May 2011 Summaries

This is a two-week developer contest hosted by Twilio and Freshbooks, where developers can submit their applications to win prizes such as an iPad, $100 in credits, and swag. The contest aims to encourage developers to try Twilio for different use cases, industries, and integrations, with the goal of helping them solve problems and find success with the platform. To get involved, developers can submit their entries here, or join the Twilio forums for help and inspiration. The contest is open until June 19th, and related resources such as tutorials, SDKs, and webinars are available to support participants.

Congratulations to the winners of "Twilio SMS for Force.com" on Cloudspokes. A recent contest held by Cloudspokes asked developers to create Twilio SMS applications for Force.com, with a total prize of $2,000 awarded to the top three finishers. Five winning code submissions were received from 13 registrants, and the winners are TehNrd, chriswoolcott and clintslee, and Kenji776 in third place respectively. The contest showcased innovative Twilio SMS applications for Force.com, with resources such as API reference documentation, SDKs, and tutorials available on Twilio's website to help developers build communications experiences.

To send Twilio SMS messages using Python on Google App Engine, one can follow a step-by-step guide that sets up the environment and writes all necessary Python code to send a text message with a random quote from Jack Handey. The process involves setting up Google App Engine, installing required libraries, authenticating with Twilio, and sending an SMS message. This tutorial is part of a larger set of resources available on the Twilio website, including documentation, sample apps, and developer community hubs.

Isidorey uses Twilio to power its smart pill packages for Stora Enso by sending SMS messages through the platform, which are then processed on Isidorey's end and integrated with Google Health, MDClick, and Dossia for electronic health records. The project aims to solve the problem of prescription compliance without requiring additional hardware or software intervention. Isidorey has been working with Twilio for some time and leveraged its API to develop a customized solution that meets their specific needs, allowing them to track prescription lifecycles and fill prescriptions without user interaction.

Joinable.org Launches at TechCrunch Disrupt` Joinable was created in just 24 hours during the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon by Ben Nadel, Aaron Foss, and Mark Webster as a potentially disruptive way to provide homeless and jobless individuals with permanent, secure, free communication services. The project aims to bridge the digital divide by offering a platform for people in need to connect with others, access resources, and build their lives. Joinable's innovative approach could have a significant impact on communities worldwide, making it an exciting example of hackathon-driven innovation.

ContestFM is a web-based tool that helps radio stations manage their call-in contests more efficiently by automating the screening of incoming calls, tracking contacts, and handling concurrent calls using Twilio's API. The team behind ContestFM built it in just 2-3 days with Twilio's easy-to-use API and developer sandbox environment, using Python/Django and the twilio-python library. Currently in a closed beta stage, ContestFM is looking for early users to provide feedback before making its service widely available.

Matt Fischer, the Information Services Director of the Connecticut Intersolastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), has won the Twilio for Sports contest by successfully integrating a phone prompt system with Twilio's API to retrieve scores for high school sports in Connecticut. The current format allows users to retrieve scores by calling a phone number or texting a specific code, and Fischer improved this by providing additional features such as schedules of unplayed games and result requests for specific schools. He achieved this integration by hooking the system up to Twilio's API, which was a straightforward process according to him.

The Twilio Developer Contest is an ongoing competition that encourages developers to try Twilio for different use cases, industries, and integrations. The contest has been running for over a year and offers various prizes, including a Kindle 3G, $100 in Twilio credit, and other Twilio gear, to reward the winners. Developers can submit their projects and ideas by the deadline of May 29th and get help from the Twilio community through forums or email support. The contest aims to inspire developers from all backgrounds to find success with Twilio and solve problems using its cloud communications platform.

In an effort to help businesses understand what their customers think, Buzzbeeper was developed as a result of the founder's experience in restaurants where feedback often went unheeded. The application aims to provide a simple way for customers to give feedback while they are sitting at a restaurant, including options to push good reviews to Yelp and other platforms. To achieve this, the founders utilized various technologies such as Heroku, Twilio, Amazon S3, and others. The integration of Twilio proved to be smooth, thanks to its well-documented APIs, sample applications, and excellent technical support. By leveraging Twilio's features, such as built-in outbound queuing, Buzzbeeper aims to improve customer feedback and engagement experiences for businesses.

This week, Finda Park won our Earth Day contest with a project that utilizes the open data from `data.seattle.gov` to search for parks in Seattle by zip code, while Vimal won our Teach Twilio contest with a comic tutorial on how to write an SMSRoulette Twilio app using Python, which includes signing up for a Twilio account, writing a Flask app, storing data in Redis, and handling SMS keywords. The source code for both projects is publicly available. Finda Park aims to expand its search capabilities nationwide, while Vimal's tutorial provides a comprehensive guide for building an SMSRoulette Twilio app.

Get Your Code On at API Hackday Chicago on May 28th The first API Hackday was held in San Francisco last October and is being held again in Chicago, bringing together awesome API companies like SimpleGeo, SendGrid, Apigee, Mashery, Twilio, and Morningstar. The event runs from 8 AM – 8 PM and is completely free to attend and participate, but space is limited so registration is recommended.

The Twilio Developer Contest aims to encourage developers to try the platform for various use cases, industries, and integrations. The contest is language-agnostic and invites submissions from all backgrounds to solve problems with Twilio. To get involved, developers can submit their projects by May 15th and receive a chance to win an Amazon Kindle 3G, $100 in Twilio credit, and other rewards. The contest is part of Twilio's efforts to reward successful developer endeavors and provide resources for improvement through its documentation, forums, and community hub.

While the conference featured various speakers, three notable talks stood out: Sarah discussed customer support best practices from her experience at 37signals, Steven shared insights on navigating rapid growth with GroupOn, and Jeff provided guidance on enabling doers to get started with a product or service by offering clear information and empowering decision-making.

Andrés Corvetto, a developer, won the Twilio/Hardware Developer Contest by creating an intrusion detection system using his webcam, which triggered an SMS alert when motion was detected. He used the Twilio API to send an SMS with a link to a video of the detected motion, and also integrated the system with other features such as image processing and video encoding. The project was a fun challenge that allowed Andrés to interact with his physical environment and build something creative with readily available hardware. The contest aimed to recreate the feeling of making a phone ring, which is a common experience for Twilio developers.

A simple SMS voting system can be created using PHP and Twilio's SMS API in just a few minutes, making it suitable for larger events where attendees with smartphones are not the only option. To start, a Twilio account and a web server running PHP 5 or higher are required, along with storage for votes which can be achieved by using SQLite and a thin database class. The system also includes functions to add teams to the database, save votes, and retrieve team information. When incoming SMS messages are received through Twilio's API, they are handled by saving the data to the database. Once votes have been cast, displaying the results involves querying the database and showing the vote count.

The Twilio for Sports Developer Contest aims to encourage developers to think creatively about using Twilio to enhance their favorite sports by submitting innovative app ideas that utilize the platform's cloud communication capabilities. The contest offers a range of prizes, including an Amazon Kindle 3G and $100 in Twilio credit, and provides resources such as API documentation, SDKs, and sample apps to help developers get started. Entries must be submitted by May 8th, and winners will be announced shortly after.