Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

With rapidly changing technology channels, it seems every crisis or natural disaster ushers in new ways to communicate. The devastating earthquake in Haiti, while being one of the most catastrophic disasters in recent memory, is no different in this respect. From mobile video and photos shared in tweets to eyewitness reports via Skype, our early news came through new communications.

With all the new ways of communicating, one relatively low-tech communication stands to have the biggest impact on the crisis in Haiti - text. In the hours after the crisis, the Red Cross and others mobilized to offer individuals an immediate way to contribute - a text through their cell phone to donate $5 or $10 that will be added to their monthly phone bill. News of this option is rapidly spreading on social media with people posting information on how they donated.

Text is a great way to mobilize a mass audience. In fact, with the fragmentation of traditional media, text, may be one of the last true "mass media" left. Text does not require special downloads or a special phone. The technology is available on 98 percent of mobile handsets and 86 percent of the US owns a mobile phone. Nielsen mobile projects that there will be 100 million text messaging users by the end of 2010 sending and receiving more than 75 billion texts each month. That's a lot of thumb-typing.

Text users aren't all kids either. Nielsen mobile says the media age of a text user is 38. This is a generation that has grown up with mobile technology. So it stands to reason that these text messaging users would be open to making a contribution via text. A short message for a truly worthy cause.