Group SMS Program – Swaggle.mobi
Last summer I found a free, group SMS messaging program called swaggle.mobi. I had heard about such things on a podcast and decided to try it out with my church teen choir. After a small (non-scientific!) trial, I implemented it with my high school choir programs. I have since added a group for our HS vocal booster club and we use it as often as we can.
The great thing about this service is that it has a mobile site which allows you to send messages and manage groups and members with it’s iPhone site. 
(Photos and logo via swaggle.mobi)
The other great thing (at first) was that the service was free. I am never opposed to paying for something that is useful or that I utilize often, but it was wonderful to find a free service that worked so well! Swaggle now has rate plans for groups. They grew so quickly that they needed to upgrade their systems and have started to charge for their services. Any groups or accounts that were active prior to the upgrade are still free, but new caps on number of members apply.
I have turned quite a few people on to the idea, but they usually ask “What do you use it for?” A great question. I’ve gathered a list of a few of the things I have found group messaging useful for. Please leave me comments on what you have found it useful for!
I have sent group SMS’s for:
- Assignment “due” reminders
- Missing assignment reminders
- Solo & Ensemble accompanist rehearsals
- Letting students know where I will working at a Solo & Ensemble festival for the day so they can find me
- Congratulatory texts if a student makes an amazing accomplishment (ex – selected for All-State Choir)
- Rehearsal reminders
- Rehearsal cancelations
- Scholarship opportunities which have been sent while students are on a break. They know to check the website asap if it applies to them
- “You should have left already” texts for traveling to Solo & Ensemble
- Reminders to turn in permission slips, make-up assignments, camp forms, uniforms, etc. for the next day
- Reminders to BRING uniforms the next day (in-school performances or early departures)
- Reminder to bring money for food on a field trip
- Changes in itinerary
I will continue to add to this list as I remember more, but please let me know what you have used it for. Also, do you have an ad-free alternative to swaggle.mobi that you’d like to share?
June 21, 2011@ 6:46 am
It was wonderful to find a free service that worked so well! Swaggle now has rate plans for groups.
September 19, 2011@ 11:08 pm
Hey,
Very nice service. There is also a free group messaging service that seems to be working pretty well at http://www.telefio.com . Of course there are many group messaging services out there but they’re not free, but so expensive.
Just thought I would share a service that we use with out youth. We pay about $25 for group messaging every month for like 2500 messages which is not bad compared to another service that we used before this.