Text Alerts?

Potentially this could be a very useful service.

I note though in the 'Terms of Service':

'• Responsibility of Contributors. If you send updates via the sms service (any such material, 'Content'), You are entirely responsible for the content of, and any harm resulting from, that Content.'

So, if someone decides to go see a tour as a result of your text update and comes to some harm could you be held responsible? Perhaps contributors should add a disclaimer to the end of their updates?

 

I took part in a test on Saturday and it worked a treat. I'm up for using it as its rolled out for general use. Great idea guys - hope it becomes popular

 

Signed up (and confirmed) now, might put it to the test on Thursday when 6201 is out & about in this area. Can I ask one question? I know you can stop the texts once a trip has passed your location. Can you re-enable the texts for that trip when the return time is approaching? This is so you don't receive texts when the trip is out of your area.

 

Brilliant work chaps, this has been along time coming. Cant wait to give it a go, but it relies on you folks taking the time to keep the info upto date. I'm in !!!

 

Good afternoon, sorry, I have been away from the computer today,
Right, questions and answers,

It only costs you to receive text messages (12p) Nothing more or less.
Depending on your service plan with your mobile phone provider, you may or may not be able to send texts free.
You still have to register though.
The home page is http://railtours.national-preservation.com/main.php
The register page is http://railtours.national-preservation.com/register.php
Terms of Service is http://railtours.national-preservation.com/tos.php
Privacy Policy is http://railtours.national-preservation.com/pp.php
And the FAQ is http://railtours.national-preservation.com/faq.php

Have a read of the FAQ, it answers most of the questions.

 

I was referring to the ability to turn off and on the service at will, otherwise you could recieve 100 text messages you don't need and pay 12p for each of them and run out of money on your account.

To be honest, I am quite interested in seeing how the tour goes, would be good to get updates all day, but would cost too much, depending on how many texts arrive.

 

That's what worries me. There doesn't seem to be a way of preventing one person from sending messages every 5 minutes, or from lots of people sending several messages, which will all add up. On some of the more popular tours (for example 6233 over Shap), there are often several NP members are on board. You could end up getting a dozen or more messages saying the tour's just passed Shap at xx MPH.

Don't get me wrong, it's a good idea, and I realise you can turn it off and on at will, but I'd like to see some sort of cap on the price.

 

Basically what I asked in #23. Depending how far your "vantage point" is away from home, my plan would be to watch the texts on the forum as late as possible, subscribe to the tour, then go to see the tour concerned accordingly. As I said earlier the ability to suspend texts for a few hours until the return would be useful.

 

use the following format.

NATPRES [TOURCODE] stop

This would stop all texts from that point onwards. Until you resubscribe.

 

Also if members sending the texts also have credit on their accounts, they will also receive the updates, and will not send out duplicates.

 

You can certainly post to a Yahoo group via SMS using free services such as Mmail but I'm not sure if you can configure your Yahoo group settings to send out messages as SMS. As a smart phone user this is of no concern to me as I can pick up Yahoo messages either via e-mail or direct at the website.

 

Sounds a useful service.

Perhaps to reduce the numberof duplicate texts it would be possible for people who intend to send textx could identify where they will be sending them from - thus avoiding say, 5, people at one location (or on board) sending essentially the same information multiple times?

 

10-12 years ago many of the major mobile networks had free email to SMS gateway services - that is how the gen groups such as Rail-Gen started, but since the rise of smart phones, most of these gateways have disappeared - there's more money in flogging full data services to mobile users

STEVE

 

My first thought's was to keep this as simple as possible. SMS seems to be the quickest way of getting the information you need across. And also if you only have x amount of free 3G access, your not going to use it up and start paying for it. I know it can be quite expensive when that happens. Also 3G is not everywhere.
But I welcome all suggestion and ideas for this service.

 

Sounds very useful,but costs too much,especially if following a popular tour. For example,if i'm on board and send 20 texts,that would cost 2 quid for texts just from me. It could end up costing about 5 quid and people will end up running out of credit? This system is perfect but not if you have to pay for it.

 

My data package is unlimited and also available via Edge and GRPS as well as 3G so if I'm in a dead zone I'm almost certainly in an SMS dead zone too. I can see the attraction for those with conventional mobiles though. Mind you, there will be some bits of the S&C for instance where nothing works so not even SMS updates will get out.

 

Not sure where you got your figures from.
For you to send 20 texts we don't charge you to do this.
And it would cost each person receiving them 20 texts £2.40

 

Thats fair enough. Maybe along the line, we'll be able to develop on the service to cater for other formats. Anything is possible if you have a base service to work off.