Contact Phone Numbers on Caches

[CoyoteRed]

While looking at some of the new caches in the area I came across one that referenced a service I didn't know about--free voice mail.

 

Anytime the subject of properly marking caches comes up, the issue of whether to include a phone number is debated. This service practically removes that debate. I've signed up and played with it a bit. It's a service from NetZero and can be found at privatephone.com.

 

It works as advertised though I've not been able to test the mobile alert function as my cellphone service doesn't do text messaging. (Yeah, I know. I behind the times.) I have no idea how these folks are making their money as advertising is a minimal and I'm not getting any sort of pitch during the call or anything. You record your own greeting.

 

This appears to be a good way to put a phone number as contact information on a cache, or given to a land steward, without giving up privacy. It should go a long way in lending the aura of legitimacy to a placement and still have a bit of insulation.

 

The service probably could be used as an announcement for a mystery cache, or phone-a-hint as was used on the cache where I discovered it. Probably should check the terms carefully, though. I did a cursory check and didn't see anything that would prohibit this type of use.

 

I hope this helps.

[bogleman]

nice link, thanks. I know several folks who could use this.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Could be useful.

 

The trade-offs (and the key to why it's 'free') are found in the Terms of Service, most notably:

NetZero will collect, store, compile and utilize information about you, your computer, your phone number and your use of the NetZero Services including, without limitation, information regarding the Web sites you visit and information that you provide in response to NetZero questionnaires, surveys and registration forms. NetZero may provide this information to third parties including advertisers, clients, marketing organizations and others.

 

Plus, when you sign up for the number you also sign up for a NetZero ISP account.

 

Too good to be true is always too good to be true!

 

Free? Only if you are willing to sell your privacy, fill your inbox and have marketers ringing your real phone at all hours for it!

 

Ed

[CoyoteRed]

Free? Only if you are willing to sell your privacy, fill your inbox and have marketers ringing your real phone at all hours for it!

 

That remains to be seen. A name and an email address is the only thing needed to sign up. As for a real phone number, it's not needed.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

That remains to be seen. A name and an email address is the only thing needed to sign up. As for a real phone number, it's not needed.

 

Hey, I'm not fussing, it could be a cool tool if you don't mind the trade-offs!

 

And yes, you have to give them your real phone number if you want an incoming message to be sent to your phone (otherwise you have to log in regularly to check - most folks will, I think, want the alert).

 

Ed

[+lacey38655]

I actually signed up for the free voice mail last night before reading this forum. I have given out my number to everyone in my cell phone. I use text messaging, but alot of people don't. Especially the older people. You give out the number assigned to you, then when someone calls it, they recieve your greeting. You will then recieve a message in an email saying you have voice messages. You then log into your netscape account and check those messages. If you have a cellular service that is supported you will recieve a text message, that you have voicemail. unfortunatly cellular south does not give you this option. Another thing, you can check your messages from your cell, by dialing your number and using a pin to retrieve the messages.

 

I recieve alot of calls on my cell during the day while I am at work. My phone stays on silent. This way I am actually screening the calls through email, before wasting my minutes calling someone back.

[+Renegade Knight]

I used a similar service a long time ago. It worked fairly well. Then it died which free things have a way of doing.

[+Blucruz]

I'm going to give it a shot. we'll see what happens I guess. I actually used Netzero for a time before I got DSL and their services worked fine for me. I think I'll make a cache where you have to solve a puzzle to get the phone# & I'll record the coordinates to the cache on the message...could be interesting.

[CoyoteRed]

I used a similar service a long time ago. It worked fairly well. Then it died which free things have a way of doing.

 

I'm thinking this is freebie to entice folks to join their full-blown telephony service. It's a service of NetZero and figure it's like their free ISP service versus their pay service.

 

A lot of freebie stuff does go by the wayside if there is nothing else to support it. I recently found tinypic.com and was leery of it until I saw it was PhotoBucket service. Not that I need it, but if I ever do it's more likely to be there than if nothing else was supporting it.

[+Bad_CRC]

I leave my email address on the cache... I find it hard to believe there are people who don't at least *know* someone who has access to email.

[+John Wayne Pooch]

actually, i use a free voicemail service for my geocache. it is only there so cachers who get to my cache can call the number and leave a voice log. when they leave a message, it sends a wave file to my email account. and it is completly free. you do not have to log in, listen to ads, nothing..... you nor the people who call the number have to listen to ads.

 

when you call the number, you hear me and then the tone to leave a message. then it is sent to me via email as a wave file. i then convert it to a smaller MP3 and have a link to the messages so others who visit the cache page can hear the messages left. so far three out of five visitors have left voice logs. cool.

 

i wanted to set it up where people would have to find the phone number, then call it to get the info for the next coords. BUT i guess it is against the rules and would not be allowed. i guess they are updating the guidelines and this is one thing to be included. IT SUCKS but i guess that's just the way it is.

 

here are the links to my geocache http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...00-31971bbae69e

 

and to the free voicemail service http://k7.net

[+Renegade Knight]

I used a similar service a long time ago. It worked fairly well. Then it died which free things have a way of doing.

 

I'm thinking this is freebie to entice folks to join their full-blown telephony service. It's a service of NetZero and figure it's like their free ISP service versus their pay service.

 

A lot of freebie stuff does go by the wayside if there is nothing else to support it. I recently found tinypic.com and was leery of it until I saw it was PhotoBucket service. Not that I need it, but if I ever do it's more likely to be there than if nothing else was supporting it.

Sorry, I should have left off the editorial. My point was that I have used a similar service in the past and it worked well.

[+Bad_CRC]

it is completly free. you do not have to log in, listen to ads, nothing..... you nor the people who call the number have to listen to ads

 

how do they make money?? volume!!!

 

[+John Wayne Pooch]

it is completly free. you do not have to log in, listen to ads, nothing..... you nor the people who call the number have to listen to ads

 

how do they make money?? volume!!!

 

that is a good question???

there are ads in the email but they are text and not spam or adscreens. i don't get it either but they have been around for a while. i have had the phone number for a while. the down fall. the phone number must be active, inactivity for much longer than a month will cause you to lose the number. ie. some one calls it or you log into the website.

[+nikcap]

I leave my email address on the cache... I find it hard to believe there are people who don't at least *know* someone who has access to email.

 

While this is true, an email address does no good in the case of an "emergency".

 

If the bomb squad has surrounded your cache and is about to blow it to smithereens, I highly doubt they'll sit around clicking the get mail button on their AOL waiting for your reply.

 

This looks like a useful service. I'd love to hear feedback on how it works out.

[+DutchBoy]

sorry duplicate post

Edited October 26, 2006 by DutchBoy

[+Cache Heads]

If the bomb squad has surrounded your cache and is about to blow it to smithereens, I highly doubt they'll sit around clicking the get mail button on their AOL waiting for your reply.

But they'll take the time to call your voicemail... and they'll actually care what you have to say on it? What is the difference between reading the words "OFFICIAL GEOCACHE - WWW.GEOCACHING.COM" and hearing the same thing on a voicemail? Just write "NOT A BOMB" on the container, if you're worried about it.... it's takes up less space than a phone number +area code and carries just as much merit as a voicemail message would.

 

(I'm picturing the bomb squad huddling around a cell phone going "Oh!! We thought it was pronounced geocachay.... now we can all go home!" )

 

EDIT: BTW, CR-- I know this topic wasn't about the phone number debate... thanks for providing the info-- it could definitely be cool for a mystery, multi, event, etc...

Edited October 26, 2006 by Cache Heads

[+Allen_L]

I'm picturing the bomb squad huddling around an ammo box going "Oh!! It says "NOT A BOMB" ... now we can all go home!"

[+Cache Heads]

I'm picturing the bomb squad huddling around an ammo box going "Oh!! It says "NOT A BOMB" ... now we can all go home!"

That was my point.

[CoyoteRed]

BTW, CR-- I know this topic wasn't about the phone number debate... thanks for providing the info-- it could definitely be cool for a mystery, multi, event, etc...

 

No problem.

 

You did spark an idea though. An event hotline or latest news. You can call it at the last minute to get updates for location changes due to weather, etc. The question is how long of a greeting you can record as I've not found anything mentioning length.

[Marmacette]

Is there anybody aware of this type of service (free phone number+voicemail) for Canada ? Because NetZero doesn't offer that service up north

[+Team Wolf Clan]

There is also a service that will provide a follow me toll free number, but it cost some money. The number can be fowarded to any phone number that the user wants in the U.S. I don't know if service is availiable outside the U.S..

[+halffast]

What about us that have never had or will never have a cell phone???? I supose this wont do me any good...Carry on

[CoyoteRed]

What about us that have never had or will never have a cell phone???? I supose this wont do me any good...Carry on

 

You don't need a cell phone. I get my alerts via email.

 

We personally don't mind putting our real cellphone numbers on the cache, so it really doesn't help us in this instance.

[heckle]

Just a thought for those who are worried about even giving out an e-mail address on a cache or even worried about spam. I have used a service called sneakemail for a couple of years now. I used a sneakemail address to sign up for the netzero service. This does seem a handy item to use for a cache and I haev a few ideras already. If your interested in the sneakemail, the website is: http://sneakemail.com