May 2012
4 posts
Entrepreneurial "Fashion"
I lived and worked in the same small city as Facebook’s headquarters for four years, and seeing a young CEO wearing a hoodie and jeans around town, or even in the office, was not a shock. It was just what everyone wore, CEO or not. I came to learn that in the world of innovation and entrepreneurship that is Silicon Valley, one does not judge a product based on a representative’s...
Meet Our Newest Whale: Kim Bozick
Hi, I’m Kimberly Bozick and I am the new Business Development Manager here at Songwhale. I am 25 years old from Wheeling, WV. In 2009, I successfully achieved my Bachelor of Science degree in Fashion Design & Merchandising from West Virginia University. Fresh out of my cap and gown, I headed to NYC for an internship at Company Agenda, a fashion and arts public relations firm. Even though...
Songwhale Plays It Safe
Looking for a quick option to contact public safety while walking home through campus? Or maybe an easy way to call a crisis line without leaving a telling trail behind you? Songwhale has helped address these issues for our clients by developing and supporting safety initiatives through our platform and with app development. Womansplace, a domestic violence shelter and counseling center, alerts...
April 2012
4 posts
Improving Parent/Child Interaction and Literacy...
We recently teamed up with The Fred Rogers Company to focus on parent and child communication and literacy with an interactive game using text messaging. Posters on local bus shelters prompt parents to text in to begin a series of questions and answers with their child that reference certain images or details on the poster. The game encourages parents to talk with their child about their...
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Doodling for Dollars →
” Firms are holding training sessions to teach employees the basics of what’s known as visual note taking. Others, like vacation-rental company HomeAway Inc. and retailer Zappos, are hiring graphic recorders, consultants who sketch what is discussed at meetings and conferences, cartoon-style, to keep employees engaged.”
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March 2012
4 posts
Pin It to Win It
Have you started pinning yet? Many brands are joining the Pinterest phenomenon to promote their products and establish a brand identity. Take a look at this great infographic that we found on best practices for brands on Pinterest.
Infographic by MDG Advertising
Sweden Moving Towards Cashless Society →
The first European country to introduce bank notes is now ahead of the game in trying to get rid of them. Sweden is on the path of phasing out cash as a payment option, in favor of digital alternatives like text payments. It is becoming increasingly common in Swedish cities for public transit to reject cash and accept only prepaid tickets, some of which are purchased via text message.
The article...
Interning at a Start-Up
Throughout my college career, I have been fortunate enough to have several internships, one of course being here at Songwhale. After experiencing these internships, I have not only discovered what type of job I would eventually like to have, but more importantly the type of atmosphere I’d like to work in. To me, the start-up/small company atmosphere is one of the best opportunities for...
What is Predictive Gaming?
Songwhale recently launched an interactive SMS campaign with The Pittsburgh Penguins called predictive gaming. Prior to the launch, most SMS promotions were only used for fans on site at the game. Now, with predictive gaming, fans watching or listening at home can also participate in mobile trivia.
In the pregame show, radio and TV announcers will ask fans a question of the day such as: Who do...
February 2012
7 posts
Why One Startup Wants Your Mobile Carrier to Act... →
We’re used to transferring money from one bank account to another, but what if someone told you they were transferring money to their AT&T or Verizon account? You’d think they’re crazy - no one has an account provided by their wireless carrier. Well, soon we just may thanks to a start-up called BOKU.
With BOKU, users get a credit card provided by MasterCard and a...
How Mobile Payments are Revolutionizing Public... →
2012 is the year for mobile. Companies, and now entire industries, are catching on to the craze that is mobile payments. Countries around the world have began testing mobile payment systems in the transportation industry for reasons of convenience and efficiency.
Imagine being able to reserve a taxi, track it’s status, and pay for service, all on a mobile app. Get Taxi does just that, and...
Pittsburgh Technology Council: Our Creative Tech... →
Check out this cool video from the Pittsburgh Technology Council that features Pittsburgh based companies and their successful and innovative projects. Tune in at 1:45 of the video to see the shout out to Songwhale for mobile content!
Social Media and the Super Bowl →
Social Media is changing the way we experience and enjoy important events, like last night’s Super Bowl. If you check out your Facebook news feed, I guarantee that at least one of your friends has shared his or her favorite commercial from last night. In the final three minutes of the game, there was a recorded average of 10,000 tweets per second (TPS)! This just goes to show the increasing...
The Super Bowl and Mobile Marketing →
They are calling this year’s game the first “second screen” Super Bowl. How will you be interacting with the game and commercials this upcoming Sunday?
Check out this great article from USA Today that explains how you’ll see mobile used this weekend during Super Bowl festivities.
January 2012
6 posts
Mobile is a must-have in 2012
Maybe since I work for a mobile company I’m biased, but I’m a huge believer that companies need to be involved with mobile in some way. Whether it’s simply a mobile site, text-alerts, apps, etc.
Relating to my above statement, Mobile Marketer recently posted a great article, “Mobile is a must-have for agencies in 2012”.
The article highlights that brands and...
Songwhale is now on Google+ →
Check us out and add us to your circles.
Microsoft Celebrates Demise Of IE6
A great find today on information week: ”New figures show that the Internet Explorer 6 browser is now in use by less than 1% of Web surfers in the United States. Microsoft has been for years trying to get Web developers and users to move to newer versions of Explorer, such as IE8 or IE9, which offer enhanced security and privacy controls. ”
Our COO, Adam Meyers, further explains that...
The New York Times: To Asia and Back, Sleep Not an... →
Ty Morse, the chief of Songwhale, in Santorini, Greece. Booking his own flights adds to stress. Click on the article link above to see today’s feature on Songwhale in The New York Times.
Q. How often do you fly?
A. I probably average once a week domestic, once every two months international.
Q. What’s your least favorite airport?
A. La Guardia. What’s to like about a dense population...
December 2011
3 posts
Mobile Payments Roundup
Is the Future of #Payments #Mobile? [INFOGRAPHIC] pulse.me/s/3PsuFURCDecember 6, 2011 9:42:06 PM ESTReplyRetweetMobile PaymentsMobile financial services, also referred to as mobile money, mobile payment, mobile banking, mobile money transfer and mobile wallet ge…MashableMobile payments are on fire today, where will they be in 2015 (infographic) bit.ly/ufYngP by...
A Timeline of Text Messaging →
On December 3rd, 1992, the first text message was sent and simply read “Merry Christmas.” Click the above grey header to check out a timeline celebrating 19 years of SMS.
November 2011
7 posts
Who doesn't love a good deal around the Holidays?
Deal sites are everywhere. I’m currently signed up for at least 5, as I’m sure you are as well. However, if you haven’t checked out Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s PG Deals, you’re definitely missing out.
For local Pittsburghers, PG Deals offers exclusive deals to local restaurants, gyms, shops, and more. PG Deals includes local mom and pop stores that bigger named deal...
MSA Sports Network and WPIAL Championship Football...
Do you live in the Pittsburgh area and love high school sports? Text MSASPORTS to 94253, and get ready for the WPIAL Football Finals at Heinz Field this Saturday!
The local match ups for the finals are Clairton vs. Sto Rox, Montour vs. Knoch, Aliquippa vs. Jeannette, and North Allegheny vs. Upper St. Clair. MSA will be asking for your votes and opinions, so don’t miss the chance to let your...
Rise & Shine - The Jay DeMerit Story
In case you didn’t hear, there was quite a buzz going on at the AMC Lowes movie theater this Wednesday. And no, it wasn’t because of the new Twilight movie. Everyone, including us at Songwhale, were excited to see Rise & Shine: The Jay DeMerit Story.
The film documents Jay’s journey from the bottom - playing in Sunday park leagues and lower level division London clubs...
Western Humane Society & Text2Donate
The Western Pennsylvania Humane Society is now using our Text2Donate services. Below is the featured page in their Fall 2011 newsletter.
Text2Donate allows supporters of WPHS and other non-profits to donate with a simple text message. Supporters only have to sign up for Text2Donate one time. Once they sign up on the mobile website, their information is saved so that they can use a single text...
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Hallo-#WIN
Hippies, Witches, and Lobsters…oh my!
Let me tell you, Songwhale sure knows how to celebrate Halloween. Our CEO, Ty, first approached me about starting to plan our Halloween extravaganza back in early September. After seeing how excited he was already, there was no doubt in my mind that the Annual Songwhale Halloween party would be a blast.
This year we decided to team up with our great...
October 2011
4 posts
5 tags
Dignity & Respect
The Dignity & Respect Campaign is an effort to have people pledge to include, value, and appreciate others. It began as a workplace initiative, but is now being promoted regionally. Along with taking the pledge via text, users can visit the mobile site at wap.songwhale.com/dignityandrespect/ to take the pledge, see the monthly Champions, learn tips to promote dignity and respect, and...
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Staying on Top of Web Technology
The times they are a-changin’. Every day our technology becomes more advanced as we push into the future; it wasn’t too long ago that yahoo looked like this and an iPod held 512mb, five years before that NewsWeek published an article skeptical that anyone would choose to read electronic publications. The future is coming, and if you want to fight it we’ll read your comments 15 years later and...
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Social Media @ Songwhale
Social media is a popular word these days, and relatively new to the human experience. Ever since networks like Facebook and Twitter became immensely popular (sorry, Myspace), the use of social networks to spread information has transformed our lives.
I’d like to offer an analogy for those of you new to the social media party.
Social media is like going to a huge party, where there are all...
September 2011
12 posts
9 tags
Cloud computing
We’ve all heard about the advances cloud computing has brought the modern software industry. It’s important to me that our customers know they already benefit from these advances.
Example: Songwhale’s SMS system is entirely cloud-based, giving you the speed and reliability you can’t get anywhere else. One of the things we hear from defectors to the Songwhale SMS...
What others are saying
“ Coca Cola says their mobile marketing starts with SMS because only SMS reaches every pocket. Then comes mobile web. Then much later, appstomiahonenSeptember 20, 2011New fitness app sendsNeed a little nudge to get to the gym? At the recent DEMO conference for emerging technology in California, a startup company called Poosh unveiled its new free app designed to get you off the couch with what...
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Text Message Marketing for Professional Sports
Many of Songwhale’s biggest success stories stem from the world of sports marketing. Text messaging, a quick and instant way to update fans, is the perfect marketing fit for the fast moving world of sports. Teams like the Chicago Blackhawks, the Cleveland Indians and Pitt Athletics use the Songwhale SMS platform to engage fans, blast promotional and sponsor coupons, send score alerts, and...
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“Design a compelling brand, and care for your customers. There may come a time...”
– Ty Morse, CEO of Songwhale
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The Launch of Paywhale
These are extremely exciting times for Songwhale. With our new mobile payment processing platform called Paywhale, we are continuing to provide cutting edge solutions to our partners and consumers. Through Paywhale we are enabling consumers to tie their phone to their credit cards so that they can make purchases via a single text. This system is similar to the convenience of iTunes or the Amazon...
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