January 2014 Summaries

The Twilio Heroes, a class of 12 developers, have been selected from a pool of applicants who demonstrated exceptional skills and passion for software development. The group, nicknamed the "Barn Owls," includes individuals with diverse backgrounds and interests, such as Ruby and Python programming, web development, game development, and UX/UI design. Many members of the class are organizers or mentors in their communities, aiming to empower others through technology and improve their own skills. The Twilio Heroes program aims to provide these developers with tools and resources to create software solutions that benefit their communities, while fostering a collaborative environment for knowledge sharing and growth.

Twilio has updated its API Explorer, providing developers with a more robust tool for building and testing communications apps. The new updates allow users to make API requests directly in their browser, making it easier to test and deploy applications. The API Explorer now features tools such as modifying live calls, viewing available phone numbers, creating conference lines, managing SIP Domains, and more. This update is part of Twilio's ongoing investment in developer tools, aiming to enhance the development process for its users.

To record podcast interviews with Twilio, you need a few lines of code and some setup. First, buy a number in your area on Twilio.com, then set up the number using TwiMLets to build out your Twilio number. Use `<Response>`, `<Say>`, `<Dial>`, and `<Record>` to connect callers and record calls. When you're done, download your recording from the Log section of your Twilio Account, and export or upload it as needed for editing or sharing.

In a unique and elaborate marriage proposal, Dan Fowlie used Twilio SMS to trigger a call from Zach Braff's voicemail, which was played over a custom contact created in Salesforce, convincing his girlfriend Kate Whalan to say yes. The plan involved Dan pretending to have no service while secretly sending a text to trigger the call. With only 20 lines of code, the proposal was executed flawlessly, making it a memorable and successful experience for both Dan and Kate.

By Kyle Kelly-Yahner, 2014-01-27, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn` Building a call center without provisioning a server or hiring a dedicated back end developer is now possible using Parse and Twilio. API platforms like Parse and Twilio provide high-level building blocks for tasks such as data persistence, user management, messaging, and VoIP communication, allowing developers to rapidly assemble new software solutions. With these capabilities, developers can focus on building unique value for their users in surprising ways, solving problems that were previously out of reach. A custom call center application can be created entirely in the cloud using Twilio Cloud Code module and Parse platform with a few lines of JavaScript code.

Roger Stringer shows how to build a live blogging tool using Twilio SMS and Simperium. The tool allows users to post updates from their phone, which are then displayed on a website in real-time. The process involves setting up a Twilio account, creating a Simperium account, and installing the necessary PHP libraries. The code is built around a listener section that talks to Twilio, checks for images in incoming messages, saves them locally, resizes them, and posts them to Simperium. The tool also includes a demo app on GitHub that can be viewed in its entirety. The live blogging tool is simple but provides a good starting point for building more complex applications.

CitiBike users in New York City have struggled with finding available bikes and docking spaces, but a student at UPenn named Joel Goldman has created an SMS-based solution called BikeSMS using Twilio. The app allows users to text their location and the word "bike" to receive nearby bike locations, and then text their location again when finished to find the nearest docking station. This hack was inspired by Goldman's girlfriend who had a feature phone and needed a workaround for accessing CitiBike services, which required downloading an app on her device. The BikeSMS app aims to make sharing bikes easier and avoid conflicts like the one described in Gothamist where two adults raced each other to the last bike docking space.

Rezhound is a service that allows users to snag last-minute restaurant reservations via SMS using Twilio technology. The platform was founded by Reed Kavner, who wanted to help people get into their favorite restaurants without making extensive reservations in advance. By searching for a restaurant and selecting available time slots, users can receive alerts via SMS when a table becomes available. This service aims to reduce the stress of last-minute dining experiences, making it easier for people to enjoy their favorite restaurants on short notice.

This Express middleware for Twilio webhooks makes it easy to secure your Node.js app against non-Twilio requests by validating the request signature included in the HTTP headers sent by Twilio. The middleware can be easily integrated into an existing Express application, and it also provides API sugar to make rendering TwiML responses more concise. To use this middleware, you need to configure a system environment variable with your Twilio auth token and then pass the `twilio.webhook()` function to the Express route handler for the webhook endpoint. The middleware will automatically validate the request signature and return an HTTP response with a 403 status code if the signature is invalid.

By Kyle Kelly-Yahner, 2014-01-13, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn CarGurus is using Twilio's click-to-call feature to make automotive shopping easier by allowing users to call dealers directly from their browser. The company has seen significant success with the feature, with over 244,576 calls and 462,000 texts made since its launch. CarGurus built a secure click-to-call platform that tracks user success and lead generation, allowing the company to measure the effectiveness of its marketing campaigns. The platform also incorporates a call "whisper" from CarGurus for the dealership, which identifies the car being called about. With Twilio's integration, users can make calls securely and immediately, with phone verification added to ensure customer safety. Since implementing the click-to-call feature, CarGurus has built additional Twilio-powered features, including Send-to-Phone and custom inbound sales numbers. The company continues to work with Twilio to develop new features and add more dealerships to its database.

Phone2Action has developed a new platform that helps fight against patent trolls by allowing users to report them to their US Senator via text message. The platform uses social advocacy tools, the Twilio SMS API, and Google Civic Information API to connect attendees at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with their senators and spark legal change. By texting "TROLLS" to a specific number, attendees can register their support for patent litigation reform and receive real-time updates on the impact of their actions. Phone2Action's new platform aims to make taking social action easy, effective, and efficient, allowing organizations to manage grassroots advocacy in today's mobile world. The company will hold a public launch event at CES and has been endorsed by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) as part of its efforts to support and grow the consumer technology industry.

The Twilio Partner Program has been expanded with new resources and levels for partners. The program aims to provide better access to marketing, sales, and technical support to help partners grow their businesses. New resources include webinars, FAQs, virtual office hours, business tools, and a quarterly newsletter. The expansion will also create levels for Standard and Advanced Solution Partners, improving the level of support provided to partners based on their needs.

ThinkVoice, a company that wants to talk to customers and leads rather than just have them leave a message, has revamped their phone system and customer service using Twilio Queue. The new system uses a pull-based model instead of the traditional push-based model, where calls are routed to the right person by the agent themselves, reducing the complexity and cost of call center technology. The system allows customers to be redirected to a queue while waiting for an available agent, with options to take the call or send it to voicemail via SMS. If the customer chooses not to take the call, they can leave a message that will be recorded and stored by Twilio.

The text discusses the integration of Aviary's photo editing engine with Twilio's communications API. This allows developers to create an SMS-based photo editor that can accept and respond to both SMS and MMS messages, rendering images with filters using Aviary's server-side rendering endpoint. The example code demonstrates how to use the Aviary node.js wrapper to interact with the server-side API and generate a TwiML response to send the rendered image back to the sender via SMS or MMS.