June 2012 Summaries

You can start building with Twilio by watching this screencast on sending SMS messages, which provides a step-by-step guide on making a REST request to Twilio's API to send an outgoing SMS, and learn how to build your own Twilio app along with the tutorial "Sending SMS Messages". The screencast is part of a series of tutorials designed for new developers to accessibly build with Twilio. You can also find additional resources, including API reference documentation, SDKs, sample apps, and more, on the Twilio website.

Ethan Gahng, a web developer from South Korea, won a hackathon with his Twilio-powered app Talk to the Future, which allowed users to schedule calls to their future selves and record audio messages. The app was later rebranded as WakeMyself.com and gained new features such as scheduling wake-up calls and capturing dreams through recorded audio messages. Ethan also created DayDream.fm, an app that adds realistic sounds to virtual reality experiences, inspired by ambient music. He aims to create engaging experiences without requiring user engagement, showcasing his creative talent and entrepreneurial spirit.

Group Messenger is a mobile messaging platform designed specifically for non-profit organizations and volunteer networks, aiming to address the limitations of existing SMS tools. It provides a structured approach to communication, allowing users to mobilize their teams with purposeful, templated messages that can be delivered across multiple platforms, including email, voice, text, and social media. The platform's unique features include smart multi-platform delivery, validation of responses, automatic aggregation of outcomes, and ease of use, making it an attractive solution for organizations seeking to streamline their communication processes.

In this article, the author creates a custom NLog target that sends log messages as SMS notifications using Twilio. The target is configured with properties such as Account SID, Auth Token, From and To phone numbers, and a method to send the message. The author demonstrates how to use this custom target in a simple console application by configuring NLog to write log events to the custom target for all log events at Warn level and above. The article provides an example of how to create a custom NLog target with Twilio SMS notifications, making it easy to add high-configurable logging to .NET applications.

This project involves building a phone-controlled robot using Node.js, RN-XV WiFly, Arduino, and Twilio. The robot uses the Twilio Node.JS Module and the Twilio Rest Message API to connect to a server and receive commands from a user's phone call. The robot is equipped with sensors such as sonar and servos that allow it to move around and interact with its environment. The project requires setting up an Arduino board, connecting it to the WiFly module, writing code for the robot's movement and sensor functions, and creating a Twilio server-side application to handle incoming calls and send commands back to the robot.

A veteran marketer, Josh Reznick, founded Datalot to remove friction in the process of transforming online ad clicks into paying customers, especially for products with human interaction or longer sales cycles. He combined online marketing with phone channels using Twilio's API, retaining control over data and decision logic. Datalot now uses a variety of internal and third-party data points to predict lead value, shares this information with buyers, and conducts real-time auctions. The company offers self-service call buying tools that enable publishers to monetize their traffic with higher revenue shares than Google AdSense. Datalot also provides transparency across channels and interaction points, sharing traffic-optimization information about user actions. Reznick is excited about exploring Twilio Client's possibilities, which will allow for a more distributed sales environment, making it easier for salespeople to close deals remotely.

The 15 startups selected for the DOer Express to the International Startup Festival in Montreal have been chosen based on their entrepreneurial passion and readiness to take advantage of opportunities ahead. The bus ride will feature mentorship from experts at Twilio, Sendgrid, Microsoft Bizspark, and Windows Azure, as well as a kick-off event with Mackey Craven of Bessemer Venture Partners. On the journey, startups will have the chance to practice pitches and receive advice, while at the festival, they'll be showcased in a unique Startup Tent to demo their products and services. The DOer Express departs from New York City on July 11th and returns on July 13th.

Sphero, a robotic ball and gaming system, partnered with Twilio for a night of hacking at their headquarters. Developers from various locations came together to test Sphero's SDK and build innovative apps, including a mood light that changes color based on text or voice commands, a hide-and-seek game with multiple Spheros, a Pong app that utilizes the Sphero LEDs, and an alarm clock that makes the Sphero move randomly. These developers participated in Twilio's Hack Tour, which includes stops in Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, and New York, and can now take home their own Sphero devices to continue building and experimenting with the platform. The event showcased the creativity and potential of Sphero and Twilio's collaboration, offering a unique opportunity for developers to innovate and have fun.

This developer contest was won by Timothee Boucher with his app "Voice Comments for Box", which allows users to record short voice comments and attach them to any document stored in their Box account, using Twilio Client, transcription, and Box API. The app transcribes the message and adds it to the document, enabling other users to listen to messages in-line. Timothee, a Bay Area-based developer from France, built the app with a little jQuery and won a prize pack including a free 50GB Box account, a Kindle Fire, and a full pass to TwilioCon 2012. He is looking forward to the conference as it was his first enjoyable experience last year and he's excited to meet fellow developers in person.

Outlook needs a service that conforms to the Office Mobile Service (OMS) guidelines in order to send and receive text messages. The OMS guidelines describe how to use a basic SOAP web service to expose standard endpoints for Outlook to discover service and user information and send text messages. Outlook calls each method it passes in XML data, which your service can parse to determine who is sending the message, what the body of the message is, and who the message is being sent to. To receive incoming messages, you need to create an endpoint that Twilio can call when it receives a message, and then forward it via email into Outlook, using specific headers in the mail message to indicate that it originated as an SMS message. A full sample on how to create an OMS service is available, which includes sending messages, handling incoming messages, and a simple website for users to provide their own Twilio credentials.

Balihoo has developed a solution for national brands to connect with consumers when they are ready to buy, by making it easy for them to create and manage local websites and run marketing campaigns. This is achieved through the use of Twilio-powered call tracking, which allows Balihoo to track consumer response to specific marketing activities and provide reliable analytics to its clients. The solution has been shown to be effective in driving conversions and revenue value, with phone calls converting at a five times greater rate than clicks and driving higher revenue value. By incorporating call tracking into local marketing automation, Balihoo is helping national brands to better understand their customers' behavior and preferences, and to create more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.

Beyond PPC: 8 Ways to Increase Conversions with Call Tracking Webinar` is a complimentary webinar scheduled for June 28, 2012, focused on helping attendees maximize conversions using call tracking. The event will be led by Greg Sterling, an expert in analyzing consumer purchasing behavior and founder of Screenwerk.com. A panel discussion featuring Josh Reznick, Rich Finch, and Todd Fisher will explore best practices for call tracking in pay-per-call, performance-based, and mobile advertising. Attendees can expect to learn about a call tracking feature that can increase close rates 20x, how to optimize content for call tracking, and essential elements to include in mobile ads or websites. Registering for the webinar will provide valuable insights to uplevel conversions.

The Sunlight Foundation has launched two new Twilio-powered apps: Scout and Call on Congress. Scout provides a search and alert service to notify users of updates related to issues they care about, while Call on Congress allows users to easily connect with their lawmakers by dialing 1-888-907-6886. The app is built on top of the Twilio API, enabling interactive phone and SMS applications, including dynamic responses and text-to-speech functionality. Additionally, Call on Congress is one of the Sunlight Foundation's first multilingual projects, available in English, Spanish, and Esperanto. The app utilizes APIs from the Sunlight Foundation itself, as well as other third-party services like Google Translate and TurboVote, to provide a comprehensive experience for users.

The DOer Express is a partnership between SendGrid, Twilio, and Windows Azure to send startups from New York City to the International Startup Festival in Montreal for free. The trip includes a bus ride with pitch practice, 1:1 mentor sessions, and promotional opportunities. At the festival, featured startups will have a spot in the NYC Startup Tent, demo their products, and participate in engaging activities. The program aims to provide intensive coaching and pitch perfection for startups ready for growth. Applications must be submitted by June 19th, and selected startups will receive a heavily discounted conference pass, travel arrangements, and lodging in Montreal.

{`Relaying Twilio Requests using Windows Azure`}` The article discusses how to use the Windows Azure Service Bus to relay Twilio requests to a local development machine, allowing for easier debugging of Twilio applications. The author creates a WCF service that listens for messages from the Service Bus and a client application that sends messages to the Service Bus. The client application is an ASP.NET MVC website that uses the `ChannelFactory` class to create a channel to the Service Bus and send a message with the incoming request parameters. The Service Bus then relays the message to the WCF service, which processes the request and returns a response to the client application. The article also covers how to enhance this solution by sending TwiML responses back to Twilio and using Model Binding to map the incoming request parameters to a strongly typed view model class.

Belly, a Chicago-based startup offering a unique customer-loyalty program, was experiencing significant growth but wanted to maximize its mobile app installs. To address this, the company's CTO, Craig Ulliott, used the Twilio SMS API to build a small app that sent users an SMS with a link to download the Belly mobile app after they signed up for the program. This addition significantly reduced friction and increased the download rate by 200%, making it easier for customers to participate in the program.

TurboVote is a non-profit organization that aims to make voting easy for everyone by providing a simple and accessible online platform for mail-in ballot registration and election reminders. The service was founded by Seth Flaxman, Kathryn Peters, and Amanda Cassel Kraft after they were dissatisfied with the lack of services to help people vote while studying at Harvard. TurboVote has since piloted its service at several universities, including Boston University and Harvard College, and has received funding from various sources such as the Knight Foundation and Google. The organization's goal is to help as many people vote by mail as possible to ensure that their votes are counted, and it plans to expand its services in the future with new features such as the ability to sponsor mailings for friends and family.

The TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon was a highly successful event that brought together nearly 400 hackers from diverse backgrounds and experience levels to compete in a day of intense coding and collaboration. The event culminated in a series of one-minute pitches by the top teams, with 92 teams emerging victorious and receiving prizes and recognition for their innovative projects. The winners included teams such as Pickle, Twilio's epic hack, and Thingscription, Poachbase, and Practikhan, who were awarded track jackets and backstage interviews at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference. The event showcased the creativity and talent of the hacker community, with many participants pushing through exhaustion to complete their projects, highlighting the dedication and perseverance required to succeed in such competitions.

Windows Azure has just undergone a major update, making it easier for developers to deploy their applications from Mac, Windows, or Linux with Git. Microsoft is celebrating this launch with an extended developer contest offering a significant prize package and free Twilio credit. The challenge involves building a Twilio app on Windows Azure, with the winner receiving up to $60,000 in Windows Azure usage over 2 years and a promotion on the Twilio and Microsoft blogs. New developers can take advantage of a 90-day free trial of Windows Azure and sign up for an account with Twilio to start building their next game-changing app. The contest rules include submitting an entry by July 1st, using Twilio API and Windows Azure, and including a video or screencast with the submission.

Windows Azure has launched a new version with improved deployment options, including Git integration from Mac, Windows, or Linux, making it easier for developers to deploy their apps on the platform. To celebrate this launch, Microsoft is hosting an extended developer contest and offering a prize package, including Twilio credit and a chance to win up to $60,000 in Azure usage over two years. The contest encourages developers to build a Twilio app on Windows Azure within three weeks, with inspiration provided by examples of successful apps built using the platform. The winner will receive a significant prize package, including support for future development and promotion on the Twilio and Microsoft blog.

We are celebrating 100,000 developer accounts on Twilio, a platform for building communication and digital engagement experiences, by highlighting the milestones achieved by its users, who have been changing the way we communicate, with a special feature debuting at TwilioCon this fall, featuring three randomly selected winners who will receive a full ride to TwilioCon to share their stories in person with the community.

The city of Las Vegas is often perceived as a destination for entertainment and leisure, but it also has a thriving tech scene in Downtown Las Vegas. Team Twilio discovered this community while attending conferences at MicroConf and Future Insights Live, and they were impressed by the vibrant culture and unique spaces, such as the Monkey Jungle theme at Zappos' headquarters. The company offers tours to visitors, giving insight into its operations and fun work environment. Additionally, Downtown Las Vegas has a lively tech scene, with organizations like Vegas Jelly, which has built a tight-knit community of innovators. The city is also home to the Downtown Project, an initiative that aims to promote productivity, innovation, and happiness through community engagement and revitalization efforts.

This screencast is the second part in Twilio's Quickstart Screencasts series, designed to help developers get up and running with basic Twilio applications. The tutorial focuses on replying to incoming messages, providing a hands-on approach to building a Twilio app. By following along, viewers can gain practical experience with Twilio's cloud communication platform and improve their skills in developing communication-based digital experiences.

Elizabeth Naramore is the Community Manager at Engine Yard, working with the PHP community, and has been involved in the community since 2002. Her day involves coordinating sponsorships, events, user group activities, blog posts, podcasts, and interacting with community members. Outside of coding, she's learning Python with her daughter to teach her how to build games. Elizabeth is inspired by women in tech who speak their minds without fear of backlash, such as Ligaya Turmelle, Elizabeth Smith, Kathy Sierra, Lorna Jane Mitchell, Alison Gianotto, and Jen Myers. She believes progress is being made in the industry, but still needs work on inclusivity and addressing sexism, encouraging community members to build together rather than argue about it. At Engine Yard, she's working on grand projects that will support the PHP community.