So, for all those Facebook and Twitter junkies out there, how do you get your daily fix during a Power Outage? This dilemma was experienced by the millions who were adversely affected by Hurricane Sandy’s visit to the east coast several weeks ago. As the Sandy Survivors quickly learned, no power means any internet connection. Many were left with no communications source other than Semi fore and the humble cell phone. The experience did prove the old adage that “Necessity is the Mother of invention”. During that outage, inventive communications-hungry users figured out how to access their Facebook and Twitter accounts by texting. This trick provided life-saving communications to family and first responders who were also unable to communicate directly to the distressed public located at the impacted areas.
Here’s how it’s done:
Facebook – Access “Account Settings” and select “Mobile”. Then select your Country of Origin and Mobile Carrier.
You will then receive a confirmation code via text message. Input the code into your text box. You will then receive another message stating that your phone has been activated. Now, all you have to do is write a text to “32665” and you’re already posting onto Facebook.
Twitter – Simply go to “settings” and chooses “Mobile”, select your country of origin and register your mobile phone number. Then, activate your phone by texting “40404” and you’re ready to tweet to your heart’s content.
Twitter offers a number of apps that permits functions without the need of an internet connection. To learn more about the apps, visit the Official Twitter Guide for a complete listing. Interestingly, there have been a number of recent stories that discuss how “old” technology such as cell phones and AM-FM technology is being repurposed for use with the latest technology. So, don’t be in too much of a hurry to throw away those old cell phones.
