Mobile-FYI Implores University and Campus Officials to Incorporate Free Text Messaging Alerts in Emergency Communication Plans

Miami, FL (PRWEB) April 26, 2007 -- Mobile-FYI, Inc. ("FYI"), a leading provider of innovative, life altering mobile solutions for today's society-on-the-go, today encouraged officials and administrators at universities, colleges and schools across the United States to enhance their communication strategies by incorporating free text messaging capabilities for students, faculty, parents and others through comprehensive outreach and emergency alert plans. To better empower these safety mechanisms in all educational environments, the Company formally announced "FYI Campus Connect-and-Protect" -- another Mobile-FYI web-based emergency notification solution for distributing critical alerts via SMS text messages -- no special software or applications are required.


In the wake of last week's horrific killing spree by Seung-Hui Cho at Virginia Tech University -- the deadliest campus violence in our country's history, school officials have been examining their emergency notification plans and alternatives. While many higher-education organizations have explored text-messaging options, some administrators have highlighted doubts in the ability to reach their school's entire population -- as well as the costs associated with embracing these solutions, both with initial implementation and ongoing maintenance. These concerns are notable, but FYI believes that effective safety communication plans must be excessive and redundant, reinforcing a multi-channel approach for notifying people with accurate and timely information -- quickly and easily.

According to a recent Forrester Research study, approximately 35% of the United State's mobile subscriber population has used text messaging. Given the growing dominance of this communication platform and the fact that only 31 percent of Americans have any emergency plans in place (Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, September 2006), text messaging provides an additional and viable way for organizations and communities to communicate important information -- including safety alerts, preparation procedures and security notifications with students, parents, faculty and staff.

"Last week's tragedy at Virginia Tech illustrated how vulnerable we all are, whether its danger from Mother Nature or violent individuals," expressed Matthew Meyerson, FYI Founder and CEO. "As we all mourn together, we need to take this unfortunate situation and learn how to improve on current emergency operational plans in schools and elsewhere. We can never over-prepare when it comes to protecting human life and Mobile-FYI is offering the free FYI Campus Connect-and-Protect emergency notification solution to all educational institutions around the country to enhance communication initiatives that can save the lives of students, faculty and staff during a crisis."

"Incorporating text message notifications shouldn't be an only option, but rather one piece of a comprehensive emergency plan," added Ian Gertler, FYI Chief Marketing Officer. "The FYI solutions reinforce how all emergency management organizations should operate and distribute critical information, whether it's the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, local government and police forces, or campus public safety officers. The first step is to adequately prepare for emergencies and FYI encourages decision makers to take responsibility for the safety of their communities by enabling them to stay informed."

FYI recently launched a free hurricane alert and notification solution to enable government municipalities, counties, emergency first responders and others with the tools to communicate with their communities and save lives. This premise is applicable to any organization that must relay life-altering information to connect with and protect people on and off campus, whether the danger stems from weather, terrorism or another threat.

Mobile-FYI Campus Connect-and-Protect Options
Mobile-FYI provides two options for university and campus administrators to consider when selecting the FYI Campus Connect-and-Protect text-messaging alert solution. These include the:

1) Free service option, where school organizations participate in a tagged sponsor program for non-critical alerts (critical alerts are always sent without appended ads)

2) Paid service selection, in which school organizations send alerts for nominal fees.

While dependent on the sensitivity of a situation, the FYI platform can also be used for other notifications with traffic conditions, special campus events, class cancellations, weather updates and countless other notifications -- as well as promotional alerts to reinforce other campus marketing initiatives. During these activities and circumstances, alerts can be sponsored to provide relevant offers that are appended to these messages. For example, if there is a special campus activity occurring and a text message-based parking alert is distributed, it can be sponsored by the bookstore or a local retailer with a promotional offer. This benefits the school or university financially, since FYI includes a generous revenue-sharing agreement. Funds can be used at the discretion of the administration.

The FYI engine allows for a seamless communication of shared and vital information between counties, municipalities, schools, businesses, retailers, residents and visitors. The Company is now discussing or collaborating with a number of government, not-for-profit, educational and municipal organizations to improve emergency notifications while opening the doors to countless possibilities in the growing mobile frontier.

"Text messaging alerts would have been an excellent way to inform students on the Virginia Tech campus that there was a security issue," noted Alison Kiss, program director for Security on Campus -- a not-for-profit group promoting collegiate security and responsible for the Clery Act legislation, in a recent USA Today article. "Virtually every college student today has a cell phone with them at all times. It's just a much more effective way of communicating an urgent message than leaving it to e-mail, which people may not check all the time."

"Today, people expect information at the touch of their fingertips -- providing real-time information via text updates and feedback responses just makes sense, especially in the campus and university environments," concluded Meyerson.

To learn more about FYI Connect-and-Protect and other Mobile-FYI solutions or explore how we can empower your mobile communication efforts, please visit www.mobile-fyi.com. The FYI team will also be presenting these emergency notification solutions at the 21st Annual Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference at the Broward County Convention Center from May 14-18, 2007. And don't forget to visit your personal reminder service at www.myfreereminders.com, powered by Mobile-FYI!

About Mobile-FYI, Inc.
Mobile-FYI ("FYI"), a leading provider of innovative, life altering mobile solutions for today's society-on-the-go, provides trusted local, regional and national notifications, alerts and relevant advertisements to the majority of mobile users in North America through products and services that support the mobile generation and lifestyle. FYI allows people to receive timely alerts and notifications when they need them through its innovative subscriber, broadcaster and advertiser strategy and platform.

The FYI engine allows for a seamless communication of shared and vital information between various organizations and members of the community ... literally at their fingertips. The Company offers government entities, universities and school campuses, not-for-profits and commercial organizations with unique revenue generating and operations-enhancing solutions through our mobile platform/portal at www.mobile-fyi.com or www.registermycell.com. FYI also offers a free personal reminder service at www.myfreereminders.com.

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