Register for Maker Faire Africa by Mobile Phone
Anyone planning on going to Maker Faire Africa can register by sending a text message with their name or email address to:
+233261685159
After you register, you will receive an SMS response containing a 8 digit hexadecimal confirmation number. When you show up at the event and give that number to us, you will be entered into a drawing where you have a chance to win a prize.
How it was made
Henry Barnor and Henry Addo, two Ghanaians developers who are helping out with the organization of Maker Faire Africa, spent a late night hacking some python code. Then, with some early morning debugging and about $50 they got this SMS RSVP solution up and running.
The data is then made available in a Google spreadsheet for the organizing team.
We have a phone with a Zain SIM card connected to a laptop running FrontlineSMS. When FrontlineSMS receives an SMS it sends the data via HTTP to a python web application running on Google’s App Engine infrastructure.
The webapp generates the confirmation number and sends the response using Clickatell‘s SMS gateway API. The webapp also saves the data to a database and the Google spreadsheet.
Fantastic stuff guys. Great innovation.
You guys continue to motivate young webpreneurs like myself.
Twitter:
@mkaigwa
@gotissuez
Thats a very cool innovation. Applause.Applause..Applause…!!!
Very cool hack! Bravo chaps – keep innovating.
Alexander
@AAinslie
http://www.twitter.com/aainslie
awesome cool and innovative way to register, true to the maker spirit
but unfortunately any time i send the message i get “sending paused” the “sending failed”, i have tried 3x twice with +23326… then with 026…, i’m in Kumasi, Ghana
it works!, just sent mine and received my confirmation code, kudos guys. (hmmm… why did it not work the first time i tried it…??)
Kwamena good to know its working for you now.
There was a little issue with the SMS setup. All is fixed now.
Thanks for registering we look forward to seeing you.
hello
i still cant apply for MFA from Nigeria on Zain. besides all networks are down, only God know whats up with that. Is there another way I can apply, at least there should be options?
Thanks
Wale
I applied, received my code the next day. Thanks for the innovation, guys.
Love this page, is it updated often? Bookmarked :)