The 12 Text Groups of Christmas

Twelve Carolers Caroling (or drinkers pub-crawling). You have a bunch of friends meeting up for fun and there will be all kinds of logistics that will be frustrating unless you just put everyone in a Text Group. Text Groups are a straggler’s best friend!

Eleven Farmers Farming. Okay. This isn’t holiday-specific but we think it is so cool that farms use ccSync.  Makes us feel rugged!

Ten Teens a Texting. There is a family using ccSync with nearly that many kids - several home from college for the holidays - using a Text Group to coordinate family meals, negotiate curfews and share news. Dad says, “It has definitely bought us closer together, but in a very mobile way.”

Nine Players Playing – Team sports is such an obvious use for a Text Group we almost hate to say it, not to mention that sports Text Groups tend to be a lot bigger than nine – for instance 22 soccer players, 25 parents and 3 coaches in one Text Group.  Last minute game, practice or after-party change? No problem.

Eight Workers Working – It would be nice if all work was finished the morning of December 24^th and did not require another thought until January 4^th, 2010. But for those of us with projects that may or may not need attention over the holidays START A TEXT GROUP FOR EACH PROJECT NOW. If something comes up you can reach everyone instantly and you aren’t even interrupting their holiday.

Seven Skiers Skiing – When you ski in a group, you are always regrouping, “Meet you at the top of KT22!” and trying to find out when everyone wants to eat.  A Text Group for you and your ski buddies can keep you from freezing at the top of a mountain wondering if you are in the wrong place or your friends are just slow. Plus you can hash it out about lunch and whether or not to stay until the lifts close, missing no one’s input.

Six Sailors Sailing - How about when you and your pals take your boats out for the holiday light parade? You aren’t going to use email to find each other out there!

Five Freelancers Freelancing – Joe’s got an iPhone, Sam won’t part with her Blackberry, Lloyd has a Droid and noone has EVER seen Tami’s phone but you know for sure she has one. You call this an agency? No – but with a Text Group for each project any combination of freelancers can keep highly coordinated and productive. Luckily Text Groups works on any phone without a download.

Four Framers Framing – There are construction contractors starting to use Text Groups to coordinate and order activities and deliveries at a job site. Farmers and framers! Very cool!

Three Driver’s Driving – Caravanning to grandmother’s house? Make sure you have yourselves a merry little Text Group so you can coordinate stops and keep on course. Also make sure you don’t text while driving, we want you to make it to 2010!

Two – Too Little – We can see why a dialogue between two people might envy the archiving and other features available on ccSync for Text Groups of 3 – 50.

and the Partridge Family – We like to think of how having Text Groups would have changed our favorite 1970’s sit-coms.  We think it may have ruined the dramatic tension of Scooby Doo, but it would have greatly improved The Flying Nun.  (I can see my house from here!)

Enjoy safer, saner, funner, closer and more productive holidays with your Text Groups on the ccSync Beta. If you need a Beta Code please email beta@ccsync.com

Happy Holidays!

ccSync

ccSync vs Twitter-group-tools

With the explosion of “group” tools for Twitter, we are hearing the question “How is this different then Twitter-____________(insert name of Twitter group tool here)?”

Wow. It’s so cool to be mentioned with Twitter! But we are about as much like Twitter as FedEx is like chain-letters.

ccSync is an utterly secure way for a group of people who work together (usually 5- 12) to have private, instant, mobile text conversations where everyone gets every message and anyone can send a message.  Our solution works on every mobile phone without a download. We peer with mobile carriers to exchange messages, which is how we get away from short codes, keywords, hash marks and reliability issues. Think of a ccSync group as a closed circle.  To form a ccSync circle an organizer enters the names and numbers of the group and viola! - The conversation begins.

Twitter is a social tool that distributes short bursts of information to a writer’s “followers”.   In general, when you “tweet” you don’t know exactly who will read your message.  You may or may not be reading the messages of the people who follow you.  As a social tool, Twitter need not offer the features business groups need: message authentication, instant group formation and closed circles.

Some Twitter applications will allow you to “group” tweets by topics, hash tags or user names. They are not designed to support a private, mobile text conversation and require downloaded applications for mobile use.  They are extremely useful for a Twitter user who wants to filter and organize their tweet stream.

Who needs secure, instant, mobile text conversations? Our beta users include construction contractors, ad agencies, sports teams, non-profits with field operations and even an organic farm.  Many are Twitter users, but when it comes to business they need a closed circle like ccSync.