Gerhard Potgieter released a WordPress SMS plugin that allows you to build an opt-in list of subscribers and allows you the functionality of sending out a Bulk SMS to your subscribers. You can see it in action in the sidebar of this site (SMS competition Alerts).

A few months ago the WooTeam assimilated JigoShop into WooThemes, rebranding it WooCommerce. A brilliant move by Adii and the rest fo the WooTeam.

With WooCommerce morphing your WordPress blog into a full featured e-commerce shopping cart some extra functionality is required. Alerting your customers to the status of their orders via SMS using the Clickatell APi is one of those features I’m sure most online stores would desire. With Gerhard already having designed the Clickatell SMS Alert WordPress plugin that has been downlaoded 5000 times, the next obvious step would be creating something for the 30 000 strong WooCommerce community…

It’s called WooCommerce Clickatell SMS Notifications, basically the idea behind it is to keep WooCommerce customers in the loop of the progress of their orders, you can personalise the messages with variables ranging from the customer name, address, order total to the order status. Shop owners can enable/disable automatic sending of sms updated based on the status of the order. There is also ability to send out special SMS updates from the customer order page and then the option of sending out bulk sms messages to all your customers from the WordPress dashboard.

Like I mentioned I am also busy with the development of a lite version, basically this version will have no customization options, SMS updates will always be sent out no matter what the order status changes to, and you will not have the ability to use variables in the messages to personalise it. There is also no bulk messaging widget in the lite version.

Keep a lookout for the WooCommerce Clickatell SMS Notifications plugin coming to your Woo within the next few weeks.

Update: Clickatell SMS Notifications for WooCommerce now available to download.

The Clickatell SMS Notifications plugin for WooCommerce allows you to keep you customers updated on the progress of their orders by sending them SMS notifications when their order statuses change.

SMS Notifications are fully customisable via the settings pages, allowing you to give the messages a personal touch by adding order totals, first names and the shop name. You also have the option to enable/disable SMS notification depending on the status of the order.

You can get delivery reports on each message that is sent. Delivery reports are integrated into the WooCommerce order notes system showing when SMS messages have been sent, what the message was and whether it was delivered or not with a short error message explaining what went wrong.

Suppose you have seen a picture on the web and out of curiosity, you need to find other similar or related images as well as relevant information pertaining to that particular picture. Well, in that case it becomes a little complicated. The good news is — Google recently launched a service that lets you search the web by images.

According to google, all you need to do is … Just specify an image, and you’ll find other similar or related images with associated search results from all over the web.

For example, search using a picture of your favourite band and see search results that might include similar images, webpages about the band, and even sites that include the same picture.

There are two ways to search by images.  (1) Searching by entering an image url,  or (2) by uploading an image from your computer.

Simply go to http://images.google.com and follow the below mentioned steps as described by google.

How to enter an image URL

1. On any webpage, right-click an image and select the option to copy it. In most browsers, this option’s name starts with “Copy image,” except Internet Explorer for which you’ll select “Properties” and then copy the URL that’s then displayed.

2. Visit images.google.com, or any Images results page, and click the camera icon in the search box.

3. Paste the copied URL into the search box

4. Click Search

How to upload an image

5. Visit images.google.com, or any Images results page, and click the camera icon in the search box

6. Click the Upload an image link

7. Click Choose File

8. Select the image from your computer

You are now able to chat to your MXit contacts straight from the MXit facebook page.

MXit on your PC from Facebook

This is how to MXit from Facebook:

• Go to this tab on the MXit facebook page
• Log in with your MXit id and password
• Enjoy chatting to your MXit contact while you surfe the facebook page.

Now wouldn’t is be awesome if you could chat to your Facebook friends from the MXit app?

Web SMS made easy with Clickatell's Communicator 2

Your Web AddiCT(s); have been covering various Web SMS applications in the past. Most of them required some programming or technical expertise. Some of these online SMS applications included the Twitter direct message SMS app and the ability to build a community around online SMS with the WordPress Bulk SMS plugin. If that was too techie for you Clicaktell will easily allow you to send SMS online via the Communicator 2 application. Watch this video below to learn more about Communicator 2.

its less painful than this

In the past I migrated my address book from my old Nokia to a Google Android device and now that I have a Nokia N8 to review I was wondering how I could reverse the process by transferring contacts and email from the HTC Desire to the N8.

In order to transfer your android contacts no the N8 you need the following:

• A Google Android phone
• A Google Account
• A Nokia N8

If you’re using an Android phone your contacts should already be synced with your Google Account. Usually Gmail. Now follow the following steps to get only your Gmail on your Nokia N8 without the contacts.

1. Click the Menu Button > Applications > Mail
2. No mailbox defined. Define now? will pop up. Click Yes.
3. Use the mail wizard to setup a personal mail account… Click Start.
4. Select Gmail from the of mailbox options.
5. Enter your full Gmail address and password.
6. Accept the terms of service and privacy policy.

You have now imported only your email to your N8.

Follow these step to import your email, contacts and even calendar and notes from Gmail to your N8.

1. Menu > Applications > Mail
2. Define Mailbox prompt > No
3. Click – New > Start > Mail for Exchange
4. Enter your full gmail address @gmail.com in Mail address and username, your gmail password in password and m.google.com in Domain
5. Click Next
6. Your Nokia N8 will now connect to the mail for exchange server where you will be asked to enter m.google.com again.
7. Now select What so Sync: Calendar, Contacts and To-do notes.
8. Your Gmail and Google Android contacts will now be synced to your Nokia N8. within a few minutes

MXit already allows you to update 2 of the hottest Social Media platform by updating your status which in turn updates your Facebook and Twitter status.

Our good friends over at Rlabs have been trying to find a way to blog from and your Web AddiCT suggested that they try blogging via email on their phones like you do with posterous. This would be great ideal but most of the community that Rlabs are assisting use WordPress and do not have smart phones. These phone do not necessarily have the ability to email but they do run MXit.

Gerhard Potgieter and Paul Scott stepped up to the plate and within on weekend put together the code that allows you to blog from MXit. Not only the WordPress blogging platform is supported but any other blogging service that supports the MetaWebLog API.

It should be possible to blog from MXit to the Chisimba and Posterous platforms too.

Here are the instructions to setup your WordPress blog and MXit to get them working together.

1. Add the MXitPress bot to your MXit. In MXit add the following Gtalk contact: chisimba.mxitpress@gmail.com
2. In your WordPress blog enable Remote Publishing on your blog at Settings > Writing and ticking XML-RPC Click save settings.
3. Register your blog with the MXitPress bot by issuing the register command (send the contact the following message): register:www.yourdomain.com /xmlrpc.php user pass Replacing www.yourdomain.com with your blog url and user and pass with your username and password you use to log into WordPress.
4. Once you have registered your blog you can go ahead and start publishing blog posts from MXit sending the MXitPress contact the following: Blog Post Title#The content of your blog post goes here

What use does this have? Read the following post by Marlon Parker: 1c Blogpost using MXit or if you want more details from how this MXit hack came about read iGeek’s post.

Clickatell have always had their bespoke affiliate program offering you 10% commission of sales for a period of 6 months but now they have teamed up with CommissionJunction to offer you a new affiliate program. They’ve also doubled their payout to 20%.

Once you sign up for the CommissionJunction affiliate network or if you have already signed up you simply need to apply by searching for Clickatell in the advertisers text area in the get links section. You will have to specify where you will be displaying your links or banners before getting approval which usually happens within 24 hours as Clickatell have a dedicated Affiliate manager to handle any queries you may have.

Once you have been approved you should look out for this email.

Congratulations, and welcome to the Clickatell affiliate program! Clickatell is the leader in worldwide mobile message communication; we provide text message solutions with extensive global coverage capabilities and API’s that easily integrate into any system.

We’ll provide you with the ammunition necessary to ensure that you have the best chances of success in the weeks, months and years to come. Below you’ll find brief information about Clickatell and its affiliate program as well as some of the tools you’ll be able to use for optimal program performance.

Affiliate Program Overview

Clickatell’s affiliate program provides you with the following exciting benefits:

• Earn 20% commission on all first-purchases
• Monthly Affiliate Newsletter
• A continual stream of ‘Fresh Advertising’
• The dedication of a member of Clickatell’s Management Team to ensure your success.

The items listed below are at your disposal to both create and enhance your sales strategies and marketing campaigns as well as to provide assistance whenever you need it.

Creative Innovation

Use the image bank to optimise your account with a high-variety of fresh images, text links and keyword links. We’ll also keep you updated on all the exciting campaigns we launch throughout the year to provide you with a content-rich environment to provide you with a competitive advantage.

High-Level Reporting

The easy-to-use intuitive web-based interface provides high-level real time reporting of campaigns. You’ll be able to use this information to tweak the success of your future campaigns in the planning phase.

Effective Marketing

Through years of text marketing experience, we have identified a number of markets where text messaging has always been popular. With the aid of marketing kits, industry data and targeted advertising material, you’ll be able to reap the full benefit of SMS text message marketing that works.

Now you’re in business! All you need to do to start earning revenue is log into commission junction and get the embed codes for the large array of links and banners. As soon as a user purchases bulk sms credits through your site/marketing efforts you’ll earn 20% commission. They will also be offering incentive based commission structures to the better performing affiliates. If you’re attracting lots of users to your site that are interested in mobile and SMS based marketing solutions now would be the perfect time to start promoting this Bulk SMS affiliate program. If you thought that Clickatell only offered sending Bulk SMS messages via the API, think again. They also offer a web-based SMS management platform you can run from your browser for the not so technically inclined. Within the web app you can create and send SMS text messages, receive replies to sent SMS via email and manage address books.

To join the new Clickatell affiliate program simply sign up here.

So how does a pastor with fewer followers than most of us have on twitter get so much media attention?
How exactly do we go about burning a Quran? It’s really easy if you’re reading this on your computer.

1. Download an MP3 version of the Quran
2. Insert one blank CD or DVD into your CD/DVD drive
3. Burn the Quran in MP3 format onto your blank disk

If you are using a Mac this is how you burn a DVD using Snow Leopard. This way you wont go about destroying the Quran but actually creating more copies of the Holy Book. What were you expecting to read in a post entitled How To Burn the Quran?

His sentiments maybe true in some respect. And quite frankly, many people are thoughtlessly quick to dismiss twitter as a credible source of valuable information. However, intelligent marketers will acknowledge it as a free source of consumer data that can be mined in near real time. That is why; Harvard Business Review (HBR) compiled a comprehensive list, which included a 6-step guide to finding value in tweets.

The complex views that tend to come from twitter’s trending list has rarely appeared the results of opinion polls or attempts to finding a consensus between differing factions of twitterers. That’s is why building and maintaining an image of a brand on twitter remains therefore an immense challenge. Some companies are occasionally concerned that negative tweets tends to damage their brands every time somebody (famous) says something negative about their brand on twitter; other companies or brands, believe that all publicity is good publicity, but despite the evidence to the contrary, it at least assists in rendering their brand newsworthy.

Let’s take a closer look.

HBR’s study represent new developments. Approximately half a million tweets containing the word “ipad” were captured during the product’s launch weekend in April. And based on this, HBR developed a 6-step guide to finding value in tweeter’s noise.

I will just summarize the 6 important points, but for an in-depth analysis, please find the entire study at HBR.

1)    Learn about the competitive landscape.

2)    Look for unexpected themes

3)    Dip deeper into the stream.

4)    Look for user experiences.

5)    Learn why negative words are coming up.

6)    Learn about conversation dominators.

According to HBR, Tweets about your product that include the names of rival brands can reveal a lot about market positioning. In the same study, HBR point to an example on how the majority of the KINDLE tweets didn’t necessarily focus on the iPad being a Kindle killer. Instead, they applauded the arrival of the Kindle app for the iPad— which in turn alerted Apple that its own books app would face serious competition.

In the same study, HBR explains how customer service could be adjusted to address the most common user complaints. How? By finding why negative words /tweets are coming up — it might also turn out to be a great way to locate consumers’ pain points.

To conclude, I would like to your genuine thoughts on whether Twitter is just a Vuvuzela of the Internet, or a very valuable source of consumer data , if carefully mined . Tell us by commenting , Your Group of Web AddiCT’(s) will share them in another post soon.

1) Unsubscribe to email newsletters

Email newsletters is one of the oldest forms of online marketing and almost ever website has an email newsletter. Do you really read ever single newsletter you receive via email? Thought so. Start unsubscribing to those email newsletters you hardly ever read to cut down on the number of unread messages in your inbox. Do it! Do it now.

2) Deactivate email alerts from social networks

Every time someone follows you on twitter or your receive a direct message an email pops up in your inbox. If you’re a very active twitter user your inbox will be overwhelmed. The same can be said for Facebook too. All those Facebook fan page requests, comments on status updates you liked or commented on. All of these end up in your email. You should unsubscribe from Facebook email notifications or even receive your twitter direct messages via SMS.

3) What about email you have to receive and respond to?

Now we’ve unsubscribed to email newsletters and turned of social netwokr email notifications and your well on yor way to putting your inbox on diet. What is the best way to manage what is left and usually is important. Instead of spending all your time writing really long essay-like replies your could follow the five.sentenc.es mantra. The problem: E-mail takes too long to respond to, resulting in continuous inbox overflow for those who receive a lot of it. The solution: Treat all email responses like SMS text messages, using a set number of letters per response. Since it’s too hard to count letters your should count sentences instead. Keep your email 5 sentences in length max and use those 5 sentences to get the message across.

How do you manage email overload? Let us know in the comments…