Yeah, I was sceptical of the whole idea at first, too – the potential for mischief just seemed too great. However, while easy access to mass texting might sound like a spammer’s dream – and a consumer’s nightmare – the services aren’t just for ruthless marketers. After extensive use of GroupMe, my favourite group-texting service, I can safely say that it is a remarkably effective way to keep in touch with a group of people who are travelling or attending an event together. Buddies on 4x4 trails can use it to co-ordinate a get-together braai at the end of their off-road adventures; large families can use it to meet for lunch after a morning spent fanned out across Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront; and an eight-piece marimba group can use it to co-ordinate their latest gig.

Here’s how GroupMe works: one person sets up a “group” of text recipients using either a Web interface at groupme.com or a mobile app (there are currently iPhone and Android versions available), then adds friends by inputting their names and phone numbers. Once the group is set up, GroupMe gives it a unique phone number that, when texted by any person in the group, passes on the message to everybody else.

The whole thing sounds simple, but in practice it teeters toward the magical, thanks to two strokes of genius. First, because interactions occur through text messages, your friends with iPhones, Android handsets, BlackBerries and 10-year-old Nokia bricks can all play along.

Nobody needs to download any apps (although doing so does add a few features, such as the ability to view a map showing the physical location of your friends), and no phone is too dumb to use the service. And second, because messages are tagged with the name of the sender, the whole thing quickly starts to resemble a virtual, take-anywhere chat room – especially if your phone has threaded text messages.

Of course, there are a few problems with the whole concept of group texting. Because other people can add you to groups without your permission, you can easily find yourself the recipient of a large number of unwanted text messages. Thankfully, GroupMe gives users a way out of this: if you don’t want to be part of a conversation, simply text back “#mute”, and the messages will cease. Then there’s cost – although the service itself is free, if you don’t have a generous texting allowance as part of your contract, GroupMe could very quickly eat up your monthly allotment. So texter beware.