Before we kick off our piece on Irishwebtexts.com and our chat with the awesome man that is Niall Deasy, we feel it important to validate just how important and serious texting really is!
So here are some facts you might not know about texts and texters:
In the US 4.1 billion texts are sent a day
77% of people admit to texting while driving
28% of parents admit to ‘sexting’
Text messages make $70 billion in profits for the industry
We ourselves are constantly on the phone, with our QWERTY keyboard tapping out a message faster than the time it takes to type this on a keyboard! In fact in the time it has taken us to get this far into the article we’ve already sent four messages and two of those used all 160 characters! Texting has become something that we do almost without thinking so when we stumbled across an Irish website that made sending text messaging an awful lot simpler.
Irishwebtexts.com is the brainchild of Niall Deasy, grabbing the man behind our new favourite site for a quick chat we find out all about his work and just what he has in store for us over the next couple of months!
What is Irishwebtexts.com?
Irishwebtexts.com is a little project I did during my Christmas break. It allows anybody on a Meteor, Vodafone, O2 or Three to send web texts, with a few extra features added in. The site doesn’t require you to register and is free to use.
How does the site work?
It works by logging you into your networks site, and sending a message for you. It also allows you to save contacts, and keep those contacts if you switch your number, or your network.
Where did the idea for the Irishwebtexts come from? What sort of process was involved in setting up the site?
I guess the idea came from using web texts. I found the process of actually getting to the web text page tedious and constantly changing. I decided that as well as being useful for myself to use, it would look great to have a website referenced on my CV. The main concept behind Irishwebtexts.com was that it should be very simple and quick to use. This is why when you login, you are instantly presented with the “create a new message page”.
Setting up the website mainly involved tracking the networks site source code, and figuring out how their sites worked. Then I just mimic the same process on the site. Basically it works in much the same way as web text apps.
What sort of reaction has the site gotten since you established it?
I have received mostly good feedback from friends; it seems people are most fond of the neatness of the site, and how simple it is. I have received a few concerns about the security of people’s login details, which I recently addressed with updated security system. The site is still in its first month, but so far the reception has been very good.
You are still in college at the moment, is this the sort of are you would like to work in once you are finished?
Most defiantly, I am probably one of few who love my course, and I think it suits me perfectly. What I would like to do when I finish is something that I have yet to decide on. However I would love to work in an area that allows me to be creative and is fun at the same time. Ultimately I would like to set up my own web design firm, but I think I need a little more experience first.
Do you have any future projects lined up that you might be able to give us a heads up on? Where do you see Irishwebtexts.com going?
I think the next stage for Irishwebtexts.com is an Android app that allows you to upload your contacts, as well as send texts. I may also do an iPhone version, but nothing is decided as yet. As for Irishwebtexts itself, I plan on adding a few nice features like message history and group texts.
If you were trapped in an Arcade for eternity, what one game would you play to pass the time?
It would have to be Minecraft. It’s a sandbox game, that was made by one guy, and I just love it. It gives you a whole world to destroy or build whatever you can imagine. I also love the simple graphics, it reminds me of doom
To find out more about the site check out – www.irishwebtexts.com
