Any experience with Google Voice?

[csdude55]

I set up Google Voice today, mainly just to see how it works and better prepare myself to recognize scammers on my sites.

When I set it up, it required that I have a working number to text. I don't quite remember why (or if it explained why), but it did.

Now that I have it set up, though, if I were so inclined, could I cancel my existing line and JUST use Google Voice via WiFi?

I know that I could do that using TextFree, but the free version is heavy handed with the ads and you lose your number if you don't use it enough; $5 /month could solve that problem, though.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

The service isn't new and it's caused privacy concerns since release. Do you want Google to have access and control over your conversations?

[techcrunch.com...]

Google has responded on its public policy blog. Basically, they are saying that software should not have to be regulated by net neutrality rules,

[csdude55]

Dude, Google pays my bills so they can have anything they want ;-) I get a letter from Google saying they don't like the color of my house? I'mma get the brushes and rollers ready for a new paint job.

Realistically, privacy in the modern era is at best a weak facade. Our phones are listening 24/7, Facebook comes pre-installed on pretty much all phones and is listening even if you don't have an account. You type something in a text? Facebook knows it... and sells it to the highest bidder.

[theguardian.com...]
[businessinsider.com...]

There's simply no way to to even pretend that you have privacy unless you're at least 50' from any device that has access to the internet.

Besides. Why are people concerned that Google may "have access and control over your conversations", but aren't at all worried about AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile?

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

Dude, Google pays my bills so they can have anything they want ;-) I get a letter from Google saying they don't like the color of my house? I'mma get the brushes and rollers ready for a new paint job.

You might start feeling differently when you see your google earnings and traffic cut while they report double digit BILLION dollar quarterly profit increases.... over and over and over again.... but hopefully not. Good luck..

[csdude55]

Meh, you hit the nail on the head, my traffic has been increasing each year while my earnings have gone down each year. I'm making less than 1/4th of what I was making a few years ago, with more traffic than ever!

But I suspect that their profits are more to do with stock sales than an actual profit from advertisers using Adwords / Adsense. And subsidies, of course.

And realistically, no matter how I slice it the Adsense revenue is just free money. Direct sales takes a lot more time and energy, and I inevitably make less than Adsense anyway. So while the pay cut sucks, it's still better than the alternative.

We're really missing the point of the topic, though. If I can use Google Voice without paying for phone service then I could easily save $100 /month.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

You need to pay for phone service to have a number to use with Google voice or they can't let you text, etc. Consider Voice an "addon" feature.

Look for "unlimited text and calling" plans in your country and you can probably find good plans for $20 to $25 US per month, total, including unlimited in country texting and calling. The catch is that you need to provide your own phone to put the sim card in. The good news, a cheap flip phone costing less than a pizza works great. Paying $20 per month in TOTAL for unlimited texts and country-wide calls has its advantages.

Save the internet for home use on a PC and you'll save a lot of money..

[csdude55]

I gotcha. Right now I'm paying $50 /month for both me and my girlfriend, so $100 total. She set it up and I'm sure that I'm overpaying, but you know how that goes... I installed Google Voice mainly just to see how it worked, and that's when it hit me that I could completely eliminate ALL of it if I just had a way for clients to text me.

I have an old Samsung phone with no SIM in it, and I just saw that TextFree works just fine. I'm tempted to just pay off my new phone, cancel the service, then pay $10 /month for both of us to have TextFree. The ONLY disadvantage is if she has an emergency somewhere (like a flat tire) then she couldn't call for help, but in 20 years that's never actually happened! So is it worth paying $100 /month for that? I dunno...

[Jonesy]

The ONLY disadvantage is if she has an emergency somewhere (like a flat tire) then she couldn't call for help,

Au Contraire ... well, in the U.S.A anyway.
She can call 911 on any cell phone -- even unsubscribed..
I've used 911 on several occasions when my vehicle broke down.
I professed being a road and safety hazard and requested a tow truck.
No issue with the 911 operator each time.

[csdude55]

I was thinking more along the lines of AAA; a flat tire or busted hose rather than a real emergency. Or even lower down the pole, she's on the road and needs me to run a work-related errand for her.

From the work perspective, I guess it's worth the $100. If the delay makes me lose one client then that loss could offset the savings for a year :-( Oh well.

[LifeinAsia]

profits are more to do with stock sales

Actually, noting to do with it, unless the company is (buying and) selling the stocks of OTHER companies.

Issuance of new Google shares would result in additional cash (assets) on the balance sheet, not revenue (so no effect on profit).

Sales of outstanding Google shares on the stock exchange is a transaction between the person selling the stock and the person buying the stock- Google doesn't get any money from that transaction. Even if the person selling the stock is a Googler (Alphabetter?), that's a private sale by an individual, and the money goes to the person, not Google.