FrontlineSMS to bring mobile tools to journalists around the world

FrontlineSMS in action

Here at FrontlineSMS we are proud of our active user community. We regularly share stories on our blog about the valuable ways FrontlineSMS is being used by different organisations and community groups the world over. Recent highlights include:

* Safe Motherhood: Mobile healthcare in the Philippines
* Small-scale producers in Cote d'Ivoire access markets via SMS
* Text messaging to help centuries-old Choco mining tradition
* Reaching communities through the airwaves
* Innovation in practice: Family planning via SMS

We are always looking for guest blog posts and / or high resolution photos from FrontlineSMS users. If you would like to share how you are using FrontlineSMS with the wider community please contact florence@frontlinesms.com

How do you use FrontlineSMS in context?
The opinions and experiences of our user community are key to the work we do here at FrontlineSMS. We have recently started a new discussion group on our community forum to hear more about how FrontlineSMS is being used to meet the needs of social change projects in diverse contexts. This group - called FrontlineSMS in context - is for sharing your experiences on best practice and lessons learned when integrating FrontlineSMS in to your work. Check out this group here, and start a new discussion with the community today!

FrontlineSMS:Credit launch new website
The aim of FrontlineSMS:Credit is to make formal financial services available in 160 characters or less. Recently FrontlineSMS:Credit have re-launched a brand new website, where they are sharing information on their software and updates on their blog. Check out the new site http://credit.frontlinesms.com/ for further information!

Mobile tech and social change: Training and best practice
Recently FrontlineSMS ran a training course for TechChange, based on using our software, and best practice in mobile programme design. Since the training TechChange have trained on FrontlineSMS themselves, running valuable live simulations. You can read more about this on our blog here.

Nick Martin, TechChange president, said "in our experience, we've found that hands-on simulations based on real case studies provide an effective environment for participants to directly engage not only with new software tools, but also with good elements of programme design." TechChange will be running some online ICT4D training courses later this year, which will include FrontlineSMS. For more information click here.

T-shirts for FrontlineSMS Heroes!
To acknowledge the work of our increasingly active FrontlineSMS Heroes, we recently produced the first ever FrontlineSMS T-shirts! These T-shirts are exclusively for those who donate their time and effort to help FrontlineSMS continue our work. You can see photos of the new FrontlineSMS T-shirts here, and learn more about our Heroes here. If you are interested in helping FrontlineSMS as a volunteer we are always looking for experienced users to help out on our community forum, and / or talented individuals with specific skills to contribute to FrontlineSMS. For further details email florence@frontlinesms.com.

Latest media and publications
We have certainly been reaching out to new audiences over the past few months, with FrontlineSMS being mentioned in high profile media publications, and our team contributing to academic journals, too! Highlights include:
Two articles from the FrontlineSMS team in the latest edition of the Innovations Journal, on Data Democracy:
* Mobile Technology and the Last Mile: “Reluctant Innovation” and
FrontlineSMS
* The Case for mLegal: Using Mobile Technologies
to Improve Access to Legal Services
And mentions in the press, too:
* Wired magazine: Look Ma, No Internet! Free Software Gives Text-Messaging New Reach
* The National Geographic Traveler: Leapfrogging the Internet
* CNN: The rise of the 'reluctant innovator'

Tell us what you think!
We hope you've found this newsletter useful - we're always looking for suggestions, requests, feedback and contributions from you on the way we keep in touch. Let us know if you have anything else you'd like to see in the newsletter, on our website and on our community forum: email info@frontlinesms.com. Feel free to let us know if you'd like to contribute, too! We always enjoy hearing from our users, so please do stay in touch!

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