The SMS Dictionary A - F
08.31.05 (7:25 pm) [edit]
4YEO for your eyes only
2D to delete
2G4Y too good for you
4E forever
AAK asleep at keyboard
AFAIK as far as I know
AFK away from keyboard
ASAP as soon as possible
AT always tomorrow
ATW at the weekend
AWHFY Are we having fun yet?
AYOR at your own risk
BG big grin
BBB bye bye baby
BB4E bye bye forever
BBFN bye bye for now
BBL be back later
BBN bye bye now
BBS be back soon
BCDHM be careful, don't hurt me
BF boy-friend
BH blockhead
BION believe it or not
BMHWB be my hot-water bottle
BNSCD but now something completely different
BRB be right back
BTW by the way
BWL bursting with laughter
C&G chuckle and grin
CB Ciao Bella/bello
CIBM Could it be magic?
CID crying in disgrace
CM call me
CMM change(d) my mind
CONP continued on next page
COFR cry out for revenge
CP chat post
CPF Can pigs fly?
CSG chuckle, snicker, grin
CU see you
CUIAL see you in another life
CUL see you later
CUT see you tomorrow
DAE dreams are empty
DAK dead at keyboard
DK don't know
DLTBBB don't let the bed bugs bite
DLMBM don't let me be misunderstood
DLYVM don't like you very much
DOM dirty old man
DPWM don't play with me
DTRT do the right thing
DUR Do you remember?
DYSWIS do you see what I see
DWBH don't worry be happy
DWIM do what I mean
E2EG ear to ear grin
EMSG E-mail MeSsaGe
EOD end of discussion
EOL end of lecture
F2F face to face
FDROTFL falling down, rolling on the floor laughing
FLCH feels like coming home
FMM fresh in my mind
FOAC fall over and cry
FOTCL falling off the chair laughing
Contd. tomorrow.
2D to delete
2G4Y too good for you
4E forever
AAK asleep at keyboard
AFAIK as far as I know
AFK away from keyboard
ASAP as soon as possible
AT always tomorrow
ATW at the weekend
AWHFY Are we having fun yet?
AYOR at your own risk
BG big grin
BBB bye bye baby
BB4E bye bye forever
BBFN bye bye for now
BBL be back later
BBN bye bye now
BBS be back soon
BCDHM be careful, don't hurt me
BF boy-friend
BH blockhead
BION believe it or not
BMHWB be my hot-water bottle
BNSCD but now something completely different
BRB be right back
BTW by the way
BWL bursting with laughter
C&G chuckle and grin
CB Ciao Bella/bello
CIBM Could it be magic?
CID crying in disgrace
CM call me
CMM change(d) my mind
CONP continued on next page
COFR cry out for revenge
CP chat post
CPF Can pigs fly?
CSG chuckle, snicker, grin
CU see you
CUIAL see you in another life
CUL see you later
CUT see you tomorrow
DAE dreams are empty
DAK dead at keyboard
DK don't know
DLTBBB don't let the bed bugs bite
DLMBM don't let me be misunderstood
DLYVM don't like you very much
DOM dirty old man
DPWM don't play with me
DTRT do the right thing
DUR Do you remember?
DYSWIS do you see what I see
DWBH don't worry be happy
DWIM do what I mean
E2EG ear to ear grin
EMSG E-mail MeSsaGe
EOD end of discussion
EOL end of lecture
F2F face to face
FDROTFL falling down, rolling on the floor laughing
FLCH feels like coming home
FMM fresh in my mind
FOAC fall over and cry
FOTCL falling off the chair laughing
Contd. tomorrow.
How an SMS to a Charity is Lighting Up an Indian Village
08.30.05 (8:40 pm) [edit]
It is true. A concerned film director has roped in the current superstar who starred in his latest film to front an appeal for Indians to SMS to a short code.
The initiative by Aushutosh Gowarikar,better known of the hit patriotic movie Lagaan, and who was the director of the social message movie Swades, in persuading Shah Rukh Khan to appeal to our generous side and get us to send SMS to a specified four digit number. Each SMS thus sent would cost the sender Rs 10. A matching amount would be sent by a TV Channel Star TV as their share. The TV channel broadcast the movie which chronicles the efforts of a NASA Project Manager to make his native village self sufficient in power by building a mini hydroelectric turbine generator plant.
The objective of this charitable SMS, as Shah Rukh Khan explained, was to collect enough funds to bring hydroelectric power from a mini power plant to a village that was still awaiting electricity. There are over 60,000 villages in India, which are without power or get inadequate power to run the pumps, the lights and so on. The availability of electricity thus would empower the villagers and help bring prosperity to all.
The movie generated a flood of SMS from Indian viewers who empathized with the hero of the movie Swades. The director continued the campaign for two weeks, hoping it would help collect more funds for a just cause.
With the charity season round the corner, it seems a worthwhile idea for charity and voluntary agencies to rope in new donors through this integrated view-SMS-collect fund raiser channel. In this way, one can hopefully see a million SMS messages creating the jingle of money in needy tincans.
Have you SMSed to a charity today?
The initiative by Aushutosh Gowarikar,better known of the hit patriotic movie Lagaan, and who was the director of the social message movie Swades, in persuading Shah Rukh Khan to appeal to our generous side and get us to send SMS to a specified four digit number. Each SMS thus sent would cost the sender Rs 10. A matching amount would be sent by a TV Channel Star TV as their share. The TV channel broadcast the movie which chronicles the efforts of a NASA Project Manager to make his native village self sufficient in power by building a mini hydroelectric turbine generator plant.
The objective of this charitable SMS, as Shah Rukh Khan explained, was to collect enough funds to bring hydroelectric power from a mini power plant to a village that was still awaiting electricity. There are over 60,000 villages in India, which are without power or get inadequate power to run the pumps, the lights and so on. The availability of electricity thus would empower the villagers and help bring prosperity to all.
The movie generated a flood of SMS from Indian viewers who empathized with the hero of the movie Swades. The director continued the campaign for two weeks, hoping it would help collect more funds for a just cause.
With the charity season round the corner, it seems a worthwhile idea for charity and voluntary agencies to rope in new donors through this integrated view-SMS-collect fund raiser channel. In this way, one can hopefully see a million SMS messages creating the jingle of money in needy tincans.
Have you SMSed to a charity today?
SMS India With the Right Questions
08.29.05 (8:27 pm) [edit]
The Old Way Vs the New Way?
Universities are using new methods to combat leakage of their precious test papers before the date of examinations. One such traditional method involved opening sealed packets at the appointed time and distributing the contents to the students. The new method dispenses with the practice of sealed packets and instead uses the teachers' mobile as the recepient of the Master Key. He reads aloud the key for students to enter into their respective PCs and Lo! the prized test paper unfurls like a ghost from the dark night.
Using this method, a leading corporate college conducts frequent tests and examinations and wraps up the process quickly, since it is easy to do the valuation of the answers acording to the master key. Students are spared the nervous anxiety of waiting for their results since they are announced almost instantly after the time is over.
What is remarkable is that the exams are held across all the branches of the college located in different cities and often in different areas of a large city.
So now if you see some young boys or girls whooping and jumping all of a sudden after looking at their mobiles, don’t get shocked, just tolerate their exuberance, it could be the lecturer’s favourable marks given for their splendid efforts!
How about students making use of their mobiles for sending SMS as attendance? Even the camera phone may not be so useful as the SMS. Teacher can schedule his impromptu lectures by sending SMS to students. How about the college ensuring every student’s undivided attention to a forthcoming cultural event or the visit of the chancellor by sending one SMS to all their office staff, teaching faculty, students and everybody else?
Practicals will be a breeze using SMS. Students are working on their experiments in the laboratory and they have to submit the results to the professor. They can SMS the results of their experiments and the great guy can SMS back the marks.
Full marks for fast turnarounds!
Universities are using new methods to combat leakage of their precious test papers before the date of examinations. One such traditional method involved opening sealed packets at the appointed time and distributing the contents to the students. The new method dispenses with the practice of sealed packets and instead uses the teachers' mobile as the recepient of the Master Key. He reads aloud the key for students to enter into their respective PCs and Lo! the prized test paper unfurls like a ghost from the dark night.
Using this method, a leading corporate college conducts frequent tests and examinations and wraps up the process quickly, since it is easy to do the valuation of the answers acording to the master key. Students are spared the nervous anxiety of waiting for their results since they are announced almost instantly after the time is over.
What is remarkable is that the exams are held across all the branches of the college located in different cities and often in different areas of a large city.
So now if you see some young boys or girls whooping and jumping all of a sudden after looking at their mobiles, don’t get shocked, just tolerate their exuberance, it could be the lecturer’s favourable marks given for their splendid efforts!
How about students making use of their mobiles for sending SMS as attendance? Even the camera phone may not be so useful as the SMS. Teacher can schedule his impromptu lectures by sending SMS to students. How about the college ensuring every student’s undivided attention to a forthcoming cultural event or the visit of the chancellor by sending one SMS to all their office staff, teaching faculty, students and everybody else?
Practicals will be a breeze using SMS. Students are working on their experiments in the laboratory and they have to submit the results to the professor. They can SMS the results of their experiments and the great guy can SMS back the marks.
Full marks for fast turnarounds!
The SMS and Mobile Boom Years are Here!
08.28.05 (8:17 pm) [edit]
The growth of the mobile phone user community has been sluggish and in fits and starts over the lasat decade. It is today standing at a little over 1 million. The landline users have lost their dominance and have been reduced to a minority( below 50 %) of telephone users.
According to a recent study, about 3 million new userrs are being added each month to the network. At this pace, the share of service tax being paid to the government of India has crossed Rs. 4,470 crores( about a third of the total tax income from about 70 services).
The study claims that as the number of new mobile users added each month reaches 5 million, there is a possibility that the total income in service tax from telehone alone will cross Rs. 12,650 crores on a base of 278 million users by 2007, which will be just a 150% increase over this year's figures.
This is mind boggling to say the least even as more people of the 800 million uncovered population get acess to mobile telephony. The goal is eminently reachable, considering the fact that the Indian economy is growing at over 7.5% annually.
The Government of India receives a massive 10.2% ( which includes a 2% education cess) on the total fees and charges of the telephone sector. In 1998-99, it was about 54% of the total. The telecom sector has long been demanding leser taxes in order to reduce the cost of the services.
It is heartening to note that given the hot pace of growth, it is very likely that the gross revenue to the Government might even touch Rs 7,195 crore by April 2006. Which means , the total of mobile subscribers would be 250 million by the end of December 2007.
According to a recent study, about 3 million new userrs are being added each month to the network. At this pace, the share of service tax being paid to the government of India has crossed Rs. 4,470 crores( about a third of the total tax income from about 70 services).
The study claims that as the number of new mobile users added each month reaches 5 million, there is a possibility that the total income in service tax from telehone alone will cross Rs. 12,650 crores on a base of 278 million users by 2007, which will be just a 150% increase over this year's figures.
This is mind boggling to say the least even as more people of the 800 million uncovered population get acess to mobile telephony. The goal is eminently reachable, considering the fact that the Indian economy is growing at over 7.5% annually.
The Government of India receives a massive 10.2% ( which includes a 2% education cess) on the total fees and charges of the telephone sector. In 1998-99, it was about 54% of the total. The telecom sector has long been demanding leser taxes in order to reduce the cost of the services.
It is heartening to note that given the hot pace of growth, it is very likely that the gross revenue to the Government might even touch Rs 7,195 crore by April 2006. Which means , the total of mobile subscribers would be 250 million by the end of December 2007.
Indian SMS Culture is Injuring Children's Fingers
08.26.05 (11:14 pm) [edit]
It is always happening. We get a new gizmo, get used to using it and bang comes the science, saying it is harmful for us and our children.
It was mobiles and harmful electromagnetic radiation, which was subsequently debunked successfully by scientists.
Now it is the turn of the SMS. The rapid fire punching and posting of SMS mesages by young adults and children seems to have spawned a new type of disease that ws formerly detected in computer users--- sore fingers.
SMS technology, it seems now has its flip side too. Researchers have discovered that children who send literally hundreds of SMS messages from their mobile phones, run the risk of injury to their fingers and thumbs. The condition known as Repetitive Strain Injury may strike with disastrous results. according to health experts.
"The thumb is not a very dextrous digit. It is good at grasping but not good for repetitive movement. RSI symptoms include tingling, numbness, weakness, loss of movement, muscle spasm and shooting pains, " is the opinion of Bronwyn Clifford, who belongs to the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics, London.
Using just a thumb to type could cause pain and swelling in the tendons and possibly long-term injury. As mobile phones get smaller and with more children acquiring them, they are at risk of a condition more often linked to desk-bound adults.
The Indian perspective
"All fingers have two joints but the thumb has only one joint. So, the pressure gets concentrated on this one joint when the child is engaged in texting continuously. Thus, most of the traumas happen to this joint that is most mobile and the most vulnerable part of the thumb, " says Dr Amar Mallick, a practicing physiotherapist in Mumbai.
Repetitive movement can also render the epiphysis plate of the thumb (which is responsible for developing joints and joint movements), at risk. If injured it can cause trauma to the cartilage thus leading to the development of small aches and pains.
" It is not just the thumb but the whole hand that can get affected because the wrist, the fingers and thumb all work in close synergy. Excessive texting can strain any one of the above components and lead to tendon injuries, trigger thumb or trigger finger, " says Dr Shreyasi S Jadhav, a physiotherapist at Talwalkars gym, Mumbai.
" However, these injuries are more likely to happen to children with a deficient diet plan as compared to an active and a healthy child, " she adds.
Prevention is better than cure
Texting besides leading to obvious damage can also affect the fine movement of the thumb and fingers on a long-term basis. For instance, children may not be able to paint or sketch with perfection or play a music instrument with ease or conduct any activity competently that requires extreme fine movement.
~ Monitor the frequency of texting and playing of mobile games by your children. Prevent excessive use of the mobile phone.
~ Teach your child the different positions in which s/he can hold the phone, to ease the pressure on the thumb.
~ Watch out for symptoms like tendon injuries, swollen thumbs, and restricted hand movement. If you spot them then immediately stop your children from texting.
~ Ice and heat provide temporary relief for tendon and limb injuries and swelling. In the meantime, seek medical help.
i. The thumb needs to be bandaged in its extended position and kept warm and protected.
ii. For children above 12, any form of superficial heat like wax and ultrasonic therapies can be used.
iii. For children below 12, splinting and bracing -- a method of bandaging with the support of a thin metal sheet while the thumb is kept in a functional position -- for a couple of days and treating the affected area with ice are recommended.
It was mobiles and harmful electromagnetic radiation, which was subsequently debunked successfully by scientists.
Now it is the turn of the SMS. The rapid fire punching and posting of SMS mesages by young adults and children seems to have spawned a new type of disease that ws formerly detected in computer users--- sore fingers.
SMS technology, it seems now has its flip side too. Researchers have discovered that children who send literally hundreds of SMS messages from their mobile phones, run the risk of injury to their fingers and thumbs. The condition known as Repetitive Strain Injury may strike with disastrous results. according to health experts.
"The thumb is not a very dextrous digit. It is good at grasping but not good for repetitive movement. RSI symptoms include tingling, numbness, weakness, loss of movement, muscle spasm and shooting pains, " is the opinion of Bronwyn Clifford, who belongs to the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Occupational Health and Ergonomics, London.
Using just a thumb to type could cause pain and swelling in the tendons and possibly long-term injury. As mobile phones get smaller and with more children acquiring them, they are at risk of a condition more often linked to desk-bound adults.
The Indian perspective
"All fingers have two joints but the thumb has only one joint. So, the pressure gets concentrated on this one joint when the child is engaged in texting continuously. Thus, most of the traumas happen to this joint that is most mobile and the most vulnerable part of the thumb, " says Dr Amar Mallick, a practicing physiotherapist in Mumbai.
Repetitive movement can also render the epiphysis plate of the thumb (which is responsible for developing joints and joint movements), at risk. If injured it can cause trauma to the cartilage thus leading to the development of small aches and pains.
" It is not just the thumb but the whole hand that can get affected because the wrist, the fingers and thumb all work in close synergy. Excessive texting can strain any one of the above components and lead to tendon injuries, trigger thumb or trigger finger, " says Dr Shreyasi S Jadhav, a physiotherapist at Talwalkars gym, Mumbai.
" However, these injuries are more likely to happen to children with a deficient diet plan as compared to an active and a healthy child, " she adds.
Prevention is better than cure
Texting besides leading to obvious damage can also affect the fine movement of the thumb and fingers on a long-term basis. For instance, children may not be able to paint or sketch with perfection or play a music instrument with ease or conduct any activity competently that requires extreme fine movement.
~ Monitor the frequency of texting and playing of mobile games by your children. Prevent excessive use of the mobile phone.
~ Teach your child the different positions in which s/he can hold the phone, to ease the pressure on the thumb.
~ Watch out for symptoms like tendon injuries, swollen thumbs, and restricted hand movement. If you spot them then immediately stop your children from texting.
~ Ice and heat provide temporary relief for tendon and limb injuries and swelling. In the meantime, seek medical help.
i. The thumb needs to be bandaged in its extended position and kept warm and protected.
ii. For children above 12, any form of superficial heat like wax and ultrasonic therapies can be used.
iii. For children below 12, splinting and bracing -- a method of bandaging with the support of a thin metal sheet while the thumb is kept in a functional position -- for a couple of days and treating the affected area with ice are recommended.
Make Money with SMS = Smart Money-making System
08.26.05 (12:10 am) [edit]
For Savvy Indian companies the facility is raking in big bucks with every SMS they receive by short code. Indians that possess a mobile phone comprise a population that is above 61 million and as a topping, the landline owning Indians bring the total to a whopping 120 million and climbing.
That Indians love to SMS is a fact, and it is also a fact that 1 billion SMS messages are transmitted daily means a heady cash flow account. One blogger in Indiatimes posted an interesting story on the kind of money one TV producer is going to make from the SMS he receives for the next 80 episodes. Remember that here phone calls to a landline are also counted as SMS for accounting only.
SMS = Smart Money-making System
Whether you enjoy reading jokes that appear on your mobile by subscription, or send an SMS with your opinion on the current twist in a long running soap saga. Win 1 kg gold by just sending an SMS to this easy short code number or step directly into the hot seat of KBC2 just by sending SMS with your choice of answer to a televised question," Well the above is just a sprinkling of the barrage of please SMS that is beamed to us daily on the TV channels( 134 at last count). These are some of the advertisement messages which we are viewing in television these days.
The advent of mobile phones in our daily lives is now complete, with cellular tariffs steeply coming down and gradually reducing to peanuts, I always wondered how the cellular industry is going to survive the bloodletting? Thanks to the popularity of the SMS ontests being played or smses being sent to one another, I think a lot of profit could be generated in the business.
Today one finds on every TV channel a lot of talent shows like Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul or Saregamapa talent series being aired. One thing common to all of them is that the winning contestants are being chosen by the common man who send an SMS choosing his favorite contestant? It is surely very interesting. Based on our SMSes and calls, our favorite contestant is able to survive in the contest.
The finally remaining contestant will get gifts worth Rs. 1-2 crores, high profile contracts, etc. What would the common man get in lieu of his SMS vote? Well he may get a chance to go to some exotic location as advertised in the television program. It is a surprise when we come to know whether any person has been selected and received his prize money or not!!!
Recently I watched that some contestant had got about 40 lakhs of SMS in some talent show. Imagine if the average rate of SMS is Rs.3, then for 40 lakhs SMS the tariff would be about 40lakhs*3...Hmm quite a number I must say!
In fact I have received an interesting forward on the Business Model of KBC which I would like to share with you.
KBC 2 SMS part Business Model:
6 x 100 x 10 x 20 x 20 = 2400000 i.e. 24 lakhs in 20 minutes...
Any guesses??
6( Rs/SMS) x100(entries) x 10(cities) x20 (districts) x20(states) = 6 x400000(people trying for the 2 lakhs cash prize)
Imagine what if 1000 entries try out from 100 cities??
The figure simply grows by 2 more zeroes and yields a whooping 24 crores!!
And it does not stops there... 1000 entries from 100 towns is a very small number... in practice it could be another multiple of 100 or worst case a multiple of 1000 on an average...
In that case it is 24 * 100 crores earnings in just 20 minutes on every episode!
And the price money :-)) mere 2 CRORE (and from whose pocket?) I must congratulate the smart business sense of the Caledor franchisee Star TV.
Smart Business by Sidharth Basu!
And the best part of this calculation is just the SMS earning!
What about the money that is coming in from the commercials spots?
A rough annual profit calculation goes like this... 2400 x (5 x 4)(episodes/month) x 12 = 576000 crores
Let even 50% get dissolved in taxes and other payments, still you will be left with (which includes even the meager 480 crores of price money...i.e. in the unlikely event that every episode has a winner bagging the 2 crore prize).
This is a very generous windfall for Star TV. The sum total of Rs.2, 88,000 crores profit is coming only due to SMS.
Indian Mobiles and SMS Figures
08.25.05 (2:01 am) [edit]
If you got it flaunt it, is a very apt saying that perfectly describes the SMS loving crazy Indian.
Day in and day out, 60 million Indians who are mobile phone users are punching in and sending SMS messages on just about anything to the people who want to know their minds, opinions and preferences.
I am talking about the TV channels who have picked on this fixation with SMS to rake in the money. An unfortunate Indian prisoner in Pakistan jail has received the death penalty and the whole of India is watching the TV screen, fully rivetted on the fascinating scenario of wife, children, mother, other relatives wail and whine and pine for the lost one.
An enterprising TV channel is scrolling the more interesting of the SMS messages which again gets it more TRP( Television Rating Points) even as others are inspired enough to add their two bits. Guess who is laughing in all this frenetic activity?
The mobile phone companies, who never had it so good!
They are yet to count the pile they made on the recent cricket controversy on who should be the next captain. And when the next cricket series comes along, there is one every other day, you can be sure there will much more of where it comes from.
Viva SMS!
No Spam Thank You Ma'm
08.24.05 (12:10 am) [edit]
The Supreme Court in India intervened in a public interest litigation filed by a public spirited lawyer against the spam being sent on the mobile phone airwaves.The Apex court urged the government to take urgent action to prevent the spam from flooding millions of mailboxes on mobiles.
Along with the rapid growth of mobile usage, a correspondingly higher proportion of crank calls, unsolicited calls inviting the receiver to accept a credit card,and unsolicited SMS messages to buy this or that.The Supreme Court has mooted some sort of legislative action or introduce legal measures to crack down on unsolicited calls and SMS spam sent to mobile phone users.
The Court has issued urgent notices to the Government, mobile operators and multi-national banks on a public interest litigation which seeks a law to ban unsolicited SMS messages and calls to mobile phones.
In this connection, the highest court of the land cited the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (to which India is a signatory), which states that no one should be subjected to unlawful interference with his privacy. With India's mobile industry being one of the fastest growing in the world, its 62 million subscribers will welcome the suggestion of measures to curb unwanted calls and SMS spam.
Meanwhile, calls have been made in the media urging the government to publish a list of Indian websites and MNCs who send mobile spam( unwanted mobile calls or SMS messages on the lines of a similar measure in the USA. The Do Not Call register has effectively prevented spammers from dialling numbers that are registered.
Along with the rapid growth of mobile usage, a correspondingly higher proportion of crank calls, unsolicited calls inviting the receiver to accept a credit card,and unsolicited SMS messages to buy this or that.The Supreme Court has mooted some sort of legislative action or introduce legal measures to crack down on unsolicited calls and SMS spam sent to mobile phone users.
The Court has issued urgent notices to the Government, mobile operators and multi-national banks on a public interest litigation which seeks a law to ban unsolicited SMS messages and calls to mobile phones.
In this connection, the highest court of the land cited the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (to which India is a signatory), which states that no one should be subjected to unlawful interference with his privacy. With India's mobile industry being one of the fastest growing in the world, its 62 million subscribers will welcome the suggestion of measures to curb unwanted calls and SMS spam.
Meanwhile, calls have been made in the media urging the government to publish a list of Indian websites and MNCs who send mobile spam( unwanted mobile calls or SMS messages on the lines of a similar measure in the USA. The Do Not Call register has effectively prevented spammers from dialling numbers that are registered.
There is no SMS like a Good News SMS
08.21.05 (8:24 pm) [edit]
Be the bearer of good news and enjoy the fruits of good news from the recipient. This popular saying is a vestige of the times when kings and princes gifted the heralds with gold and jewellery on hearing news of a hard fought victory, birth of a prince or princess, or the arrival of a beloved prince.
There are only 50 million mobile phones in India. But surely Indians post a record 1 billion SMS messages every day. Not a bad record for a fifth of the world that lives in this tiny peninsula. When the SMS facility came to India, the fastest growth and the widest acceptance of the facility is in SMS India. People send and also receive SMS messages for any, for everything and on everything in India.
Anxious housewives SMS their hubbies to eat their lunch at the regular time without fail. Moms SMS their kids to have the medicine at the appointed time. The Government of India in the 2001 census, found that there are 1 billion Indians. In native counting, that figure means 100 crores (a crore is 10 million). Which also means that there are thousands of new families each year. The 30 to 35% annual growth in the ownership of mobile phones, the fastest pace in the world, ensures that soon more than a quarter of the population will be proud owners of at least mobile phone.
Indians are a said to be close-knit with strong family ties. The lifelong relationships between parents and children, aunts and uncles, cousins and in-laws invariably are close and there is good interaction between family members. Whenever an occasion arises, and there are plenty to name just a few, there is an exchange of greetings by letters, by phone, in person and the present phenomenon of SMS. SMS India are very easy to compose and send, reach in seconds, can be read immediately or at a convenient time, and most importantly, they are inexpensive.
The occasions are endless--- a festival for sibling unions called Rakhi ( bondage) sees exchange of fraternal greetings between brothers, sisters for success in educational and sport endeavours, the greetings for festivals and the greetings on social occasions like birthdays, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, and so on, there are plenty of occasions for these well meant messages.
It is so heartwarming to see people express unbounded happiness on receiving good news in an SMS on their mobile. It is delightful to notice a neutral expression on a person’s face change to undiluted joy, arms thrown about in glee and a general air of elation in their personality.
There are only 50 million mobile phones in India. But surely Indians post a record 1 billion SMS messages every day. Not a bad record for a fifth of the world that lives in this tiny peninsula. When the SMS facility came to India, the fastest growth and the widest acceptance of the facility is in SMS India. People send and also receive SMS messages for any, for everything and on everything in India.
Anxious housewives SMS their hubbies to eat their lunch at the regular time without fail. Moms SMS their kids to have the medicine at the appointed time. The Government of India in the 2001 census, found that there are 1 billion Indians. In native counting, that figure means 100 crores (a crore is 10 million). Which also means that there are thousands of new families each year. The 30 to 35% annual growth in the ownership of mobile phones, the fastest pace in the world, ensures that soon more than a quarter of the population will be proud owners of at least mobile phone.
Indians are a said to be close-knit with strong family ties. The lifelong relationships between parents and children, aunts and uncles, cousins and in-laws invariably are close and there is good interaction between family members. Whenever an occasion arises, and there are plenty to name just a few, there is an exchange of greetings by letters, by phone, in person and the present phenomenon of SMS. SMS India are very easy to compose and send, reach in seconds, can be read immediately or at a convenient time, and most importantly, they are inexpensive.
The occasions are endless--- a festival for sibling unions called Rakhi ( bondage) sees exchange of fraternal greetings between brothers, sisters for success in educational and sport endeavours, the greetings for festivals and the greetings on social occasions like birthdays, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, and so on, there are plenty of occasions for these well meant messages.
It is so heartwarming to see people express unbounded happiness on receiving good news in an SMS on their mobile. It is delightful to notice a neutral expression on a person’s face change to undiluted joy, arms thrown about in glee and a general air of elation in their personality.
New Trends in SMS India Messaging
08.19.05 (11:32 pm) [edit]
It is a pleasant surprise to observe the flood of new and innovative ways to use SMS in our daily lives. SMS is fast becoming the preferred medium of communication, enquiry and fun round the clock for the mobile users in India.
Already the 1 billion strong Indian population is said to own 107 million phones which are equally split between mobiles and landlines. The pace of growth of Indian cellular telephony is unmatched in the world today. SMS has become popular for all the right reasons and a few wrong ones. People can send a How are you in a flash and get the reply equally fast I am fine. No more jangling phone rings, and waiting for the guy to say hello for the conversation to proceed.
Some people are even communicating through missed calls. Their commonly agreed code of one call yes, two calls no, and so on are helping save precious talktime between teenagers who survive on shoestring allowances.
SMS is glamorous too. Not just text, now you can send music, song, voice mail, video, and photos to your friends, relatives and associates and help them share your fun. Job interviews, marketing offers and bids, auctions and purchases are also done via SMS, making transactions fast and cheap.
For all reasons, whether personal, or commercial or even professional, the SMS facility works quite like a charm. Be it brand sales, product promotions or just mass advertising or at the most on direct sales, the simplicity of SMS is breaking all records, crossing all barriers.
In addition, SMS usage has vastly expanded the dimensions with the constant advances in technology, which in turn is fuelling strong competition among mobile manufacturers, racing to add more features, as well as for the mobile and SMS service providers.
Already the 1 billion strong Indian population is said to own 107 million phones which are equally split between mobiles and landlines. The pace of growth of Indian cellular telephony is unmatched in the world today. SMS has become popular for all the right reasons and a few wrong ones. People can send a How are you in a flash and get the reply equally fast I am fine. No more jangling phone rings, and waiting for the guy to say hello for the conversation to proceed.
Some people are even communicating through missed calls. Their commonly agreed code of one call yes, two calls no, and so on are helping save precious talktime between teenagers who survive on shoestring allowances.
SMS is glamorous too. Not just text, now you can send music, song, voice mail, video, and photos to your friends, relatives and associates and help them share your fun. Job interviews, marketing offers and bids, auctions and purchases are also done via SMS, making transactions fast and cheap.
For all reasons, whether personal, or commercial or even professional, the SMS facility works quite like a charm. Be it brand sales, product promotions or just mass advertising or at the most on direct sales, the simplicity of SMS is breaking all records, crossing all barriers.
In addition, SMS usage has vastly expanded the dimensions with the constant advances in technology, which in turn is fuelling strong competition among mobile manufacturers, racing to add more features, as well as for the mobile and SMS service providers.
Crack the Jackpot with SMS
08.19.05 (12:31 am) [edit]
Kiss the dice and make the winning move.
Yeah, gambling fever by SMS and TV is alive and well in India. Thaousands and thousands of Indians stay glued to the TV channel Play TV with their mobiles, and this excitement makes them busy sending SMS from all over India to try winning a fortune.
Zee TV is one of the oldest and biggest private TV channels in India and it has has just launched PLAY TV. This interactive channel sportingly invites you to register for free. You just have to send an SMS saying Reg to a specific number and immediately start playing with that Id for big stakes.
The game is like this: a portion of a celebrity’s face is shown on the TV screen and viewers have to guess who it is. The pot keeps increasing as the number of SMS received keeps growing in volume. There is a time limit and the anchor keeps up the hype to get the SMS coming in. There is a supplementary pot that is given for each correct answer.
The idea of the game is to get the maximum jackpot by getting the viewers involved. There is no restriction on the number of registrations and that keeps the contest going and interesting. Compulsive players keep registering and sending answers in the hope of striking lucky.
It is early days yet, but the gambling fever has already caught up with middle class India like wildfire. People are boasting about the number of their Play Ids and how they played. Meanwhile the channel is walking slowly to the bank, weighed down by the weight of the money!
Welcome to the Casino, boys!
Yeah, gambling fever by SMS and TV is alive and well in India. Thaousands and thousands of Indians stay glued to the TV channel Play TV with their mobiles, and this excitement makes them busy sending SMS from all over India to try winning a fortune.
Zee TV is one of the oldest and biggest private TV channels in India and it has has just launched PLAY TV. This interactive channel sportingly invites you to register for free. You just have to send an SMS saying Reg to a specific number and immediately start playing with that Id for big stakes.
The game is like this: a portion of a celebrity’s face is shown on the TV screen and viewers have to guess who it is. The pot keeps increasing as the number of SMS received keeps growing in volume. There is a time limit and the anchor keeps up the hype to get the SMS coming in. There is a supplementary pot that is given for each correct answer.
The idea of the game is to get the maximum jackpot by getting the viewers involved. There is no restriction on the number of registrations and that keeps the contest going and interesting. Compulsive players keep registering and sending answers in the hope of striking lucky.
It is early days yet, but the gambling fever has already caught up with middle class India like wildfire. People are boasting about the number of their Play Ids and how they played. Meanwhile the channel is walking slowly to the bank, weighed down by the weight of the money!
Welcome to the Casino, boys!
Email, SMS, Voice, Music, Vote and Pay
08.17.05 (7:37 pm) [edit]
THE NEW FACE OF FREE SMS INDIA
Today, as the sun rises, it is usually the melodious ringtone that awakens the next generation kid from his deep sleep. The beep beep of the SMS landing on his mobile is the beginning of his daylong fascination with this modern device.
With the new generation mobile phones, our Indian mobile user can order a healthy breakfast of steaming idlis, buy a Pizza for lunch, book a ticket to the latest movie, reserve a table at his favorite restaurant for dinner, pay his utility bills by sending SMSs to his bank, listen to the latest top ten in movie music, buy some mood music, books and clothes for the hot party on Sunday, or just lie back and listen to the FM radio jockey’s playlist.
Let us say our modern citizen is concerned enough about the environment, he will send an SMS to vote on burning problems, urging the government to act. Or he may be the fun loving kind and send gentle emails to his parents, uncles and aunts, wishing them happy good days, or chase the sweet little pretty girls he met at the last party for a fresh date Friday night.
The Indian mobile user never had it so good. He is enjoying the season of plenty after years of starvation and famine on the communication front. The situation was deplorable. A free press rigidly controlled by the license quota permit regime. A sole broadcaster on the airwaves with a single TV channel. Socialism was the aim, deprivation the game.
As India’s economy grows at a rapid rate, it is making many Indians prosperous, happy and achievers. Rampart globalization, the spread of global culture and the opening up of the economy provides young Indians with plenty of money and options to live it up.
No wonder, the world is watching India!
Today, as the sun rises, it is usually the melodious ringtone that awakens the next generation kid from his deep sleep. The beep beep of the SMS landing on his mobile is the beginning of his daylong fascination with this modern device.
With the new generation mobile phones, our Indian mobile user can order a healthy breakfast of steaming idlis, buy a Pizza for lunch, book a ticket to the latest movie, reserve a table at his favorite restaurant for dinner, pay his utility bills by sending SMSs to his bank, listen to the latest top ten in movie music, buy some mood music, books and clothes for the hot party on Sunday, or just lie back and listen to the FM radio jockey’s playlist.
Let us say our modern citizen is concerned enough about the environment, he will send an SMS to vote on burning problems, urging the government to act. Or he may be the fun loving kind and send gentle emails to his parents, uncles and aunts, wishing them happy good days, or chase the sweet little pretty girls he met at the last party for a fresh date Friday night.
The Indian mobile user never had it so good. He is enjoying the season of plenty after years of starvation and famine on the communication front. The situation was deplorable. A free press rigidly controlled by the license quota permit regime. A sole broadcaster on the airwaves with a single TV channel. Socialism was the aim, deprivation the game.
As India’s economy grows at a rapid rate, it is making many Indians prosperous, happy and achievers. Rampart globalization, the spread of global culture and the opening up of the economy provides young Indians with plenty of money and options to live it up.
No wonder, the world is watching India!
The Rise of the SMS India Generation
08.16.05 (8:20 pm) [edit]
It is hard to believe that just ten years ago, there were just a handful of mobile phone users in India and SMS was not even heard of. Sure you knew you could send text messages from your mobile, but whom would you send them to, unless they also had mobiles and knew how to use the text messaging facility.
The Indian telecom world was overwhelmingly landline based and the brave souls using mobiles numbered in just a few hundreds. Internet was just an expensive hobby for a few privileged people and IT was not a buzzword.
From two operators to over two dozen and back to about six but with greatly increased muscle, cell phone operators are aggressively snapping up more and more eager customers by the thousand each minute. The scorching pace of growth is seeing over 2 million new connections added each month. The latest July 2005 figures show that for the first time in the last ten years, the number of mobile phone users is more than the number of landline users. There are now 107 million phone users in India and they send more than a billion dollars worth of SMS messages to each other, which is more than making calls. It is interesting to note that the revenue from mobile users is often triple that from the landline users, in spite of falling tariffs all round.
A new breed of mobile user sleeps, eats, drinks, reads and writes SMS and calls. The typical users are so addicted to SMS and cell phone that they prefer them to any other mode of communication. Usually an SMS opens ticket counters, pays for purchases, enquires for quotes, participates in contests and serves as answer ore opinion to TV channels hungry for sound bites.
Job interview alerts, payment reminders, bill alerts, bidding on online auctions, is fast being common on SMS channels. For the marketers, announcing the latest sale, exhibition or product launch is just an SMS away.
So, if looking for a hot date, or a perfect match, or a nice bargain, SMS it!
The Indian telecom world was overwhelmingly landline based and the brave souls using mobiles numbered in just a few hundreds. Internet was just an expensive hobby for a few privileged people and IT was not a buzzword.
From two operators to over two dozen and back to about six but with greatly increased muscle, cell phone operators are aggressively snapping up more and more eager customers by the thousand each minute. The scorching pace of growth is seeing over 2 million new connections added each month. The latest July 2005 figures show that for the first time in the last ten years, the number of mobile phone users is more than the number of landline users. There are now 107 million phone users in India and they send more than a billion dollars worth of SMS messages to each other, which is more than making calls. It is interesting to note that the revenue from mobile users is often triple that from the landline users, in spite of falling tariffs all round.
A new breed of mobile user sleeps, eats, drinks, reads and writes SMS and calls. The typical users are so addicted to SMS and cell phone that they prefer them to any other mode of communication. Usually an SMS opens ticket counters, pays for purchases, enquires for quotes, participates in contests and serves as answer ore opinion to TV channels hungry for sound bites.
Job interview alerts, payment reminders, bill alerts, bidding on online auctions, is fast being common on SMS channels. For the marketers, announcing the latest sale, exhibition or product launch is just an SMS away.
So, if looking for a hot date, or a perfect match, or a nice bargain, SMS it!
Too Much SMS Leads to Depression
08.16.05 (12:25 am) [edit]
Psychiatrists are warning about a new type of depression. It is brought about by excessive use of the mobile phone. The uses maybe for initiating new relationships, or for creating new friendships. Several new cases have been reported wherein teenagers and young adults have been found to be suicidal depressed. Under observation, it was learnt that these youngsters were slavishly punching numbers at random to secure new friends and if a attempts to make dating or friendship did not fructify into friendship, they would repeatedly check their email, their mobiles or send SMS to the same guy umpteen number of times, hoping for a response.
The frustration of these teenagers rose to a crescendo if their SMS went a begging or the receiver remained coolly unflappable under his onslaught. Violent incidents involving these frustrated youths are a growing menace in the urban areas.
The Psychiatrists have called for a higher degree of restraint and better education on SMS manners and parameters to prevent further rise in the depression cases. So the next time you feel the urge to look into your mobile to check for new SMS messages, wait. You have been warned. Anything could go wrong.
A prominent lady psychiatrist has recommended a counseling session for these kids over the SMS etiquette to be followed. She has advised that youngsters should not be allowed to become slaves to the modern electronic age. There must be a certain decorum to be followed, if the young hearts are to continue using SMS.
The frustration of these teenagers rose to a crescendo if their SMS went a begging or the receiver remained coolly unflappable under his onslaught. Violent incidents involving these frustrated youths are a growing menace in the urban areas.
The Psychiatrists have called for a higher degree of restraint and better education on SMS manners and parameters to prevent further rise in the depression cases. So the next time you feel the urge to look into your mobile to check for new SMS messages, wait. You have been warned. Anything could go wrong.
A prominent lady psychiatrist has recommended a counseling session for these kids over the SMS etiquette to be followed. She has advised that youngsters should not be allowed to become slaves to the modern electronic age. There must be a certain decorum to be followed, if the young hearts are to continue using SMS.
A Mobile Checking Account Coming Soon?
08.12.05 (11:54 pm) [edit]
This is what a new initiative by an Indian company says " Your plastic cards are on the way out. Now you can pay by sending an mCheque from your mobilephone. mCheque will be soon introduced by major commercial banks and also mobile operators. This MCheque is a simple, convenient and stylish way to pay compared to any plastic card, it will pay for your grocery purchases ; for a coffee; or a dosa; or a pizza; even a movie ticket; and wonder of wonders for a taxi ride. You can pay off your electrician, plumber, carpenter, doctor, gardener, LPG delivery boy, or even the cable operator. Pay as small as Rs. 10 with your mobile cheque - at absolutely no extra cost for the payment. You can charge your mobile with up to 16 credit/debit cards all from different banks. You can use a single PIN that secures all your cards. MCheque brings to you an ultimate convenience that makes all utility bill payments, insurance premiums, credit card bills, financial institution EMIs, or school fees – you need to register once only for each biller – and bills will be sent to your mobile. Press pay and they will be paid in seconds through your mobile. Finally, you can buy on the web and make the payment securely by mCheque. "
It was fated to happen, sooner than later. Now an Indian company has designed the Mcheque software and hardware for the Government. The Government found that farmers who were getting branded farm credit cards spent the credit on mostly non- farm purposes. In future, farmers will be given mobiles with an embedded chip that could also be used for paying for purchases. The trader will swipe the mobile with the amount of the purchase and the fesulting balance on the mobile will reflect the amount spent. Statements,reminders for payments and credits due or made thus will become much simpler and people will find it convenient to lug a mcheque phone instead of the credit card. Statements, confirmations and alerts will be sent via SMS. The Indian company is looking for ways to introduce it through credit card issuing banks and generally expand the market. Everyone welcomes the idea of a smarter mobilephone,but fears that it could be misused. The potential for misuse of a smart card in a mobile phone is as high or low as a credit card. Password protection is one idea and encryption could be on a higher level. More details are awaited and success or otherwise of the mcheque will determine its future.
Send SMS to Receive Indian Rail Tickets
08.10.05 (11:39 pm) [edit]
A recent announcement by the Minister for Indian Railways, Mr Lalu Prasad brought cheer to the busy business community. He announced that henceforth, the Indian Railways would acept SMS messages for booking train tickets on specific long distance and short distance trains. They are usually the heaviest in demand trains in the country.
With this single stroke announcement, the Railways Minister has virtually banished the long queues at the ticket counters, mostly by touts, who sell their tickets at a premium. Already the Railways has created an Instant category of ticket seekers who require to travel at short notice and who get tickets hy paying n official premium. This move was welcome and ensured the demise of the touts.
Now it is possible to dream up a sudden holiday to a beach or pilgrim destination and make it possible by sending an SMS message to the railway booking number. Of course the SMS will specify the train number, the departure and destination stations, the date of travel, the number of passengers travelling, their names and sex and age, and of course the mode of payment . The Railways in turn will confirm the booking and send the tickets by messenger who will also collect the payment at the time of delivery.
Surely there must be a sweet way to say Yes, Minister and Thanks!
With this single stroke announcement, the Railways Minister has virtually banished the long queues at the ticket counters, mostly by touts, who sell their tickets at a premium. Already the Railways has created an Instant category of ticket seekers who require to travel at short notice and who get tickets hy paying n official premium. This move was welcome and ensured the demise of the touts.
Now it is possible to dream up a sudden holiday to a beach or pilgrim destination and make it possible by sending an SMS message to the railway booking number. Of course the SMS will specify the train number, the departure and destination stations, the date of travel, the number of passengers travelling, their names and sex and age, and of course the mode of payment . The Railways in turn will confirm the booking and send the tickets by messenger who will also collect the payment at the time of delivery.
Surely there must be a sweet way to say Yes, Minister and Thanks!
Gone With the Wind on Indian SMS
08.10.05 (12:17 am) [edit]
R U rding this?
The cellphone revolution across the globe has led to a number of smart initiatives by entrepreneurs looking to exploit an opportunity. Recently we read that in South Asia, thousands of people are signing up to receive reading matter from publishers who offer novels adapted to the SMS language and lingo. This is spreading like wildfire in China, India, Taiwan, and Japan. Indian publishers of e-books have picked up this new revenue stream and are offering a number of bestsellers for eager SMS subscribers.
The market is mindboggling even for the mature marketers of Europe and Americas.There are 272 million owners of cellphones in China, and you can find 27 million in Taiwan, even as there are 62 million people in Japan. In India the reading population is growing bigger by the day with over 30 million and a surprising fact that emerges is that South Asia together accounts for more number of SMS messages than phone calls, making the area a fertile field for marketers and publishers. Indians are not literally minded, yet there is still a huge market for publishers to cater to the mobile users crowd.
One example is the first SMS novel by Qian Fuchang that is titled Out of the Fortress. This has become a runaway bestseller and highly popular with teens and young adults, of course accelerated by the erotic theme of love and relationships. The phenomenal success of Out of the Fortress has even led to the first ever movie based on SMS novel.
For the publishers the assignment of marketing the SMS versions requires that the subscribers must specify the time they would like to read, say from 8 pm to 9 pm. The chapters are sent serially by SMS to the subscriber’s cell phone. The SMSs appear to flow in a steady stream and just like a TV serial episode, one is left panting for the next SMS.
SMS seem to also prove the adage that old wine in new bottles is necessary for young people to be interested in reading. Publishers welcome this trend, since it opens up another revenue stream and new profit window. Women and children love the SMS style of writing since it is easier to read and assimilate.
Already the SMS novels are making some people rich. So it seems that the beleaguered publishers have adopted one more chance to catch the attention of Indian and Asian readers by employing the SMS tactic of a string of SMS messages carrying the latest snippet of a hot novel.
The Cloak Room is supposed to be India's first SMS novel and is circulating rapidly among the executive jet set and the novel format using the SMS dictionary language.
Publishers used to bringing out limited editions are apprehensive of this Novel by SMS trend and hope that it fades away like a fashion fad. Veteran publishers are unanimous that sooner or later, people will get back to burying their noses in their favorite paperbacks.
The cellphone revolution across the globe has led to a number of smart initiatives by entrepreneurs looking to exploit an opportunity. Recently we read that in South Asia, thousands of people are signing up to receive reading matter from publishers who offer novels adapted to the SMS language and lingo. This is spreading like wildfire in China, India, Taiwan, and Japan. Indian publishers of e-books have picked up this new revenue stream and are offering a number of bestsellers for eager SMS subscribers.
The market is mindboggling even for the mature marketers of Europe and Americas.There are 272 million owners of cellphones in China, and you can find 27 million in Taiwan, even as there are 62 million people in Japan. In India the reading population is growing bigger by the day with over 30 million and a surprising fact that emerges is that South Asia together accounts for more number of SMS messages than phone calls, making the area a fertile field for marketers and publishers. Indians are not literally minded, yet there is still a huge market for publishers to cater to the mobile users crowd.
One example is the first SMS novel by Qian Fuchang that is titled Out of the Fortress. This has become a runaway bestseller and highly popular with teens and young adults, of course accelerated by the erotic theme of love and relationships. The phenomenal success of Out of the Fortress has even led to the first ever movie based on SMS novel.
For the publishers the assignment of marketing the SMS versions requires that the subscribers must specify the time they would like to read, say from 8 pm to 9 pm. The chapters are sent serially by SMS to the subscriber’s cell phone. The SMSs appear to flow in a steady stream and just like a TV serial episode, one is left panting for the next SMS.
SMS seem to also prove the adage that old wine in new bottles is necessary for young people to be interested in reading. Publishers welcome this trend, since it opens up another revenue stream and new profit window. Women and children love the SMS style of writing since it is easier to read and assimilate.
Already the SMS novels are making some people rich. So it seems that the beleaguered publishers have adopted one more chance to catch the attention of Indian and Asian readers by employing the SMS tactic of a string of SMS messages carrying the latest snippet of a hot novel.
The Cloak Room is supposed to be India's first SMS novel and is circulating rapidly among the executive jet set and the novel format using the SMS dictionary language.
Publishers used to bringing out limited editions are apprehensive of this Novel by SMS trend and hope that it fades away like a fashion fad. Veteran publishers are unanimous that sooner or later, people will get back to burying their noses in their favorite paperbacks.
Smarter SMS Messages make Promotions Successful
08.09.05 (12:54 am) [edit]
In terms of cost and speed of transmission, SMS as a promotion is hard to beat. What was just a trickle of companies using SMS to promote products and services, is today a flood with many companies using SMS as a main medium for expansive and compelling promotions. And the response can be capsuled in just one world--Awesome.
Whatever the occasion, reason or motivation to use SMS, it is true that including SMS is ensuring success of any promotion. Superb brand promotion or maybe sales activity, or maybe even an offer by one of the many service operators, SMS seems to be the ideal answer to all types of requirements.
A typical example of SMS related promotion exercise of savvy marketers is the way Kinetic Engineering joined up with Yahoo! to jointly generate general awareness and invite responses via SMS. The idea was developed to create awareness for the new Kinetic Nova ( a scooter) among the young adults and to increase the brand recall through various top of the line and below the line activities. The promotion, devised by Yahoo as a campaign for Kinetic's Nova – chalked up a first in record responses of over one million responses.
Virgin Atlantic, the snazzy airline introduced an enabled facility wherein the passengers could SMS to specific email addresses from the built in seat-back television screen.
SMS seems to be the perfect channel for selling products and or services which do not require any quality inspection or for impulse buyers.
Most of the service operators are earning well by offering SMS as the ideal and most feasible solution for most of their value-added services. To give you an example, Airtel allows recharging their SIM cards via SMS, Even BSNL offers assisted SMS services on landline, And Bharti Teletech supplies SMS enabled telephones to BSNL. The mobile service operators are enjoying huge benefits by increasing SMS channels for all and any practical purposes.
The electronic media is using this medium to exploit the possibilities of many of its advantages. The HBO promoted a contest called 'THE MUMMY RETURNS' using SMS for consumers who responded through the Internet and also via SMS. The overwhelming response to the warm-up contests resulted in over 5000 responses received in the first seven days!
The New Indian Express collaborated with the Arab news channel, known as Al-Jazeera, to provide latest breaking news from US-Iraq war on SMS. The readers of the daily received the latest updates by sending an SMS with 'AJ' to 3636. The software company Active Media Tech provided the backend technology to power the service.
All kinds of brand and product promotions are taking SMS as the ideal channel of communication. To keep abreast with the latest, let us look closely at the recent promotion of the most popular television serial. JASSI JAISI KOI NAHI used SMS as viewer responses giving their views on its episodes.
We should be very careful that we do not reach the threshold when consumers get irritated . Though a potential consumer can be contacted at any time during day or night, let us avoid causing irritation, annoyance or plain disinterest. Otherwise the day is not far off when a consumer devises ways and means to block all SMSs that he considers as spam SMS.
Whatever the occasion, reason or motivation to use SMS, it is true that including SMS is ensuring success of any promotion. Superb brand promotion or maybe sales activity, or maybe even an offer by one of the many service operators, SMS seems to be the ideal answer to all types of requirements.
A typical example of SMS related promotion exercise of savvy marketers is the way Kinetic Engineering joined up with Yahoo! to jointly generate general awareness and invite responses via SMS. The idea was developed to create awareness for the new Kinetic Nova ( a scooter) among the young adults and to increase the brand recall through various top of the line and below the line activities. The promotion, devised by Yahoo as a campaign for Kinetic's Nova – chalked up a first in record responses of over one million responses.
Virgin Atlantic, the snazzy airline introduced an enabled facility wherein the passengers could SMS to specific email addresses from the built in seat-back television screen.
SMS seems to be the perfect channel for selling products and or services which do not require any quality inspection or for impulse buyers.
Most of the service operators are earning well by offering SMS as the ideal and most feasible solution for most of their value-added services. To give you an example, Airtel allows recharging their SIM cards via SMS, Even BSNL offers assisted SMS services on landline, And Bharti Teletech supplies SMS enabled telephones to BSNL. The mobile service operators are enjoying huge benefits by increasing SMS channels for all and any practical purposes.
The electronic media is using this medium to exploit the possibilities of many of its advantages. The HBO promoted a contest called 'THE MUMMY RETURNS' using SMS for consumers who responded through the Internet and also via SMS. The overwhelming response to the warm-up contests resulted in over 5000 responses received in the first seven days!
The New Indian Express collaborated with the Arab news channel, known as Al-Jazeera, to provide latest breaking news from US-Iraq war on SMS. The readers of the daily received the latest updates by sending an SMS with 'AJ' to 3636. The software company Active Media Tech provided the backend technology to power the service.
All kinds of brand and product promotions are taking SMS as the ideal channel of communication. To keep abreast with the latest, let us look closely at the recent promotion of the most popular television serial. JASSI JAISI KOI NAHI used SMS as viewer responses giving their views on its episodes.
We should be very careful that we do not reach the threshold when consumers get irritated . Though a potential consumer can be contacted at any time during day or night, let us avoid causing irritation, annoyance or plain disinterest. Otherwise the day is not far off when a consumer devises ways and means to block all SMSs that he considers as spam SMS.
SMS Helping Marketers to More Profit Lines
08.08.05 (1:24 am) [edit]
The explosive growth of people using SMS the world over is creating new opportunities for manufacturers and service providers.This is quite noteworthy when we correlate the SMS growth by comparing it with Internet user growth. No wonder people everywhere are accepting SMS as the ideal cxommunication medium due to its multi-faceted number of applications.
Of course in India and some other countries SMS usage is overtaking Internet users as well as mobile usage. Research conducted by a top firm reveals that over 40% of adults in Europe are extensive SMS users sending or receiving compared to the 30%of people who use Internet and e-mail. The percentage is higher to previous years when this figure was nearly 28% for SMS users and of course it was 29% for Internet. In the UK, about half the adults use SMS while four out of ten people are online. In Germany just 43% adults are SMS users as against less then 3 of ten Internet/e-mail users. In France also, the SMS usage is a little over 30% when compared to a quarter who go online.
Where is India featuring in this comparison? The amount of Internet usage and spread of Internet inside the villages is still required. In India SMS usage is also growing. Maybe it
is way too soon to conclude anything just now. But we are sure in time to come, India will quite likely follow the leaders.
For instance the current national craze in India is the Kaun Banega Crorepati 2 which involves readers by getting them to send SMS mails for participation. It is reported the channel's invitation was literally taken up by millions of people who called up the KBC phone lines or SMSed their way. It is learnt that these new show sponsors have set aside a separate budget to rope in more watchers to the successful show.
There are many more examples and we will quote from just two more : BBC and Discovery who found that inviting readers to poll their opinions via SMS showed a dramatic rise in viwership as a result.
Today, you will find people sitting on the edge of their couches with the mobile in theri hand, ready to punch in the option ( a or b or c or d or y or n) to the number.
Has the market for TV dinners fallen as a result, or more snacks being ordered to settle the frayed nerves?
Watch this space.
Of course in India and some other countries SMS usage is overtaking Internet users as well as mobile usage. Research conducted by a top firm reveals that over 40% of adults in Europe are extensive SMS users sending or receiving compared to the 30%of people who use Internet and e-mail. The percentage is higher to previous years when this figure was nearly 28% for SMS users and of course it was 29% for Internet. In the UK, about half the adults use SMS while four out of ten people are online. In Germany just 43% adults are SMS users as against less then 3 of ten Internet/e-mail users. In France also, the SMS usage is a little over 30% when compared to a quarter who go online.
Where is India featuring in this comparison? The amount of Internet usage and spread of Internet inside the villages is still required. In India SMS usage is also growing. Maybe it
is way too soon to conclude anything just now. But we are sure in time to come, India will quite likely follow the leaders.
For instance the current national craze in India is the Kaun Banega Crorepati 2 which involves readers by getting them to send SMS mails for participation. It is reported the channel's invitation was literally taken up by millions of people who called up the KBC phone lines or SMSed their way. It is learnt that these new show sponsors have set aside a separate budget to rope in more watchers to the successful show.
There are many more examples and we will quote from just two more : BBC and Discovery who found that inviting readers to poll their opinions via SMS showed a dramatic rise in viwership as a result.
Today, you will find people sitting on the edge of their couches with the mobile in theri hand, ready to punch in the option ( a or b or c or d or y or n) to the number.
Has the market for TV dinners fallen as a result, or more snacks being ordered to settle the frayed nerves?
Watch this space.
Selling with Smarter Messaging Services!
08.06.05 (1:19 am) [edit]
Though a baby in terms of time since launch, SMS has become for all the fastest, the easiest and surely most convenient media to communication. For every and any reason, personal, commercial or professional, SMS works like a charm. Be it brand promotions or mass advertising or even direct sales, the simplicity of SMS is breaking all records, crossing all barriers.
Just sample the following, sending a simple message to a close friend, sending SMS for confirming/ canceling meetings,maybe accepting quotes, conducting a faceless argument, best of all keeping all conversations very short and very simple, maybe seeking your mate, sending across season’s greetings, even downloading jokes, or tunes, or pictures, or songs or all of them. SMS is definitely a multi-usage communication medium that straddles all ages and all purposes.
In addition, SMS usage has vastly expanded the dimensions with the constant advances in technology, which in turn is fuelling competition amongst all the mobile handset manufacturers who race to add more features, as well as the mobile and SMS service providers.
Surprise, SMS provides a simple, uncluttered, intimate and direct communication to the target audience without loss of time, money or wastage. In other words, SMS is micro marketing in that it enables precision targeting like a laser beam. Plus it gives marketers the bumper bonus of a instant bonus, should the consumer choose to reply by pressing the reply button. No other medium of communication except direct face-to-face marketing can match this advantage.
Just sample the following, sending a simple message to a close friend, sending SMS for confirming/ canceling meetings,maybe accepting quotes, conducting a faceless argument, best of all keeping all conversations very short and very simple, maybe seeking your mate, sending across season’s greetings, even downloading jokes, or tunes, or pictures, or songs or all of them. SMS is definitely a multi-usage communication medium that straddles all ages and all purposes.
In addition, SMS usage has vastly expanded the dimensions with the constant advances in technology, which in turn is fuelling competition amongst all the mobile handset manufacturers who race to add more features, as well as the mobile and SMS service providers.
Surprise, SMS provides a simple, uncluttered, intimate and direct communication to the target audience without loss of time, money or wastage. In other words, SMS is micro marketing in that it enables precision targeting like a laser beam. Plus it gives marketers the bumper bonus of a instant bonus, should the consumer choose to reply by pressing the reply button. No other medium of communication except direct face-to-face marketing can match this advantage.
SMS messages Shine Across the Oceans with Free SMS to India
08.06.05 (12:09 am) [edit]
SMS is fast becoming a preferred option for everyone who need to contact people instantly without distrubing them. The SMS message lands in their mobiles and remains there for them to see when they have time. This way, alerts, reminders and different types of messages can be sent without pain and at a vastly affordable cost. SMS is being called the smart messaging service only because things are so easy and convenient as well as economical and globally reaching.
SMS messaging is facilitating contact for eliciting and delivering quotations, tending offers and bids, conducting auctions, gauging opinions, orders, complaints and suggestions and as to accept bets in gambling, sport, casino business and so on.
We have received many effusive responses from customers who tried free SMS to India and enjoyed the experience. We reproduce here edited excerpts from three of them:
" I am a stock broker and a member of the stock exchanges in India. My customer base is spread across 12 cities and three states. I have to keep in constant touch with the clients giving them the trends and the prices and profit options.I was finding it difficult to contact them on their phones and inform them and get their concurrence in time to execute a profitable deal for them. Now a simple SMS goes to their mobile and they also reply by SMS. It makes my decision making easy and I have doubled my business and customer profits with the SMS service!"
"SMS messaging provided me with a more convenient and accurate way to track real estate opportunities for my high value clients. I was able to reach clients earlier than other real estate agents, I could give more options and hence I closed more deals on better terms for my customers. Thanks to SMS. It has made life more profitable for me, and life is easy for my customers. They have all the data needed to close the sale ahead of other agents."
How would you sustain a healthy relationship with your beloved when you are continents apart? Is it possible or hard to keep in touch except by using Free SMS to India?
"As one of the many millions of software professionals working in good companies in India (not a BPO but a solid developer) I was snapped up and engaged to a very intelligent, pretty and sensible girl Lila. Marriage is on hold as she is currently in her final year of management in a Sydney college. Her ambition is to be a hot shot brand manager in an ad agency and this translates into a lot of hard work and long hours in college and in her part time job. My project is in top gear now and time flies as I fix the bugs prior to launch in December.
"Early into our relationship, we found it was difficult to communicate because of the time difference and our busy lives. Phone calls were expensive and emails were not far beyond hi and bye. That is when I came across this SMSCountry. The company offers a PC to mobile SMS
facility that is so convenient.
"I send messages whenever I can from my PC and Lila responds from her mobile. She also has her own account and whenever possible she sends an SMS from her PC that lands on my mobile. SMS messages are convenient because they remain on the mobile and we can see a message whenever we have the time or the inclination to do so. The comfort zone of SMS is high and we can store, revisit and restore our faith, affection and love for each other.
"Yes it is four months now and we both are having the time of our lives. They said, distance makes the heart go fonder and we whole heartedly agree to that."
Well, we told you so! Ask around and you will get more answers on the same lines. Probably the one guy in a hundred who hates SMS messages is out, waiting to button hole others on SMS.
SMS messaging is facilitating contact for eliciting and delivering quotations, tending offers and bids, conducting auctions, gauging opinions, orders, complaints and suggestions and as to accept bets in gambling, sport, casino business and so on.
We have received many effusive responses from customers who tried free SMS to India and enjoyed the experience. We reproduce here edited excerpts from three of them:
" I am a stock broker and a member of the stock exchanges in India. My customer base is spread across 12 cities and three states. I have to keep in constant touch with the clients giving them the trends and the prices and profit options.I was finding it difficult to contact them on their phones and inform them and get their concurrence in time to execute a profitable deal for them. Now a simple SMS goes to their mobile and they also reply by SMS. It makes my decision making easy and I have doubled my business and customer profits with the SMS service!"
"SMS messaging provided me with a more convenient and accurate way to track real estate opportunities for my high value clients. I was able to reach clients earlier than other real estate agents, I could give more options and hence I closed more deals on better terms for my customers. Thanks to SMS. It has made life more profitable for me, and life is easy for my customers. They have all the data needed to close the sale ahead of other agents."
How would you sustain a healthy relationship with your beloved when you are continents apart? Is it possible or hard to keep in touch except by using Free SMS to India?
"As one of the many millions of software professionals working in good companies in India (not a BPO but a solid developer) I was snapped up and engaged to a very intelligent, pretty and sensible girl Lila. Marriage is on hold as she is currently in her final year of management in a Sydney college. Her ambition is to be a hot shot brand manager in an ad agency and this translates into a lot of hard work and long hours in college and in her part time job. My project is in top gear now and time flies as I fix the bugs prior to launch in December.
"Early into our relationship, we found it was difficult to communicate because of the time difference and our busy lives. Phone calls were expensive and emails were not far beyond hi and bye. That is when I came across this SMSCountry. The company offers a PC to mobile SMS
facility that is so convenient.
"I send messages whenever I can from my PC and Lila responds from her mobile. She also has her own account and whenever possible she sends an SMS from her PC that lands on my mobile. SMS messages are convenient because they remain on the mobile and we can see a message whenever we have the time or the inclination to do so. The comfort zone of SMS is high and we can store, revisit and restore our faith, affection and love for each other.
"Yes it is four months now and we both are having the time of our lives. They said, distance makes the heart go fonder and we whole heartedly agree to that."
Well, we told you so! Ask around and you will get more answers on the same lines. Probably the one guy in a hundred who hates SMS messages is out, waiting to button hole others on SMS.
India finds Disaster Management is Easy with SMS
08.03.05 (7:20 pm) [edit]
It is official. First it was the Gujarat government and now another Indian state Maharashtra decided to reach people via SMS in times of crisis. Yes, the humble and often ignored SMS has literally saved thousands of lives at risk.
India is a vast country and seems to attract calamities of all types and hues. If it was an earthquake in 2000, it was the Tsunami in 2004 and now floods in 2005. Maybe we can declare 2005 as the year of disasters even as bombs, quakes, storms, cloudbursts and riots make our lives more interesting. Imagine losing thousands of your countrymen to natural disasters that were simply waiting to happen. Most occurences are small and local, but now we have pernnially rain deficit areas and drought regions awash in more water than they can handle. One minion of the state in India states pompously that more water flowed waste into the sea IN ONE DAY than could be stored in all the hydro dams!
Authorities now come out with statistics claiming the supernatural nature of the disaster was something unforeseen. But thankfully, authorities were now using all means like newspapers, radio, TV, Internet, public criers and the SMS facility.
A public official is on record to say that of all the media used, they found SMS to be most effective way of alerting people to the imminent danger. Thankfully, the people concerned saw the SMS alerts and in turn ensured that all were saved. This presence of mind has actually saved people's lives by the thousand.
So the next time your mobile beeps 'you have a message' make sure you see it. It could just be your friendly local government alerting you to the danger.
India is a vast country and seems to attract calamities of all types and hues. If it was an earthquake in 2000, it was the Tsunami in 2004 and now floods in 2005. Maybe we can declare 2005 as the year of disasters even as bombs, quakes, storms, cloudbursts and riots make our lives more interesting. Imagine losing thousands of your countrymen to natural disasters that were simply waiting to happen. Most occurences are small and local, but now we have pernnially rain deficit areas and drought regions awash in more water than they can handle. One minion of the state in India states pompously that more water flowed waste into the sea IN ONE DAY than could be stored in all the hydro dams!
Authorities now come out with statistics claiming the supernatural nature of the disaster was something unforeseen. But thankfully, authorities were now using all means like newspapers, radio, TV, Internet, public criers and the SMS facility.
A public official is on record to say that of all the media used, they found SMS to be most effective way of alerting people to the imminent danger. Thankfully, the people concerned saw the SMS alerts and in turn ensured that all were saved. This presence of mind has actually saved people's lives by the thousand.
So the next time your mobile beeps 'you have a message' make sure you see it. It could just be your friendly local government alerting you to the danger.
Indians Reading Best Sellers via SMS
08.02.05 (8:12 pm) [edit]
R U rdy 4 this?
Well, the fast expanding cell phone market in South Asia, namely China, Taiwan, Japan and India is giving publishers of e-books a fantastic opportunity. It seems the over 272 million cell users in China, 27 million in Taiwan, 62 million in Japan and over 30 million in India together account for more SMS messages than phone calls, making the area a fertile field for marketers and publishers. Though Indians are not really a literally minded people, there is still a massive market for publishers of literature to be interested in the mobile owners crowd.
Already the first SMS novel in China by Qian Fuchang called Out of the Fortress have proved a runaway bestseller among its target audience of teens and young adults, accelerated somewhat by a racy theme of love and relationships. Its phenomenal success has led to the first ever movie based on SMS novel.
The publishers marketing the SMS versions require the subscribers to specify the time they would like to read, say from 10 pm to 11pm, and the chapters are sent by SMS to the cell phone mentioned by the subscriber. The SMSs flow in a steady stream and like a TV serial episode, one is left panting for the next SMS.
SMS seem to also prove the adage that old wine in new bottles is necessary for young people to be interested in reading. Publishers welcome this trend, since it opens up another revenue stream and new profit window.
Already the free SMS India movement is making some people rich, it seems the beleaguered publishers have one more chance to catch the attention of Indian and Asian readers with a string of SMS messages carrying the latest snippet of a hot novel.
The Cloak Room is supposed to be India's first SMS novel and is circulating rapidly among the executive jet set and the novel format using the SMS dictionary language.
Publishers used to bringing out limited editions are apprehensive of this Novel by SMS trend and hope that it fades away like a fashion fad. Veteran publishers are unanimous that sooner or later, people will get back to burying their noses in their favorite paperbacks.
Well, the fast expanding cell phone market in South Asia, namely China, Taiwan, Japan and India is giving publishers of e-books a fantastic opportunity. It seems the over 272 million cell users in China, 27 million in Taiwan, 62 million in Japan and over 30 million in India together account for more SMS messages than phone calls, making the area a fertile field for marketers and publishers. Though Indians are not really a literally minded people, there is still a massive market for publishers of literature to be interested in the mobile owners crowd.
Already the first SMS novel in China by Qian Fuchang called Out of the Fortress have proved a runaway bestseller among its target audience of teens and young adults, accelerated somewhat by a racy theme of love and relationships. Its phenomenal success has led to the first ever movie based on SMS novel.
The publishers marketing the SMS versions require the subscribers to specify the time they would like to read, say from 10 pm to 11pm, and the chapters are sent by SMS to the cell phone mentioned by the subscriber. The SMSs flow in a steady stream and like a TV serial episode, one is left panting for the next SMS.
SMS seem to also prove the adage that old wine in new bottles is necessary for young people to be interested in reading. Publishers welcome this trend, since it opens up another revenue stream and new profit window.
Already the free SMS India movement is making some people rich, it seems the beleaguered publishers have one more chance to catch the attention of Indian and Asian readers with a string of SMS messages carrying the latest snippet of a hot novel.
The Cloak Room is supposed to be India's first SMS novel and is circulating rapidly among the executive jet set and the novel format using the SMS dictionary language.
Publishers used to bringing out limited editions are apprehensive of this Novel by SMS trend and hope that it fades away like a fashion fad. Veteran publishers are unanimous that sooner or later, people will get back to burying their noses in their favorite paperbacks.
Indian State sends SMS to Save Lives
08.01.05 (11:31 pm) [edit]
The Government of the Indian state of Maharashtra woke up and used the power of the SMS facility. When all means of communication failed during the deluge that saw more than 40 inches of rain fell during a period of 24 hours on the financial capital of India Mumbai, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that people who were trapped in swirling floodwater sent SMS messages that reached the outside world and they were rescued. This way, many lives were saved.Yet the death toll in Mumbai that was home to 60 million was a staggering 964.
Five days later, when the rains again started to fall heavily and in long spells, the old fears of the Deluge rose in people's hearts, and the government of Maharashtra was wiser. The authorities felt the SMS would be the fastest method of communication to quieten a high strung city.The Police Commissioner sent appeals to people through an SMS telling them not to be carried away by rumors of a cyclone or a Tsunami.It is pertinent to mention here that over 30 lives were lost when people stampeded helter skelter in the predawn darkness of a power failure, fuelled by rumors of a brewing Tsunami/cyclone.
The government of Maharashtra for once acted switfly and did involve all the print and electronic media, including mobiles, SMS, radio, Internet,television, public address systems and so on. However, the official statement that SMS proved to be the fastest way to reach people and alert them to the dangers of high rainfall and that SMS is the power medium.
Five days later, when the rains again started to fall heavily and in long spells, the old fears of the Deluge rose in people's hearts, and the government of Maharashtra was wiser. The authorities felt the SMS would be the fastest method of communication to quieten a high strung city.The Police Commissioner sent appeals to people through an SMS telling them not to be carried away by rumors of a cyclone or a Tsunami.It is pertinent to mention here that over 30 lives were lost when people stampeded helter skelter in the predawn darkness of a power failure, fuelled by rumors of a brewing Tsunami/cyclone.
The government of Maharashtra for once acted switfly and did involve all the print and electronic media, including mobiles, SMS, radio, Internet,television, public address systems and so on. However, the official statement that SMS proved to be the fastest way to reach people and alert them to the dangers of high rainfall and that SMS is the power medium.