I'm old school. I remember fondly the sound a typewriter carriage makes. I remember the days before cell phones; and that sure complicated my life on my wedding day when I ran out of gas and had to syphon gas from an amused farmer's truck to get to the festivities because I couldn't reach any of my buddies. True story. I remember 8-track tapes, party lines, UHF, and Funk & Wagnels. I also remember how excited everyone was the day a thermal fax was introduced to the congressional office I worked in during the early '80s. And that taught me an important lesson. Information is critical, and the faster and easier information can be distributed, the more efficient everyone can be. That's why the RFA has always tried to be on the cutting edge of technology and information dissemination. The RFA started using e-mail soon after Al Gore invented the internet. We were the first in the industry with a website and Facebook page. The RFA staff are all prolific tweeters on Twitter. We make strategic use of webinars, can blog with the best of them, and offer an RSS newsfeed to keep folks abreast of the latest ethanol news and information. I know that people are no longer waiting around for the afternoon edition of the Washington Times to find out what has happened on Capitol Hill that might affect their business or what new EPA regulation is going to cost them money. But with all that the RFA currently offers, I am particularly jazzed about our latest venture onto the information superhighway. The RFA now offers a mobile app that can be easily downloaded to your iPhone or Android-powered smartphone to put the most up-to-the-minute news, talking points, graphs, videos, and infographics at your fingertips at all times. The app is interactive, allowing you to take action directly from the device to write your Member of Congress or post on your social media pages. It is easy to navigate and it is FREE! We've designed this app to be an effective tool for ethanol advocates to have the timeliest information and factual support to address the issues policymakers, the media and the public want to know about. It will help those who want to respond to an oil company-inspired editorial or your neighbor who's hung up about the food vs. fuel canard or misinformation about ethanol's energy balance. Most importantly, it will allow those inspired to do so to reach out and take action — employing their constitutional right to petition the government right from their phone. Is that cool, or what?! All one has to do to take advantage of this new tool is go to the "App Store" or "Play Store" on your mobile device and type in "RFA Advocacy." Then download the free app (did I mention it is free?) and begin enjoying the ready access to RFA's impressive library of data, infographics and talking points. It's so easy, even an old guy who knows Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings can use it! Mobile App Download Instructions iPhone:
- Ensure that you have iOS 4.0 or above (Check Settings > General > About > Version).
- Click the "App Store" icon on your iPhone.
- In the Search box, type in "RFA Advocacy" to find the app.
- Touch "Free," then "Install" to download.
Android:
- Ensure that you have Android 2.1 or above (Check Settings > About Phone and look for "Android Version" or "Firmware Version").
- Click the "Play Store" icon on your Android phone.
- In the Search box, type in "RFA Advocacy" to find the app.
- Touch "Install".
- Touch "Accept" after reviewing the app's permissions to download.
