Quote from: Rick on February 19, 2013, 07:31:32 AM
Do you really want ANYONE to be able to find your phone number? We give our number out to people that we want to have it - and companies that we want to have it. Outside that, if you don't have my phone number then I likely don't want to talk to you, and if you really want to find me I'm sure you can lookup my full name and either find an address or a Facebook page or LinkedIn account, etc.
I hope you're not paying to call 411 in your area all the time hoping that they give you your number...
I want to strongly agree here.
I don't get why individuals (note: not businesses) what their name, number and address published. In fact, paying the landline telcos to not publish (traditional phone book) and not list (411 or NPA-555-1212) your number was an 'up charge'. That was an outrageous, state-level regulatory-agency sanctioned scam and ripoff.
Example in dollar terms, the cost for unlisted and unpublished was a combined $5.00 per month, per line. Times 12 months = $60. Over ten years that was $600. I did it for two lines, for over ten years, so $1200 is understating what I paid. And I think $5.00 per month is a conservative value also.
One last point. I'm certain if you read the find print on those 411 services you're giving them the right to sell or otherwise distribute your name, number and address. You do have one big thing in your favor if you go this route, GV has very strong call screening features, implemented at multiple levels and in multiple ways.
Edit to add: I've got a boot that I'd like to connect to the behinds of the local Telco in the form of a high-speed impact for all the money spend by consumers on this. And an even bigger boot with an even higher speed impact to the state regulatory agencies that approved of these charges back in the day.
