How do I create an account on MobilizeUs.com?
- Go to MobilizeUs.com, click on the “Start today!” link and fill out the registration form.
- If you entered your mobile number, you will receive a text message. Reply to this message with: activate. You will then receive a confirmation message.
- You will also receive an email from MobilizeUs.com that contains your password.
- Login to MobilizeUs.com with your email address or mobile number and the password provided to you in the registration email.
How do I create a Mobilize Us Text Messaging Group?
- Log onto MobilizeUs.com at http://www.mobilizeus.com.
- If you cannot remember your password, you can request a new one.
- From you homepage menu click on the "CREATE GROUP" icon.
- Fill out the create a group form:
- The title of the group will appear in the directory.
- The texting name will appear as the header in all your group messages.
- Select the group's location, or the nearest major city.
- Select the category you would like to be under in the directory.
- Putting a password on the group is optional. Please note if you use a password, people will have to know it in order to join the group from their phones. If you invite the person to join your group, they will not need to know the password to accept your invitation.
- Click "Create group" icon
- When the screen pops up that says "Your group has been successfully created…”, click on the icon below that says "go to my new group". This will take you to the group administrative panel.
How do I manage my text messaging group?
- All group management is done from your group administrative panel.
- To get to your group administrative panel, login to MobilizeUs.com and select your group from the drop down box that says "Jump to my group(s)..." in the upper right-hand corner of the blue box above the main menu.
- From there, you can click on the various tabs to send messages, invite people, edit your group settings, view your group users, create subgroups, place yourself in various subgroups, and upgrade your group. For detailed instructions on how to do any of the above, see the FAQ index of questions.
How do I get people in my text messaging group?
There are several ways to get people in your Mobilize Us Text Messaging Group. You can invite them via text message or email. You can also have them join directly from their phones, or from a widget on your website or from your unique group URL.
To invite one or a few people via text message or email:
- Go to your group administrative panel and click on the "invite people" tab.
- Click on "add new" in the left hand header of the table.
- Enter the person's name, a cell phone number or email (if you enter an email address, the person will receive the invite via email, if you enter a phone number the person will get a text message invite), and a brief message.
- Select the subgroup you want to invite them to, or if you don't have any subgroups, just select member, and then click on "Create"
- You will see their name appear in the invite table.
- Repeat the above steps for each individual you would like to invite, and then click "invite users to join your group (OPT-IN)" icon. Invites will not go out until you click "process invites".
To invite a lot of people via text message or email:
- Go to your group administrative panel and click on the "invite people" tab.
- Click on the "Invite a lot of people" sub-tab
- Select the subgroup you would like to invite people to join. If you don't have any subgroups, just select not in a sub group.
- Enter an invitation greeting (the first thing an invitee will see in the invite message)
- Follow the instructions in the text box which say "Right click here (.csv) and select "Save Target As" to download the Mobilize Us csv file (MAC users - make sure you save your .csv file in MS-DOS or Windows format).
- Once you have the CSV file open, populate it with your invitees names in Column A, and phone numbers or email addresses (if you enter an email address, the person will receive the invite via email, if you enter a phone number the person will get a text message invite) in Column B. Disregard Column C, which says carrier.
- *** Do not delete the headings (fullname, contact and carrier) from row 1***.
- Once all your information is saved in the CSV document, click on browse, and after clicking on the appropriate file, click upload.
- This will take you to a screen that says “Import successful... you're half way there! Click here to go back to your group home page.” click on the “here” link. From your group admin panel click on the invite people tab. You will see the names and contact info for your invitees appear in the invite table.
- Click the "invite users to join your group (OPT-IN)" icon. Invites will not go out until you click "process invites".
To have people join from their mobile phones:
- If you do not have subgroups, or if you want to have people join the main group (you can always assigning them to a subgroup later) simply have people text your texting group name to any of the following numbers: (520) 248-8289 | (720) 261-2322 | (303) 960-2259.
- If your group is password protected, people will have to text: join- texting group name!the password. For example, if your texting group name is test, and your password is 2010, they would have to text: join-test!2010.
- If you don't know your texting group name, you can find it under the HOME tab of your group administrative panel. It is listed as: "Texting group name"
- If you want them to join a specific subgroup, they must text: join-texting group name-subgroup name to any of the above numbers. For example, if your group name is Test, and your subgroup is employees, to have someone join your employee subgroup they would text: join-test-employees.
- If you have a password on your group, they would need to text: join-test-employees!the group password.
To have people join from a widget:
- You can use a widget to have people join your group from your website, blog, or anywhere that will allow you to insert HTML.
- The code for your widget can be found under the "INVITE PEOPLE" tab, and the HTML WIDGET " sub tab. Any time you add or change subgroups, the widget will automatically update so you can replace the old code.
To have people join from your unique Mobilize Us URL:
- Your Unique URL can be found on your group home page, under "Group Stats". It is listed next to group URL. For example: http://groupname.mobilizeus.com
How do I send messages to my group?
The instructions for sending messages from your phone are also posted on your group homepage under the "QUICK REFERENCE" section reference.
To send a message to your group from the MobilizeUs website:
- From the home page, go to your group administrative panel by selecting your group from the drop down box that says "Jump to my group(s)..." in the upper right-hand corner of the blue box above the main menu.
- Click on the "Send Message" tab.
- Type up your message, click send, and presto!
To send a message to your group from your phone:
- To send a text message to everyone, text: texting group name- your message to: any of our numbers: (520) 248-8289 | (720) 261-2322 | (303) 960-2259
- For example, if your texting group name is “test” and you want to tell your group practice is cancelled, you would text: test-practice is cancelled. Enjoy the day off.
- If you don't know your texting group name, you can find it under the HOME tab of your group administrative panel. It is listed as: "Texting group name"
- To send a text message to a subgroup, text: texting group name-subgroup-your message to: any of our numbers: (520) 248-8289 | (720) 261-2322 | (303) 960-2259
- For example, if your texting name is test, and you have a subgroup for varsity, you would text: test-varsity-whatever your message is
How do I upgrade my group?
- To upgrade your group, go to click on the "UPGRADE GROUP" tab of your group administrative panel (to get to your group administrative panel, login to MobilizeUs.com and select your group from the drop down box that says "Jump to my group(s)..." in the upper right-hand corner of the blue box above the main menu).
- From there, click on "edit" under the "Types of Service" header of the blue table. Select the service plan, and length of time, and then click update.
- This will direct you to a secure payment page to complete the upgrade.
- If you are a not-for-profit group or organization, you can call 720-917-4900 to get approval for discounted non-profit pricing.
How do I know how many messages I have left?
- You can always find out how many messages you have left on the home page of your group administrative panel.
- Under your group name, you will see the following text: HOMEPAGE | DIRECTORY LISTING | DEMO | MESSAGES REMAINING: 234 | NEXT BILLING CYCLE: 03-01-2010.
- The number listed after “MESSAGES REMAINING” tells you how many messages you have left in the current billing cycle, and “NEXT BILLING CYCLE” tells you when your message count will reset.
- If you need to purchase more messages to avoid running out before the next billing cycle begins, click on the "UPGRADE GROUP" tab of your group administrative panel and purchase a message bucket, or upgrade your plan (you can always downgrade the following month).
What happens if I run out of messages?
You will receive an email and a text message informing you when you have 10% or less of your messages remaining. If you send out a message to a group that has more people in it then you have messages remaining, some of your group members will not receive the message. To prevent this from happening, you can purchase a message bucket, or upgrade your group plan for the month.
What do I do if people don’t accept my invitations?
If people do not accept your invitations, you can have them join your group from their mobile phones, from your unique URL, or your widget. For detailed instructions on each of these methods, see “How do I get people in my text messaging group”.
How do I make someone else an administrator of my text messaging group?
- To make someone else an administrator of your Mobilize Us group, they will first need to join your group (see “how do I get people in my text messaging group” for assistance with this).
- Once the person is in your group, their name and/or number will appear under the user tab of your administrative panel. Click on the edit icon to the left of their name and/or number, and select administrator from the subgroup drop down box.
- Be sure to click on update in the lower right hand corner of the table and you will be good to go.
- You will see that their role has been updated in the subgroup column of the user table.
How do I create subgroups within my text messaging group?
- From your group administrative panel, click on the "SUB-GROUPS" tab (to get to your group administrative panel, login to MobilizeUs.com and select your group from the drop down box that says "Jump to my group(s)..." in the upper right-hand corner of the blue box above the main menu).
- Click on "Add new" in the upper left hand corner of the table.
- Select a name for the subgroup - pick something that is short and easy for predictive texting to pickup because the subgroup name will be typed out in the text if an administrator wants to send a message to the subgroup from their phone, or if you want to have people join the subgroup from their phones.
- Click on "create" in the lower right hand corner of the table.
Can people join more than one of my subgroups?
Yes, people can join as many subgroups as they want.
- To join a subgroup from a mobile phone, the user must send a text message that says: join-groupname-subgroup to (520) 248-8289 to (720) 261-2322 or (303) 960-2259. Repeat for each subgroup the person wishes to join.
- If the user is are registered on the MobilizeUs website they need to go to the group home page, and click on the “SUB-GROUP SELECTION” tab. Then click "add new" and select the subgroup from the drop-down box, and click create. Repeat for as many subgroups as necessary.
Administrators can also add people to additional subgroups once the user has opted into the text messaging group. To do this:
- Go to your group administrative panel and click on the "INVITE PEOPLE" tab. Click on "add new" in the left hand header of the table. Enter the person's name, a cell phone number or email (if you enter an email address, the person will receive the invite via email, if you enter a phone number the person will get a text message invite), and a brief message.
- Select the subgroup you want to add the person to and then click on "Create"
- You will see their name appear in the invite table. Repeat the above steps for each subgroup you would like the person to be in.
- Click process invites, and the person will automatically be added to the appropriate subgroup. They will receive notification that they have been added to the subgroup, and instructions for how to opt-out.
What happens if I put a password on my group and how do I do it?
Putting a password on your group makes it so that only people who know the group password can join the group. If you are concerned about people joining the group who should not be in the group, a password is a good idea. If you invite people to join the group, or if you have people join from a widget, they do not need to know the password. However, if you plan on having people join from their phones, or from your unique URL, your people will need to know the password.
- To put a password on your group, go to your group administrative panel and click on the “EDIT GROUP” tab.
- You will type in your group password twice in the appropriate fields, and then click on the “Update group” icon.
What are “Texting Keywords”?
Texting Keywords provide another way for people to join your group directly from their phones (so long as you do not want people to join a specific subgroup).
- You can select a keyword by clicking on the "EDIT GROUP" tab of your group administrative panel, and then entering whatever you want the keyword to be in the box next to "Texting keyword”. Then click the "Update group" icon.
- Once your keyword is setup, you can simply have people text your keyword to any of the following numbers: (520) 248-8289 | (720) 261-2322 | (303) 960-2259 and they will automatically be added to your group.
What is the “Message Personalization” option and how do I enable it?
The message personalization option enables you to include the name of the message sender in the message, right after the texting group name. This feature is ideal for multi-way communication groups.
- To enable this feature, click on the "EDIT GROUP" tab of your group administrative panel.
- In the drop down box next to the "MESSAGE PERSONALIZATION" field select the "Enabled: (Shows the names of the people sending the text message)" option.
- Click on the “Update group” icon.
What is the difference between a one-way and multi-way text messaging group and how do I switch from one to the other?
- In a one-way communication group only group administrators can send messages to the group. In a multi-way communication group anyone in the group can send messages to everyone else in the group.
- By default, your group is set to a one-way communication group. To switch to a multi-way communication group, click on the "EDIT GROUP" tab of your group administrative panel.
- In the drop down box next to the "Communication style" field select the "Multi-way: (All group members can message group.)" option.
- Click on the “Update group” icon.
What do I do if I try and create a Mobilize Us account, but it says my phone number is already registered?
- From MobilizeUs.com click on the "Start today" link and fill out the registration form
- You will be sent a verification code via text message. Enter the code you receive in the box that says verification.
- Login to the email account you just registered to get your password.
- Login to MobilizeUs.com with your email address or mobile number and the password in the email.
