What Is Google Voice For?

by Bryan on February 4, 2010

I read something on FriendFeed last week, in which someone wondered what Google Voice was for.  He had been sitting on it for awhile, trying to figure out why he should use it.    Here’s one reason:

Last month, my main office phone line went dead.  I couldn’t figure it out, but I didn’t panic.  I have Google Voice as my official biz number.  My calls still came in, and I when I made calls, my biz number flashed on the recipient’s caller ID.  No one knew I was experiencing a major phone catastrophe.  Plus I didn’t know the line hadn’t been working until 12-16 hours later since the problem started in the evening, and I had been primarily on the cell phone during that time.  I could have missed many important calls.  But thanks to Google Voice, disaster was averted.

With Google Voice, you are able to assign one number to a bunch of different phone devices.  My number rings my cell phone , my VoIP, and my office line (when it’s working).  And Blackberry (as well as most smartphones) has a Google Voice app that enables you to “call” from your GV number, instead of  your cell number.

Google Voice makes it easier to stay in touch when other forms of technology temporarily fail you.  I don’t know about your job, but in mine, staying connected is vital.

And don’t forget, voicemail messages are transcribed and sent to you via email and/or SMS.  Which is great when you are in meetings (or movies).

And it’s free.

Just don’t ask me how to use Wave.

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  • Pingback: When The Lights Go Out (or Staying Mobile)

  • http://rubenquinones.com/ Ruben Quinones

    Good post Brian, and sorry for the tough week you had. Im debating on whether to do sugarsync – 40 Gigs for 5 bucks a month. If I lived in the suburbs, (other places got flooded)I would already have done it,

    This comment was originally posted onnetworKING

  • http://bryanradams.com/ Bryan

    People are raving about SugarSync, I may have to put that to use as well.

    This comment was originally posted onnetworKING

  • http://bryanradams.com/ Bryan

    If  information creation or dissemination is a part of your job and you don’t have a smartphone, then what are you waiting for?  Get rid of that old cell phone. Today’s technology makes it easy to network and work on the go.

    Case in point.  I was on the bus on my way to a TV interview taping with a client and the producer emailed me for more information.  They needed to write the opening for the segment and they needed a different angle.  Where was my laptop, you say?   A smartphone fits on a belt, which is much easier than wearing a device on the shoulder or back. And why carry all of that when you don’t have to?  I have a Blackberry.

    I clicked on the  GMail app and found a couple of press releases that I sent out a few weeks ago.  I copied key points from each press release and pasted in a reply email.  Mini crisis averted.  Plus the producer was pleased, since she only had to wait 10 minutes.

    If I only had a regular cell phone, I would have had to write something once I arrived, which would have been an hour after she wanted it.  The producer would have looked at me like I had two heads.  And who knows if she would have taken my calls again? Or imagine if I didn’t see the email until I got to the studio?  Love that push email.

    I know most people are already on board, but this is for the few remaining stragglers.  There are many of us who are solo practitioners that have no administrative assistants. Being able to search, copy, paste, and send while out of the office will be mandatory soon.  The person waiting for the info is not going to accept the excuse, “I was away from my desk” much longer.

    So please, Get Smart(phone).

    SearchCopyPasteSend is a new post from: networKING, a weblog by Bryan R. AdamsShareAdd this link to Box.netSubscribe to the comments for this post?Share this on del.icio.usDigg this!Post this on DiigoShare this on FacebookShare this on FriendFeedGrind this! on Global GrindEmail this via GmailAdd this to Google BookmarksPost on Google BuzzAdd this to Google ReaderShare this on LinkedInEmail this to a friend?Submit this to NetvibesAdd this to NingPing this on Ping.fmPost this to PosterousStumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponShare this on TumblrTweet This!April 12, 2010 — Managing A Large Address Book in Blackberry (W/O Eating Too Much Memory)February 4, 2010 — What Is Google Voice For?December 18, 2009 — Google Wins When Blackberry Fails

    This comment was originally posted onnetworKING

  • http://bryanradams.com/ Bryan

    You may have heard of Sipgate by now, but if not…pay attention.

    A phone service called Sipgate will give you one free number and 60 minutes of outbound calls per month. And for a fee, you can have up to 100 lines for your corporation. It is a VoIP service, similar to Skype. But you get a phone number, not a handle/username.
    You also download software, which turns your computer into a phone. Or if you wanna spend money you can purchase special Sipgate/VoIP handsets.

    Now, if you have a Google Voice number, you can add your Sipgate number and make calls from your computer.  And since your Google Voice rings your Sipgate…you are not being charged outbound Sipgate minutes!

    Some really smart folks have put the tutorials together on how to get Sipgate up and running, so please refer to them.

    You can record your conversations on Sipgate.  You can do conference calls. You can connect/transfer people to each other.

    I don’t think you should give up your landline, but Sipgate makes it tempting.

    Special thanks to MakeUseOf.com‘s Tim Lenahan and LifeHacker.com‘s Kevin Purdy.

    Did Deep Throat Tell You About Sipgate? is a new post from: networKING, a weblog by Bryan R. AdamsShareSubscribe to the comments for this post?Share this on del.icio.usDigg this!Post this on DiigoShare this on FacebookShare this on FriendFeedGrind this! on Global GrindEmail this via GmailAdd this to Google BookmarksPost on Google BuzzAdd this to Google ReaderShare this on LinkedInEmail this to a friend?Submit this to NetvibesAdd this to NingPing this on Ping.fmPost this to PosterousStumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponShare this on TumblrTweet This!
    You may have heard of Sipgate by now, but if not…pay attention.

    A phone service called Sipgate will give you one free number and 60 minutes of outbound calls per month. And for a fee, you can have up to 100 lines for your corporation. It is a VoIP service, similar to Skype. But you get a phone number, not a handle/username.
    You also download software, which turns your computer into a phone. Or if you wanna spend money you can purchase special Sipgate/VoIP handsets.

    Now, if you have a Google Voice number, you can add your Sipgate number and make calls from your computer.  And since your Google Voice rings your Sipgate…you are not being charged outbound Sipgate minutes!

    Some really smart folks have put the tutorials together on how to get Sipgate up and running, so please refer to them.

    You can record your conversations on Sipgate.  You can do conference calls. You can connect/transfer people to each other.

    I don’t think you should give up your landline, but Sipgate makes it tempting.

    Special thanks to MakeUseOf.com‘s Tim Lenahan and LifeHacker.com‘s Kevin Purdy.

    Did Deep Throat Tell You About Sipgate? is a new post from: networKING, a weblog by Bryan R. AdamsShareSubscribe to the comments for this post?Share this on del.icio.usDigg this!Post this on DiigoShare this on FacebookShare this on FriendFeedGrind this! on Global GrindEmail this via GmailAdd this to Google BookmarksPost on Google BuzzAdd this to Google ReaderShare this on LinkedInEmail this to a friend?Submit this to NetvibesAdd this to NingPing this on Ping.fmPost this to PosterousStumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponShare this on TumblrTweet This!

    This comment was originally posted onnetworKING

  • http://bryanradams.com/ Bryan

    You may have heard of Sipgate by now, but if not…pay attention.

    A phone service called Sipgate will give you one free number and 60 minutes of outbound calls per month. And for a fee, you can have up to 100 lines for your corporation. It is a VoIP service, similar to Skype. But you get a phone number, not a handle/username.
    You also download software, which turns your computer into a phone. Or if you wanna spend money you can purchase special Sipgate/VoIP handsets.

    Now, if you have a Google Voice number, you can add your Sipgate number and make calls from your computer.  And since your Google Voice rings your Sipgate…you are not being charged outbound Sipgate minutes!

    Some really smart folks have put the tutorials together on how to get Sipgate up and running, so please refer to them.

    You can record your conversations on Sipgate.  You can do conference calls. You can connect/transfer people to each other.

    I don’t think you should give up your landline, but Sipgate makes it tempting.

    Special thanks to MakeUseOf.com‘s Tim Lenahan and LifeHacker.com‘s Kevin Purdy.

    Did Deep Throat Tell You About Sipgate? is a new post from: networKING, a weblog by Bryan R. AdamsShareSubscribe to the comments for this post?Share this on del.icio.usDigg this!Post this on DiigoShare this on FacebookShare this on FriendFeedGrind this! on Global GrindEmail this via GmailAdd this to Google BookmarksPost on Google BuzzAdd this to Google ReaderShare this on LinkedInEmail this to a friend?Submit this to NetvibesAdd this to NingPing this on Ping.fmPost this to PosterousStumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponShare this on TumblrTweet This!

    This comment was originally posted onnetworKING

  • http://bryanradams.com/ Bryan

    You may have heard of Sipgate by now, but if not…pay attention.

    A phone service called Sipgate will give you one free number and 60 minutes of outbound calls per month. And for a fee, you can have up to 100 lines for your corporation. It is a VoIP service, similar to Skype. But you get a phone number, not a handle/username.
    You also download software, which turns your computer into a phone. Or if you wanna spend money you can purchase special Sipgate/VoIP handsets.

    Now, if you have a Google Voice number, you can add your Sipgate number and make calls from your computer.  And since your Google Voice rings your Sipgate…you are not being charged outbound Sipgate minutes!

    Some really smart folks have put the tutorials together on how to get Sipgate up and running, so please refer to them.

    You can record your conversations on Sipgate.  You can do conference calls. You can connect/transfer people to each other.

    I don’t think you should give up your landline, but Sipgate makes it tempting.

    Special thanks to MakeUseOf.com‘s Tim Lenahan and LifeHacker.com‘s Kevin Purdy.

    Did Deep Throat Tell You About Sipgate? is a new post from: networKING, a weblog by Bryan R. AdamsShareSubscribe to the comments for this post?Share this on del.icio.usDigg this!Post this on DiigoShare this on FacebookShare this on FriendFeedGrind this! on Global GrindEmail this via GmailAdd this to Google BookmarksPost on Google BuzzAdd this to Google ReaderShare this on LinkedInEmail this to a friend?Submit this to NetvibesAdd this to NingPing this on Ping.fmPost this to PosterousStumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponShare this on TumblrTweet This!February 4, 2010 — What Is Google Voice For?January 5, 2010 — Conversation About Networking Basics

    This comment was originally posted onnetworKING

  • http://bryanradams.com/ Bryan

    You may have heard of Sipgate by now, but if not…pay attention.

    A phone service called Sipgate will give you one free number and 60 minutes of outbound calls per month. And for a fee, you can have up to 100 lines for your corporation. It is a VoIP service, similar to Skype. But you get a phone number, not a handle/username.
    You also download software, which turns your computer into a phone. Or if you wanna spend money you can purchase special Sipgate/VoIP handsets.

    Now, if you have a Google Voice number, you can add your Sipgate number and make calls from your computer.  And since your Google Voice rings your Sipgate…you are not being charged outbound Sipgate minutes!

    Some really smart folks have put the tutorials together on how to get Sipgate up and running, so please refer to them.

    You can record your conversations on Sipgate.  You can do conference calls. You can connect/transfer people to each other.

    I don’t think you should give up your landline, but Sipgate makes it tempting.

    Special thanks to MakeUseOf.com‘s Tim Lenahan and LifeHacker.com‘s Kevin Purdy.

    Did Deep Throat Tell You About Sipgate? is a new post from: networKING, a weblog by Bryan R. AdamsShareAdd this link to Box.netSubscribe to the comments for this post?Share this on del.icio.usDigg this!Post this on DiigoShare this on FacebookShare this on FriendFeedGrind this! on Global GrindEmail this via GmailAdd this to Google BookmarksPost on Google BuzzAdd this to Google ReaderShare this on LinkedInEmail this to a friend?Submit this to NetvibesAdd this to NingPing this on Ping.fmPost this to PosterousStumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponShare this on TumblrTweet This!February 4, 2010 — What Is Google Voice For?January 5, 2010 — Conversation About Networking Basics

    This comment was originally posted onnetworKING

  • http://bryanradams.com/ Bryan

    Yeah, I know what you’re saying.  ”Bryan, you better make time!”  And that’s true.  I apologize for the absense.  I also had a server issue that knocked me out of commission for over a week.

    My title is not an excuse for not posting.  Posting can be vital to networking success, so it should have been on my schedule.   No ifs, ands or buts.  I must say that the posts I viewed while I was on the go, helped me when networking at various group meetings and one-to-one meetings.  Stuff from Larry Sharpe (Don’t Give Out Your Business Card), Ivan Misner (3 Ways To Get More Business At Your Next Networking Event), and Valeria Maltoni (How I Use LinkedIn Content For Intelligence)…just to name a few, was fascinating stuff to check out.

    I also planned to review some helpful apps and things that enabled me to stay connected while I was on the go, but like I said in a previous post, smarter people than me have contributed great reviews/how-to’s already, so I will just link to hem. The following helped me immensely when my hosting company’s server went haywire rendering mewith no website or spotty email. Here’s my list:

    Rapportive
    Google Calendar (though I am playing around with Tungle.me)
    Gist
    Symbaloo
    Foursquare
    Google Voice
    DimDim (thanks for the tip, Francisco)
    Google Mobile Apps for Blackberry

    I promise to not be out of touch for so long…regardless of the circumstances.  Let me know which ones you use or if there are some other apps that are worth pursuing.

    So Busy Networking, I Had No Time To Post is a new post from: networKING, a weblog by Bryan R. AdamsShareSubscribe to the comments for this post?Share this on del.icio.usDigg this!Post this on DiigoShare this on FacebookShare this on FriendFeedGrind this! on Global GrindEmail this via GmailAdd this to Google BookmarksPost on Google BuzzAdd this to Google ReaderShare this on LinkedInEmail this to a friend?Submit this to NetvibesAdd this to NingPing this on Ping.fmPost this to PosterousStumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponShare this on TumblrTweet This!

    This comment was originally posted onnetworKING

  • http://bryanradams.com/ Bryan

    Yeah, I know what you’re saying.  ”Bryan, you better make time!”  And that’s true.  I apologize for the absense.  I also had a server issue that knocked me out of commission for over a week.

    My title is not an excuse for not posting.  Posting can be vital to networking success, so it should have been on my schedule.   No ifs, ands or buts.  I must say that the posts I viewed while I was on the go, helped me when networking at various group meetings and one-to-one meetings.  Stuff from Larry Sharpe (Don’t Give Out Your Business Card), Ivan Misner (3 Ways To Get More Business At Your Next Networking Event), and Valeria Maltoni (How I Use LinkedIn Content For Intelligence)…just to name a few, was fascinating stuff to check out.

    I also planned to review some helpful apps and things that enabled me to stay connected while I was on the go, but like I said in a previous post, smarter people than me have contributed great reviews/how-to’s already, so I will just link to hem. The following helped me immensely when my hosting company’s server went haywire rendering mewith no website or spotty email. Here’s my list:

    Rapportive
    Google Calendar (though I am playing around with Tungle.me)
    Gist
    Symbaloo
    Foursquare
    Google Voice
    DimDim (thanks for the tip, Francisco)
    Google Mobile Apps for Blackberry

    I promise to not be out of touch for so long…regardless of the circumstances.  Let me know which ones you use or if there are some other apps that are worth pursuing.

    So Busy Networking, I Had No Time To Post is a new post from: networKING, a weblog by Bryan R. AdamsShareSubscribe to the comments for this post?Share this on del.icio.usDigg this!Post this on DiigoShare this on FacebookShare this on FriendFeedGrind this! on Global GrindEmail this via GmailAdd this to Google BookmarksPost on Google BuzzAdd this to Google ReaderShare this on LinkedInEmail this to a friend?Submit this to NetvibesAdd this to NingPing this on Ping.fmPost this to PosterousStumble upon something good? Share it on StumbleUponShare this on TumblrTweet This!August 17, 2009 — Google Voice For The Networker On The GoMarch 17, 2010 — When The Lights Go Out (or Staying Mobile)April 21, 2010 — Everybody’s Crazy ‘Bout A Sharpe Dressed Man

    This comment was originally posted onnetworKING

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