Texting for headlines: NYT boosts mobile efforts

The New York Times launched a service that delivers news, features and columns to mobile phones via text message.
The free service allows users to send a text to the short code 698698 (NYTNYT)with one of dozens of keywords — the word “Latest” will result in front-page stories, for instance, while the message “Dowd” will prompt recent columns by Maureen Dowd — and receive a brief SMS headline. The incoming text includes a link to the entire piece on the Grey Lady’s wireless Web site; users can also request a description of the story or less recent content via text.
“With our mobile site experiencing triple-digit growth, this is the next step in our efforts to make full use of this medium,” said Rob Larson, VP of product development and management of NYTimes.com. “We want our readers to have easy access to our news and opinion, wherever they may be, and this new service makes it even easier to read us on the go. We intend to use every available platform to disseminate The Times’s quality news and information.”
While the new offering doesn’t include marketing messages — at least, not yet — it mirrors an ad-supported service launched by USA Today and 4INFO last summer. And the launch follows the Times’s move last fall to remove a paid subscription wall from content from its columnists and archived material.