Once you've requested FrontlineSMS and downloaded the software, installation is quick and simple. You'll be up and running in no time.

When FrontlineSMS is opened, you get the Home Screen. Home is your dashboard and allows you an 'at-a-glance' view of your FrontlineSMS system and access to "Quick Send" functionality

Contacts is your mobile address book where you create folders, Groups and add and edit details of people you are keeping in touch with.

Each group consists of members. Add members' names and phone numbers, as well as other useful information such as email addresses, alternate contact numbers, or notes.

To send a message to the members of a group, select the contacts and right-click, then "Send SMS", or click on the "Send SMS button". You can also send a message to the whole group by selecting the group and click on the "Send SMS" button from the group pane on the left.

Once you've selected a group, compose your message in the field provided. Then click on the Send Message button.

FrontlineSMS also receives messages, making it possible to conduct surveys, solicit opinions, or run competitions. First create a keyword in the Keyword Tab. Any incoming messages that begin with the keyword will be identified as part of the program.

Next, enter the actions you want to be executed when a message triggers the keyword. For example, let's say that we want to add the contact who sent the text to join the 'Survey' group, and to send a confirmation email to a designated address.

The Messages Tab then allows you to view your incoming and outgoing message history by individual Contact, by Group, or by individual Keyword. FrontlineSMS keeps track of all messages successfully sent and received, as well as failed and pending messages. A failed message could mean that a phone has been disconnected or has run out of credit.

Emails allows you to view email messages automatically sent by FrontlineSMS which were triggered by incoming text messages.

The PhoneManager searches for phones and modems on your computer and sets them up. Devices can either send messages or just receive them. Read messages can be automatically deleted. And for urgent messages, delivery confirmations can be displayed.

From version 1.6.15, FrontlineSMS comes with a new Multimedia messages (MMS) compatibility. In order to receive your MMS, you will need a working e-mail account, and the settings required to establish a connection. Then open the MMS Settings dialog, and fill in all fields.

When it's done, FrontlineSMS will fetch your e-mail account and extract the MMS it will find.

You can then access these Multimedia Messages from the "Messages" tab, as we have seen before. The multimedia parts will be displayed in the dialog, and you can click to open the saved files as well.

You've seen how FrontlineSMS works (video tutorials are also available via the online community). It's simple, and easy to use, but the value of any tool is in how it is used. Around the world, FrontlineSMS is used to empower people in hundreds of different ways. How will you use it?