Freelance Web Design and Development
Contact
01280 812789
info@mfurseroberts.com
SMS/Text Message Services
Linking Service Providers
Liveline Media approached me when they wanted to start three new SMS services: PubJokes, KidJokes & PopGossip. The services would operate ostensibly in the same way as many other SMS services do: a user would subscribe by text, be charged by reverse-charge text message, be sent information on a regular basis and be able to unsubscribe at will. Quite a few SMS service providers will help you to set up services like this with very little effort on your behalf; however, Livline Media had a few extra specifications which no service provider could help with:
- They needed to provide a unique message to each user every day.
- They required that the chances of two users who knew each other getting the message were small.
- They wanted an automated resubscription process.
- They wanted subscriptions and reverse-charged messages to be handled by one service, whilst a second dealt with distribution of the non- reverse-charge messages.
The Solution
Meeting the client's needs on this project required setting up an online MySQL database and writing custom PHP scripts to link the two service providers together; this controlling server received delivery incoming messages and controlled the distribution of all outbound texts. Running our own database for the project also allowed us to track users and deliver unique content to them.