MXit - Media Raises Concerns

The use of technology among young people is something I encourage as they find themselves in an ever-increasingly wired and inter-connected world. I do however believe that parents and teachers have a responsibility to teach children how to use technology in a responsible manner. I also believe that parents need to place the necessary restrictions in place to protect their children from the potential dangers of misusing technology.

The media has recently reported on several incidents involving MXit - mainly focusing on the recent phenomenon of lists naming those who some have labelled as "sluts" and "ugly".

Take a look at these reports - they make for interesting reading (especially for parents and teachers). I will be circulating these to the Grade 6 & 7 parents and all teachers at my school on Monday.

1) Getting The Message Across

2) Parents Go To War Over MXit

3) Sex Danger In Chatrooms

4) Film Board To Look At 'Slut List'

5) MXit Suspected As Teen Absconds

6) Malicious MXit Lists Create Cruel Copy-Cats

SMS From Your Desktop - 10 Free Credits

Wouldn't you like to save money on SMS messaging? For some time now I have been using WinSMS as our preferred Bulk SMS service and have found it very effective. What is great is being able to use this from your personal desktop and saving money on your personal text messaging.

The WinSMS website lists the following information to help you to understand the program better:

WinSMS is the solution you need to enable you to immediately start sending SMS messages from your PC, e-mail, website or custom database.

Besides being the hottest marketing and communication tool available today, WinSMS will

• Save you up to 80% of your telecommunication costs:

  If you use SMS to communicate with your staff and customers instead of calling them on their cell phones, you can save thousands of Rand's every month!

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  Replies to your SMS messages are automatically routed to your e-mail address, allowing you to respond timeously to customer requests or confirmations.

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  Why make a two minute phone call if you can say it in a SMS for a few cents? Sending SMS from your PC using WinSMS is cheaper and quicker.

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SMS Messaging, from the comfort of your PC, using your existing Internet connection, is a powerful and economical tool that will give you the edge over your competition, while saving you valuable time and money!

Using SMS to market your products and services has an immediate impact, is highly personalised and has been proven to generate a solid increase in sales!

Here are some examples of what SMS Messaging & Bulk SMS can be used for:

• Inform customers of product launches, specials and product-related news
• Notify debtors about account balances exceeded or overdue
• Provide information services to customers or subscribers
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• Send price changes and stock information to clients or sales staff
• Inform staff of meetings or schedule appointment reminders
• Run campaigns and competitions

And it's easier than you think! If you can browse the internet, send and receive e-mail, and have basic computer knowledge, that's all the skill you need to be able to start sending SMS directly from your desktop.

So go ahead and visit the website - you will receive 10 free credits to try out the system. What have you got to lose?