messages are relationship based, they are “sexy” in the sense that they are things / objects / messages that people feel attached to; that they want to keep. The SMS message has replaced the letter. It is one to one, inherently private and personal. It is just not like email or like group communications; in the main at least.  Having worked with SMS for years I am continually amazed by how it remains so important for so many people. It hasn’t peaked, it hasn’t lost anything; even as newer ‘better’ technologies come along.

The mobile technology “scene” is used to discussing Series 60 phones, Java apps, & converged devices enabling IM, group chat and a host of features - as long as you (and all your friends) have a compatible devices and a great data package. But SMS is absolutely the preferred way of just getting in touch with someone to say something. And those personal ‘micro messages’ are often really important to people.

So I’m hoping to create and deliver a little presentation about what we learnt about SMS and why so many people think it’s so ’sexy’; still! If you want to hear more and you’ll be in Berlin for the festivities, let me know.

(Picture: is of the lovely Caroline!)

Oops! (Drunken Texting on Facebook)

facebookgroup1.gif

I found a wonderful group on Facebook this afternon.

“The Drunken Text Appreciation Society is dedicated to all those susceptible to taking their phone out in the small hours of the morning and sending barely comprehensible, rubbish text messages to friends/ girlfriends/ boyfriends and worst of all ex’s.”

It’s great fun, and seems to be something a lot of people do (the group has 125000 members!) We know from analysis on our current SMS stream that whilst many of our messages are of the ‘important’ variety - (births, engagements, special events), a higher prportion ae the ones that just make you laugh. Predictive text has a lot to answer for!