Mass Texts
-
- New Member
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2017 8:39 am
Mass Texts
Hi all. I am the new communications specialist in my YSA ward. My bishop would like me to send "mass texts" out to the ward. I saw a thread from 2014 about using the "lists" on LDStools. What else do you guys use?
- sbradshaw
- Community Moderators
- Posts: 6259
- Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 9:42 pm
- Location: Utah
- Contact:
Re: Mass Texts
My last ward used Twitter for mass texts (SMS follow), and it worked surprisingly well. The person responsible for sending texts set up a Twitter account, and everyone in the ward was invited to opt in by texting "Follow @___" (ward's account name). Everything posted is public, so you do have to be careful what you post and how much detail is included.
Lists in LDS Tools work great, except because they rely on your phone's texting ability, they're limited by your service provider's maximum number of recipients (usually 10 people at a time).
Lists in LDS Tools work great, except because they rely on your phone's texting ability, they're limited by your service provider's maximum number of recipients (usually 10 people at a time).
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
-
- New Member
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Fri May 19, 2017 8:39 am
Re: Mass Texts
My last ward actually did that too. Thanks for the recommendation!
-
- New Member
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Wed Jun 21, 2017 12:09 pm
Re: Mass Texts
Our YSA Stake would like to go one step up. We'd like to pull their cell phone information from the MLS. Our dream would be to have the functionality to pull similar contact information for singles from the family wards parallel to our YSA wards. Their records would stay in the family wards, but we would be reaching out to them so that they could opt in as desired.
-
- Member
- Posts: 197
- Joined: Sun Dec 15, 2013 4:51 pm
Re: Mass Texts
When I sent out texts in my last two wards, we gathered people's cell provider and cell number and used Gmail to send out the text messages. ( I.e. 8015551234@vtext.com). T-Mobile did start to block us and not all low cost carries are supported.
I don't use Twitter so I'm not sure if people who don't have an account can use sbradshaw's method.
I don't use Twitter so I'm not sure if people who don't have an account can use sbradshaw's method.
-
- Member
- Posts: 197
- Joined: Sun Dec 15, 2013 4:51 pm
Re: Mass Texts
We also had subgroups for those who wanted alerts about sports, rs/eq activities as well.
-
- New Member
- Posts: 34
- Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2011 5:55 pm
Re: Mass Texts
Our youth organization use text messages managed by GroupMe because of the ability both for leaders to add and remove people as the age out of classes and for the users to unsubscribe themselves. Most youth can receive texts but are on all manner of social media platforms so we can't standardize. https://groupme.com/en-US/
Because I'm not on facebook. I hate that the only way to know where activity days is to ask someone who is on facebook who was permitted to friend our ward primary so ton of sympathy for those who are stuck on a system that is convenient for someone else but not them! (youngest daughter turns 12 this year so I'm just biting my tongue)
Because I'm not on facebook. I hate that the only way to know where activity days is to ask someone who is on facebook who was permitted to friend our ward primary so ton of sympathy for those who are stuck on a system that is convenient for someone else but not them! (youngest daughter turns 12 this year so I'm just biting my tongue)
- sbradshaw
- Community Moderators
- Posts: 6259
- Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2011 9:42 pm
- Location: Utah
- Contact:
Re: Mass Texts
I recently saw the "Remind" app recommended as a way to communicate in a ward. Has anyone used that?
Samuel Bradshaw • If you desire to serve God, you are called to the work.
-
- New Member
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon Jul 01, 2013 2:55 pm
Re: Mass Texts
I’ve used that for institute classes. Works wonderfully.
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 2647
- Joined: Sun May 09, 2010 9:16 pm
- Location: Washington, USA
Re: Mass Texts
A few years ago, my wife and I were added to a "Remind" app without our permission or desire by a well-meaning stake choir director. We got lots of "communication" we did not want nor request. There was no way to get off the list without offending someone - I finally just marked it as spam in my e-mail program to get it all to stop.sbradshaw wrote:I recently saw the "Remind" app recommended as a way to communicate in a ward. Has anyone used that?