Most of the time we will be riding our passengers (officials or photographers) and communicating with them over our shoulders. But we need a way to communicate changes/updates/emergencies to the group - in the days before the event and during the event. Several years ago we had a strong thunderstorm roll over the course and we had to stop to take cover. We also need to be prepared for some kind of mass shooting or terrorist action. To achieve this we will use a cell phone app called WhatsApp.
What is WhatsApp?
If you are not familiar with the app here is an introduction. WhatsApp is for text messaging, voice calls, and video calls. It uses the Internet (data) and not the cell phone network. The feature that we will use it for is group messaging. One thing to know is that the app is used by billions of people across the entire world - but is virtually unknown in the US. (except teenagers). If you travel internationally it is essential to communicate with people all over the world. What that means to you is it is safe, reliable, and has a very good feature set. If you are not familiar with the app here is an introduction. It is a serious communications application, not a frivolous social media app.
Go to your respective app store - either the Apple iTunes store or the Google Play Store. It is a large download, something like 150 mb. Ensure your wifi is connected!
Contacts - WhatsApp uses your phone number for identification, so there are no usernames or hidden identities. If someone is in your contacts you can message them with WhatsApp. What that means is you need to put everyone into your contacts. If you label them (“Ironman”) then you can easily delete them after the event.
Group messaging - Our purpose is for group messaging. I will create a group called “Ironman Motos” and add everyone to the group.
Location sharing - Note you can share your location if you want (off by default) for set periods of time. Optional but we may test it.
After we get it set up I foresee using the app for any priority communications during the race. Obviously, you can’t use it while you are riding but we will all stop for breaks at various times, which would be a good time to check WhatsApp messages. Essentially “No news is good news.” But if there is a priority message that’s where we will notify each other.
Discipline - In my experience groups can be very ‘chatty’. I would like to not bother you guys more than I need to for this relatively short event. So to keep everything as clean and simple as possible let’s be disciplined about our usage. That means let’s not use it like CB radio or Facebook or some other social chat app. Send a test message to the group but let’s keep the messages focused on the Ironman event and things that are important to the group. (You can still send individual messages to me or others, you don’t have to use the group.)
Concise - Keep your messages short and sweet. We are all busy and don’t have a lot of time so practice brevity.
Note: I recommend that you mute the group message notifications, or your phone will beep every time a message comes in. Click the menus and select “Mute conversation”. (Varies with various manufacturers.) When you are riding you don't need to be notified of a message with a beep - check messages when you stop.
- You can click on “Leave the group” and retain the app if you want to use it with others.
- Or you can remove or uninstall the app if you don’t see any other need for it.
- I will ask your opinion after the event. Was it useful for us? Worth the effort?
