GroupMe.com Makes Group Texting Easy

Groupme.com combines the conciseness and efficiencies of text messages with some of your favorite e-mail features. Quickly reach project, work, social or family groups with the power of group texting. Group texting effectively and instantly reaches many people, using the keypad of your phone. Once you’ve reached them, they can reply back to you-and the rest of the group.

The Evolution of Texting

The concept of group texting merged the concepts of cell phone-based texting with email distribution lists.

Although cell phones were designed to transmit voice communications, some users have discovered that short messaging service (SMS) or texting with a keypad offers more convenience, efficiency and privacy when compared to a voice-to-voice call.

Common uses for texting include short messages like:

• “What time is the game?”
  
  
• “I’m running 10 minutes late.”
  
  
• “Where is the lunch meeting?”
  
  
• “OMW" (on my way)

Because texts go directly to mobile devices, they reach people wherever they are. Better yet, text messages facilitate communication without disturbing business meetings, doctor’s appointments or date night. They also let you say what you need to say without padding your conversation with small talk.

How it Works

Sending a text to an individual is a simple task; sending texts to groups requires a sender to one-by-one add recipients from their contact list to the message. It can be cumbersome, to say the least.

Looking at the examples of common text messages above, it’s easy to see how sending the same message to multiple people could make your life easier. While the functionality exists on some text-enabled phones, Groupme.com makes it easier by assigning a single phone number to a designated group of recipients: your family, a project team, the soccer moms, etc. When you send your message to that single phone number, GroupMe.com takes care of distributing the messages to the entire group.

Use a web browser to register for the service and then setup and communicate with your groups from any text-enabled phone.

Include up to 25 members in each group, and create unlimited numbers of groups for free. According to GroupMe.com, groups of 4-10 will have an easier time keeping up with group texting.

Need to talk to the group in person? Your group’s phone number also will call everyone and invite them into a conference call.

Getting started

Use a web browser to register for the service and setup your groups. GroupMe.com sends an activation code to your phone. Enter the activation code into your browser then GroupMe.com will send you a confirmation as well as command codes that let you easily add new group members and send group text messages.

Groupme.com suggests creating sample groups to get started; family, college friends or roomies. Find more details in GroupMe.com’s “Help” section.

Good to know

Even though the web-based app for GroupMe.com still says it’s in beta, they’ve already released an iPhone App, and an Android app is coming soon. The service is currently available only in the United States, but GroupMe.Com hopes to offer their service internationally in the future. Users must have a text-enabled phone, and standard text messaging costs through your cell phone provider will apply.

“GroupMe makes life easy for you and your groups. It’s your real-life network, in your pocket.”