Online Notification System

1 . A method of providing a notification message, the method comprising:

transmitting to a first terminal associated with an organization administrator a notification group creation form;

receiving from the organization administrator, via the first terminal, a first group name for a first group and recording the first group name in a database;

transmitting to the first terminal names of organization members;

receiving via the first terminal a selection of one or more organization members;

storing in computer readable memory an association of the at least one or more selected members with the first group name;

transmitting to the first terminal names of organization groups;

receiving via the first terminal a selection of at least one of the organization groups;

receiving an instruction from an authorized organization member to issue a notification to the selected at least one group; and

at least partly in response to the instruction, broadcasting the notification to the selected at least one group.

2 . The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting to the first terminal names of members of the first group;

receiving a selection of a first of the first group member names via the first terminal; and

receiving an instruction via the first terminal to designate the first member as a leader of the first group, wherein the first group leader is authorized to send notifications to the first group.

3 . The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting to the first terminal names of members of the first group;

receiving a selection of a first member name via the first terminal;

receiving an instruction via the first terminal to remove the first member from the first group; and

removing the first member from the first group.

4 . The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the notification includes a voice message selected by the authorized organization member from a plurality of previously recorded messages.

5 . The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the notification includes a text message selected by the authorized organization member from a plurality of previously recorded messages.

6 . The method as defined in claim 5 , wherein editable portions of a previously recorded message include a message title and a message text.

7 . The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting to the first terminal a message search form;

receiving a search string via the first terminal;

locating previously recorded notification messages corresponding to the search string; and

transmitting to the first terminal search results including the located previously recorded notification messages.

8 . The method as defined in claim 7 , the search results including message title data and an indication as to whether there is an associated voice message.

9 . The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the instruction includes an instruction that notification recipients are to provide a confirmation upon receiving the notification.

10 . The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

recording which group members of the selected at least one group confirmed receipt of the notification; and

transmitting to the first terminal a report including how many group members of the selected at least one group confirmed receipt of the notification, wherein the report is updated in substantially real time during the broadcast of the notification.

11 . The method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting to the first terminal a report including how many group members of the selected at least one group confirmed receipt of the notification; and

transmitting to the first terminal a report including how many group members of the selected at least one group have not confirmed receipt of the notification, wherein the report is updated in substantially real time.

12 . The method as defined in claim 1 , wherein

a group is defined in terms of an attribute that the members of the group have in common, wherein a user that has at least a first attribute and a second attribute belongs to at least the first group associated with the first attribute and a second group associated with the second attribute.

13 . A notification system, comprising:

a notification database; and

a network communication interface;

a computer system communicatively coupled to the notification database and the network communication interface, the computer system including program code stored in computer readable memory configured to:

transmit to a first terminal associated with an organization administrator a notification group creation form;

receive from the organization administrator a first group name for a first group and to record the group name in the notification database;

transmit to the first terminal names of organization members stored in the notification database;

receive via the first terminal a selection of one or more organization members;

store in the notification database an association of the at least one or more selected members with the first group name;

receive an instruction from an authorized organization member to issue a notification to the first group; and

at least partly in response to the instruction, broadcast the notification to at least a portion of the first group via at least the network communication interface.

14 . The notification system as defined in claim 13 , the computer system further including program code stored in computer readable memory configured to:

transmit to the first terminal names of organization groups;

receive via the first terminal a selection of at least one of the organization groups; and

store in the notification database an association of the selected at least one group with the first group name.

15 . The notification system as defined in claim 13 , the computer system further including program code stored in computer readable memory configured to:

transmit to the first terminal names of members of the first group;

receive a selection of a first member name via the first terminal;

receive an instruction via the first terminal to remove the first member from the first group; and

remove the first member from the first group.

16 . The notification system as defined in claim 13 , the computer system further including program code stored in computer readable memory configured to:

transmit to the first terminal a message search form;

receive a search string via the first terminal;

locate previously recorded notification messages corresponding to the search string; and

transmit to the first terminal search results including the located previously recorded notification messages.

17 . The notification system as defined in claim 13 , wherein the search results include message title data and an indication as to whether there is an associated voice message.

18 . The notification system as defined in claim 13 , wherein the instruction includes a direction that notification recipients are to provide a confirmation upon receiving the notification.

19 . The notification system as defined in claim 13 , the computer system further including program code stored in computer readable memory configured to:

recording which group members of the first group confirmed receipt of the notification; and

transmitting to the first terminal a report including how many group members of the first group confirmed receipt of the notification, wherein the report is updated in substantially real time during the broadcast of the notification.

20 . The notification system as defined in claim 13 , the computer system further including program code stored in computer readable memory configured to:

transmitting to the first terminal a report including how many group members of the first group confirmed receipt of the notification; and

transmitting to the first terminal a report including how many group members of the first group have not confirmed receipt of the notification, wherein the report is updated in substantially real time.