Photo by Milica Sekulic
I have a home phone as well as a personal cell phone and a work cell phone, all because I want to compartmentalize who can reach me when. I will always answer the personal cell phone, because only my family and real friends have the number. But I wouldn’t want just anyone calling me when I’m running errands or going to a movie. As for other people, that’s what the home phone (and answering machine) are for. And oh I hate listening to voice mails, especially business voice mails. They go on and on and on….
Google Voice is available right now for GrandCentral users only, but if you will give them your email address they’ll notify you when it’s available for everyone. It has SO many features that will make phone life more bearable. You get one phone number, and you give that number to everyone! No more worrying about who has your special cell phone number. Then you get to control whose calls go through to what phone, during WHAT TIME PERIODS. So even if you’ll take a phone call from your family in the middle of the night, you can block that drunken ex or eager coworkers from disturbing you except during hours you set. You can answer a call from any one of the phones you have set up with Google Voice, and you can even listen in on a voice mail before deciding to go ahead and take the call. The part I like best is, you can get a transcript of your voicemail! No more listening to someone go on and on about nothing; you can skim it! Check out Google Voice if you want to start being the boss of those phones you’re paying for. 