WebRev Blog

I wrote about Google Voice back in August, and how it might be giving VOIP services like Skype some competition.  Well, now, according to the Google Voice Blog, the service is getting an early Christmas from Santa Claus, and making some kids very happy in the process:

If you or your kids have a special request or message for Santa, you can leave him a message at his Google Voice number: 855-34-SANTA. Although he’s too busy to return messages himself, you can always create one on his behalf at the Send a Call From Santa site.

Ready to spread some holiday cheer? Listen to a sample message, and visit sendacallfromsanta.com to send a message of your own.

And don’t forget—if you want to keep up with Santa as he travels around the globe delivering presents on Christmas Eve, you can track his journey on Google Maps, on Google Earth with the plug-in and on your mobile phone, too.

I just sent one to a friend, and I thought it was adorable.  I customized the nicknames used, added some other personal touches, and even chose which "holiday" we were celebrating (in this case, Christmas, but I could have sent a Chunukah greeting, or one of several others).  The message can be sent by phone, e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter - all for FREE.  Yes, it's an advertisement for Google Voice, but that's only fair, no?

Ho ho ho!

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

I've used Google Voice for a long time, as a way to protect the privacy of my actual home phone #.  I love it. It can be used as a stand-alone voice-mail service, or it can be simply forwarded to one or more phones.  But it just got even better.

Now, you can make calls from your computer using Google Voice - for free within the U.S. and Canada (rates apply to international calls). It's easy.  You'll need a Google account, of course (does anyone seriously not have one of those? Come on!  If you use G-Mail, when you're logged in, in the lower left column, you'll see a "Call Phone" link with a little phone receiver.  Click on that, and follow the instructions.  Or, just go to voice.google.com, and sign up from there.

I tried it - the sound quality is great, and it's simple to use.  Go try it!

Also see: Mashable: Google Brings Voice Calling to Gmail and TechCrunch: Google Voice Integrated into Gmail. Make and Receive Calls from the Browser.

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking.