How to easily send broadcast SMS text messages from your e-mail client to your opt-in list

You may have followers, clients or prospects who want to keep up with you, but are as busy as you and don’t have time to sit at their computer to look for your blog or sort through your tweets. You may also see value in driving traffic to your blog or Web site at particular times and dates. If you have an opt in list of people wanting to subscribe to your messages/alerts via text message, here is how to set that up quickly and for free.

To build your list, at a minimum you need to collect the following criteria from each subscriber: name, cell phone number and cell phone service provider. You then use this formula to build the e-mail address to which you will send your text messages: 10digitnumber@provider.com (for example, 6096861341@vtext.com would be the phone of a Verizon subscriber.

Once your database is complete and you are ready to send your first blast, add all of your subscribers as contacts within your e-mail’s user interface and put them into one group making sure that their e-mail address field is this cell phone code. Open a new e-mail and put the group name in the “To” field. As an aside, the e-mail from which you send this blast will be what the recipient sees, so you may want to create a vanity e-mail address, especially if you have your own domain (alerts@yourcompany.com). Now type in a subject line and body copy text. Note that most cell phones will strip out any HTML including hyperlinks, so the subject line will read like a first sentence, just put inside parentheses. Press “Send” to get your blast immediately out to your list and watch the phones ring and/or traffic hit your Web site!

Here is a list of domains you’ll use based on your individual recipients’ cell phone providers. This list may become outdated at any time as a result of the constantly changing cell phone industry. Note that these may not work outside of the United States and that standard text message rates may apply.

Aliant (NBTel, MTT, NewTel, and Island Tel)
number@wirefree.informe.ca

Alltel (from: 50, msg: 116, total: 116)
number@message.alltel.com.

Ameritech (ACSWireless)
number@paging.acswireless.com

Bell Mobility Canada
1number@txt.bellmobility.ca

Bellsouth
number@bellsouth.cl

BellSouth Mobility
number@blsdcs.net

Blue Sky Frog
number@blueskyfrog.com

Boost
number@myboostmobile.com

Cellular South
number@csouth1.com

CellularOne (Dobson)
number@mobile.celloneusa.com

CellularOne West
number@mycellone.com

Cincinnati Bell
number@gocbw.com

Cingular
number@mobile.mycingular.com

Cingular Blue (formerly AT&T Wireless)
number@mmode.com

Cingular IM Plus/Bellsouth IPS
8 digit PIN or user name @imcingular.com

Cingular IM Plus/Bellsouth IPS Cellphones
number@mobile.mycingular.com

Claro
number@clarotorpedo.com.br

Comviq
number@sms.comviq.se

Dutchtone/Orange-NL
number@sms.orange.nl

Edge Wireless
number@sms.edgewireless.com

EinsteinPCS / Airadigm Communications
number@einsteinsms.com

EPlus
number@smsmail.eplus.de.

Fido Canada
number@fido.ca.

Golden Telecom
number@sms.goldentele.com

Idea Cellular
number@ideacellular.net

Kyivstar
number@sms.kyivstar.net

LMT
username@sms.lmt.lv

Manitoba Telecom Systems
number@text.mtsmobility.com

Meteor
number@sms.mymeteor.ie

Metro PCS
number@mymetropcs.com

Metrocall Pager
number@page.metrocall.com

MobileOne
number@m1.com.sg

Mobilfone
number@page.mobilfone.com

Mobility Bermuda
number@ml.bm

Aliant (NBTel, MTT, NewTel, and Island Tel)
number@wirefree.informe.ca

Netcom
number@sms.netcom.no

Nextel
number@messaging.nextel.com

NPI Wireless
number@npiwireless.com.

Optus
number@optusmobile.com.au

Pacific Bell Cingular
number@mobile.mycingular.com

Pagenet
number@pagenet.net.

Personal Communication (Sonet)
sms@pcom.ru with your number in the subject line.

Plus GSM Poland
number@text.plusgsm.pl.

Powertel
number@ptel.net

Primtel
number@sms.primtel.ru

PSC Wireless
number@sms.pscel.com

Qualcomm
username@pager.qualcomm.com

Qwest
number@qwestmp.com

Safaricom
number@safaricomsms.com

Satelindo GSM
number@satelindogsm.com

SCS-900
number@scs-900.ru

Simple Freedom
number@text.simplefreedom.net

Smart Telecom
number@mysmart.mymobile.ph

Southern Linc
number@page.southernlinc.com

Sprint PCS
number@messaging.sprintpcs.com

Sprint PCS - Short Mail
number@sprintpcs.com

SunCom
number@tms.suncom.com.

SureWest Communications
number@mobile.surewest.com

SwissCom Mobile
number@bluewin.ch

T-Mobile Germany
number@T-D1-SMS.de

T-Mobile UK
number@t-mobile.uk.net

T-Mobile USA
number@tmomail.net

T-Mobile USA (Sidekick)
username@tmail.com

Tele2 Latvia
number@sms.tele2.lv.

Telefonica Movistar
number@movistar.net

Telenor
number@mobilpost.no.

Telia Denmark
number@gsm1800.telia.dk.

Telus Mobility
number@msg.telus.com.

The Phone House
number@sms.phonehouse.de.

TIM
number@timnet.com.

UMC
number@sms.umc.com.ua


Verizon Wireless
number@vtext.com.

Verizon Wireless (formerly Airtouch)
number@airtouchpaging.com. This is ONLY for former AirTouch customers.

Verizon Wireless (myairmail.com)
number@myairmail.com.

Vessotel
roumer@pager.irkutsk.ru.

Virgin Mobile Canada
number@vmobile.ca.

Virgin Mobile USA
number@vmobl.com.

Vodafone Italy
number@sms.vodafone.it

Vodafone Japan
number@n.vodafone.ne.jp

Vodafone Japan (Hokkaido)
number@d.vodafone.ne.jp

Vodafone Japan
number@r.vodafone.ne.jp

Vodafone Japan (Kansai/West -- including Osaka)
number@k.vodafone.ne.jp

Vodafone Japan (Kanto/Koushin/East -- including Tokyo)
number@t.vodafone.ne.jp

Vodafone Japan (Kyuushu/Okinawa)
number@q.vodafone.ne.jp

Vodafone Japan (Shikoku)
number@s.vodafone.ne.jp

Vodafone Japan (Touhoku/Niigata/North)
number@h.vodafone.ne.jp

Vodafone Japan (Toukai/Central)
number@c.vodafone.ne.jp

Vodafone Spain
username@vodafone.es

Vodafone UK
username@vodafone.net

Weblink Wireless
number@airmessage.net

WellCom
number@sms.welcome2well.com

WyndTell
number@wyndtell.com

Becoming a social media powerhouse in one week (phase 3)

Phase 3 of 5
This blog will be of interest to people who are interested in using social media for a business, but is not limited to them. There are plenty of people who like to write about their lives, their pets or something else about which they are passionate and share with the world. Follow along to get set up for online blogging!

3. Setting up a blog and having it automatically feed into Twitter and vice-versa
3.1. Go to www.blogger.com
3.2. Click “Create a Blog”
3.3. Complete the form and click “Continue”
3.4. In the next screen, name your blog, then have fun designing the page elements, colors, etc.
3.5. When you’re all set, you can see your dashboard where you can set up your Profile, follow other blogs, and make your first blog post.
3.6. Look for the Twitter Gadget in page layout mode and add it to your layout.
3.7. To make your first blog post, click the “New Post” button, then type in the window. It works similar to Microsoft Word.
3.8. When you’re done, click “Post”
3.9. Now go to a new Web site called www.twitterfeed.com
3.10. Click the “Log into Twitterfeed” hyperlink under number two
3.11. In the text bar on the next page, copy and paste the URL of your blog (go back to www.blogger.com and click “View Blog”)
3.12. Click “Login”
3.13. Click “Go to My Twitter Feeds”
3.14. Click “Create New Feed”
3.15. Select “Create New Twitter Feed”
3.16. Click “Authenticate at Twitter”
3.17. Click “Allow”
3.18. Your RSS feed URL should be http://yourblogname.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
3.19. Include your bit.ly API and login information
3.20. Click the “Active” checkbox at the bottom and then “Update”
3.21. To set yourself up to be able to post to your blog from your cell phone, click the “Settings” tab
3.22. Click the “e-mail and mobile settings”
3.23. Scroll down and click “Add mobile device”
3.24. From your cell phone, text the message that pops up to the number they give you
2.25. Now text back the word “stop” to not receive confirmation text messages
2.26. Now send a test text to this number and see it appear as a new blog post!

Becoming a social media powerhouse in one week (phase 1)

Phase 1 of 5
This post is a step-by-step guide to get you set up in such a way that your social media presence is integrated and automated, so that one text message can update your status on four social media sites. This post assumes you are relatively new to computers and have no social media presence as of yet. It will get you set up for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blogger and include your cell phone.

1. Getting set up for Twitter
1.1. Visit http://twitter.com/
1.2. Click the "Get Started, Join" button
1.3. Complete the fields shown and click "Create my Account"
1.4. Click the "Settings" button in the upper right-hand corner of the page
1.5. Complete the Account information and click "Save"
1.6. Click the "Devices" tab and enter your cell phone number
1.7. Now grab your cell phone and you should receive a text message. Text back to confirm.
1.8. Add the five digit number to which you just texted to your phone's list of contacts and call it Twitter.
1.9. Now send a test message to it. Try something like, "Hey, glad to be on Twitter!"
1.10. Now send a text with the message "off."
1.11. Send it a second time. This will prevent you from getting buried in text messages with everyone's tweets.
1.12. Click the "Picture" tab
1.13. Click the "Browse" button to upload a photo of yourself. The best photos here are just of your face, are crisp, clear images and should be flattering if you care what people think of you.
1.14. Click save and then click the "Design" tab
1.15. (Optional) You can create a custom background (to be explained in a future post) or choose one of the canned backgrounds by clicking on your favorite.
1.16. Click "Save Changes"
1.17. Now click the "Profile" button in the upper right-hand corner of the page and you should see your picture, the background you chose and the test text message you sent.
1.18. Click "Find People" in the upper right-hand corner of the page
1.19. Type "Phillip Barnes" into the search box and my name and picture should come up.
1.20. Click the follow button to the right of my bio. You are now following your first person! I will follow you back within a couple of hours, so you will have your first follower. Then you're official!