On Aug 31, 2009, at 2:50 PM, Charles Swift wrote:

> I don't know if it's possible to receive twitter updates via text
> messaging - further research needed.

Yes, you can. That's why Twitter messages are limited to 140
characters so they fit in a standard SMS ("text") message.

In fact, you can twitter by SMS i.e. you can send a rare bird tweet
whilst actually looking at the Crested Caracara at the Fill by just
sending a text message.

From http://twitter.com/devices

> Twitter with SMS
> Sending tweets while you're away from your computer makes things
> much more interesting.
>
> It's all done through text messages (aka "SMS"), which you probably
> use all the time anyway, so there's not much to learn.
>
> Twitter doesn't charge anything for this, but standard text
> messaging rates or bundles may apply from your carrier.
>
> If you use your mobile in the United States, the United Kingdom,
> Canada or New Zealand you can also receive tweets via SMS. You can
> text "OFF" to stop receiving and "ON" to start again.
>

To send tweets

> To update Twitter via SMS, you'll need to add your phone number to
> your Twitter account, and verify it.
>
> 1. Go to http://twitter.com/devices (you'll need to log in)
> 2. Add your phone number in the form provided.
> 3. Follow the instructions provided to verify your phone.
>
> Once your phone is verified, you send updates via sms by sending
> your 140-character message to Twitter's SMS number.
> - If you're in the US, send to 40404
> - If you're in Canada, send to 21212

Just remember that you get charged your providers rate for each text
message tweet you receive.

The biggest issue is getting a critical mass of birders to do this ...
--
Kevin Purcell
kevinpurcell at pobox.com