I'm SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!!
I've set up an interactive text messaging backchannel for ASAE & The Center's Annual Meeting through TxtMob.
TxtMob is essentially an SMS listserve. Everyone who signs up will be able to text each other with updates on sessions that rock, locations of exhibitors with the best give-aways, snide comments about general session speakers, where the best food is at the receptions, and perhaps details on where and when to organize a flash mob. If you're not attending the Annual Meeting, the backchannel will be a really cool way to experience it without actually being there. I will leave the backchannel unmoderated unless the number of text messages gets overwhelming.
Here are instructions for joining the backchannel. Disclaimer: I will warn you that TxtMob is far from the most user friendly website on the Internet, but to my knowledge, it's the only free service of its kind. You get what you pay for, right? So here's how you opt in...
- Go to TxtMob and set up an account.
- Once you've signed up, you'll have the option to join a group. Select ASAE2007, it'll be near the top, then scroll all the way to the bottom and click submit.
- Drop me an email (bkmcae at gmail) to let me know your TxtMob username and I'll approve your group membership.
- Once approved, you can send your text messages to asae2007@txtmob.com or through TxtMob's online messaging interface. I plan to leave the list moderated until a day or two before the Annual Meeting starts, but I'm willing to open it up sooner if subscribers prefer.
I'm not sure what the WiFi situation will be like in McCormick, but I've also set up a chat room backchannel for the non-texters.
Tagged: ASAE2007; Association Management; Associations; CAE; Certified Association Executive
8 comments:
I'm in! Sounds interesting. I noticed a group... CES Floor Tour 2005... could it be the Consumer Electronics Show? Hmmmm....
And the Mississippi Hospital Assn too!
Pretty sure McCormick has wifi.
Ben,
This is great! Perhaps we can use it to find the great parties too! I will set myself up after I get to the Forum, but you can count me in.
Rock on my friend!
Greg Fine
@Fred: thx for the tip. Now I know to expect that I'll have a crick in my neck for the duration of the annual meeting from carrying around the lappy. hooray.
@Greg: excellent, you always know where the party is, so I'll be setting up a secondary alert for your posts! :-)
Oooh...this sounds like fun. Not sure I can make it to Chicago, but maybe I'll live vicariously.
Another service that is free - and pretty user friendly, is textmarks.com. We are using this for our annual conference coming in January. Please share any feedback regarding this type of texting communication...I am worried no one will take advantage of it.
Matt, thanks for the tip. Have seen textmarks.com before, but it doesn't have a listserve type function. txtmob seems to have issues with some phones, so I sure wish there were an alternative.
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