Earlier in the week, Etisalat announced an SMS-based bulletin board service. Users will publish and receive status updates via SMS bypassing the need for internet service. These messages are called Dots and users are called Dotters.

To get started send an update within a 140-character limit to 8900. Dotters will then receive a message, confirming that the dot was successfully posted. Dots are active for 30days or until they are cancelled.

Users of this service can also follow other Dotters. Simply begin your message with a dot ‘.’ along with the etisalat number and send to 8900. Etisalat will charge N1 per dot sent and N1 per subscriber followed. For users on other networks, normal SMS rates will apply.

This is early Twitter

I remember when I first signed up for Twitter in 2009. Twitter had just began to gain mainstream attention and was being adopted by news agencies. At that time, one of the easiest ways to post and receive tweets was via SMS. The SMS posting service still works now. Tweeps can send special codes through their phone to send tweets, receive tweets and also receive their mentions.

On the side of cost, I think it’s much cheaper to tweet and follow users than to use this service. All you have to do for Twitter, is to pay an internet subscription, tweet as much as you like and follow as many people as you want without restriction.

I almost forgot. Everytime a person you follow sends a dot, your phone rings. That could be very intrusive and annoying.

What’s Etisalat’s business with Social Media

Etisalat’s mobile network isn’t great. Considering the fact that they’re the most recent entry into the GSM network, what Etisalat needs to do at the moment is to strengthen it’s crappy service. My sister runs on Etisalat so I know what I’m talking about when I say their internet service is crappy. It just disconnects and the service bar goes down to 0.

Earlier in the year, Etisalat opened an App Store for BlackBerry users. So far, that isn’t going very well considering the number of listed apps.

What do you think about this service? Is it going to catch on? More importantly, will you subscribe to it?

Binjo

A freshman studying Software Engineering at Carleton Unviersity, Binjo is passionate about(some say he's obsessed with) technology and the web. . In his spare time, Binjo runs UP NEPA! Where he blogs on a wide range of issues. Follow him on twitter @UPNEPA

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