I went to the link provided me in the invitation email, put in my zip code and tried to find an available number.. no number available. Okay.. it says in the help that zip codes are restrictive, so put in your area code instead. I put in my area code and… NO NUMBERS IN MY AREA CODE! ARRGH!

I suppose I will have to wait and read the reviews of other folks. Did you get an invitation?  Try it out and let me know what you think! If you would LIKE an invite, SIGN UP HERE ON GOOGLE and see what happens.

If you just want more information on Google Voice, check out this video provided by Google.

Yes, I have asked them to stop. So have others…but they are addicted.  It wouldn’t be so bad if it was all in good fun, but there are other things involved.  Not only some basic “netiquette” but some spam prevention and corporate image protection! Yes, it’s true! Read on for more:

If you MUST forward emails (and I really don’t think you MUST.. is someone holding a gun to your head FORCING you to do it?!?):

• Please delete ALL previous email addresses, information and comments when forwarding email.
• When emailing more than one person, keep email addresses private by using the BCC (“blind carbon copy”) feature of your email program. If you need others to know who you sent it to, type CC and a list of names at the bottom of your email to keep addresses private.

Not only is this polite (conversely, not doing so is RUDE), but it could prevent some bad things from happening:

1. If anyone’s email is a work address, the company name or the recipient’s professional name could be associated with the dirty joke or political bent or whatever is the content of the email.  Remember, we have trusted YOU with our private email address, not your friends. Would you want to risk your friend’s business reputation?

2. Every forwarded email is a spam harvester’s bonanza of valid email addresses. Many email services automatically add names to your address book.. including spammers. Just hitting “forward to address book” can include a spammer. Even if your email program does not do this, or you only forwarded the email to certain people, THEY might “forward to address book.”  Remember, we have trusted YOU with our private email address, not your friends.

(Yes that was worth bolding twice. There are close family members who I have only given the email address I use for websites/newsletters/junk because they can’t be trusted with a private one.)

3. NEVER forward any of those “scare” emails.. the ones saying “there’s a virus going around and here’s how to get rid of it…” or “eating cheese causes death…” or whatever current scare is going around. NEVER do anything to your computer that you are told to do in an email.

Check out the following articles:

CC’ing Your Company’s Image

E-mail Security Tip: Forward Responsibly

Note in that last article the first section is “Willing to receive:” : Make sure your recipient WANTS your forwarded emails.

If someone asks you not to be included on your forward or mailing list, please don’t be offended.  This doesn’t mean we don’t want to hear from YOU, it means we don’t want any more JUNK.  Surely, you can drop us a line and let us know what’s going on in your life without including jokes, videos, scare mail, etc., can’t you? You can’t say that you think we’ll be interested in those if we specifically ask you not to send them.

HERE ARE MY PREFERENCES:

For the record, I DO NOT WANT any forwarded emails or articles. I do not want any videos, or .pdf or any kinds of files in my inbox unless we have agreed in advance. If you think there is something I would be interested in, send me a LINK to where I can find it online…. and JUST me.  Yes, I’m talking to YOU.

DO NOT put my email address in ANY forwarded emails. I don’t care if it’s all family or all people YOU know, THEY may not know not to forward my address anywhere.

DO NOT ASSUME that I agree with your political or religious views and that it’s okay to send me stuff in this regard. I do not want it. These are deleted immediately. Nothing that comes to me in an email is going to change my mind, for one thing. And for another, I don’t like being “grouped” with the rest of your cronies.

I delete anything with videos or other files attached.  Don’t even bother to send them. There are tons of services to which you can upload video, .pdf or other files.  Upload them and send a LINK.  (but first check around.. I have not received one forwarded video or .pdf that I didn’t also find already up on YouTube, google, or some other website.)  Recieving these files in my inbox (and waiting for them to upload to my computer) irritates me and puts you on my !@#$ list for the day.

I love getting emails that are actual communication from friends and family.  When folks send me links and images related to a conversation we’ve been having (either in real life, on a forum or blog, or through the email), I am thrilled.  But when the conversation is over, I DO NOT WANT TO BE ON YOUR MAILING LIST.

What are your preferences? Are you a constant forwarder? Are people still keeping you on their forward list?

Here is his explanation on Social Media.  You can see why it is such a power house these days.

Short Answer: A blog is an internet webpage that is easily updated with articles and pictures. The word “blog” is short for “web log.” That is, a web log or blog is an online journal. While journaling was the original function of a blog, they are now used as websites by themselves due to their ease of use. They are ideal for family newsletters, hobby sites, travel sites, teaching sites and even business sites! In fact, Witchy Tech is actually a blog.

Want to know more? Want a blog of your own? Read on!

Long Answer: Think of a regular website as an advertisement in your newspaper. The advertiser can put up images and words and there it stays every week, until the ad is taken down and a new ad put in its place. This involves changing out the pictures and rewriting the text, and possibly changing the size of the ad which would affect where it is placed in the newspaper. A blog is more like the editorial page of the newspaper. Not only can someone say whatever they wish, but the entire layout of the paper doesn’t need to be changed to accommodate the new articles, AND people can respond and talk about what you’ve written!

Because it is so easy to add content to a blog, it is ideal for hobby sites and family newsletter sites.  A blog has a built-in “dashboard”…a place for the author to go to type in articles and upload pictures from their computer, without having to make or remake the webpage.  Just like a newspaper can add letters to the editorial page without changing the format of the page, a blog can add articles within the framework, or template, of the website.

This makes it ideal for sites that require frequent updates, like a family newsletter site.  For example, we live very far away from family and it is difficult to write letters and send pictures to them all. But I would still like our family and friends to know what is going on in our lives and hear what is going on in theirs.  In order to keep the grandparents and aunts and uncles “in the loop,” I post the latest pictures and news on a blog for them all to see. I just log into my dashboard, click “write a post” and that’s it! I do the same for Witchy Tech, and my husband, Mr. Wonderful, regularly updates his hobby blog the same way.

Incidentally, Mr. Wonderful doesn’t know anything about making webpages, but he does know about his hobby!  Would you like to share your hobby, growing kids or grandkids, travels, your thoughts, or your online community in a blog? It’s EASY!

How do I get a blog of my own?

Well, you can get one for FREE! You do not need to own a webpage or pay any money. The best services I have used are Wordpress.com and Blogger.com. All you have to do is sign up and follow the directions. Even a non-technophile like YOU can do it!

Witchy’s Tip: Try to limit your blog’s topic and theme, and update on a regular basis!

Did you find this article helpful? Did it give you this confidence to make a blog of your own? Please let me know in the comments section! I would love to hear from you!