WordPress has made it very easy to “follow” WP hosted blogs, with the inclusion of a “Follow” widget. Occasionally, I’ll take a quick peek at a new follower’s Gravatar profile simply out of curiosity. Far too often, these profiles list a personal telephone number.
Here’s a recent example, with the telephone number blacked out for obvious reasons.
There may be a good reason why this person has chosen to post his telephone number openly on the Internet – but, I can’t think of one that satisfies the most basic of privacy considerations.
It’s not as if there aren’t solutions to freely posting a contact telephone number – without compromising a “real” telephone number – there are. One such solution, and a free solution at that, is offered by Babble.ly.
Rather than focus on the single issue illustrated by the example I’ve laid out above – I’ll rerun last year’s article on Babble.ly. instead. This article provides an overview of how Babble.ly works, and how you might benefit from this free service.
Originally posted January 26, 2011
Privacy is a major issue for most people who use the Internet; particularly those who use web based listing service such as eBay, Craigslist, and online dating services. Not surprisingly, to interact with these services, participants need to provide a contact phone number.
Not all participants feel comfortable in providing their home, business, or cell phone numbers to unknown parties that can conceivably place them at risk. So, how can you address this challenge, if you fit into this category?
Luckily there are a number of free services that offer solutions to this problem. The new kid on the block is babble.ly – currently in Beta. Babble.ly (currently in Beta provides a connection service, by way of a URL, which you can post – instead of your actual phone number.
Those with access to this unique URL can call you – with Babble.ly acting as an intermediary which effectively protects your real phone number, as well as the phone number of the caller.
In testing, the process went smoothly and the step by step instructions were clear and very easy to follow.
First, I entered my phone number. The number in the following graphic is a “dummy” number. I did, in fact, enter my real number. After which, I pushed the “Create Link” button.
Verifying my number (as per the instructions), prompted a call from the service …….
It was a simple matter to enter the required verification code from my handset.
Finally, I’ve got my link.
Clicking on the link you have provided the recipient (which I did), will open the following self explanatory screen.
In testing, the call completed flawlessly.
Fast facts:
Easy – Get a free disposable link for your phone number. Post it to Facebook, Twitter, forums, dating sites, anywhere you want!
Private – When the link is clicked, babble.ly will connect your call. Your number always remains private. Don’t want to talk now? Reject the call!
Customizable – Keep the link as long as you want. Done with the link? Revoke it. Log in, or call 415-325-2003 for our automated system.
If you’re looking for a free, safe solution, as an alternative to posting your phone number anywhere on the Internet, Babble.ly should appeal to you.
Note: Calls are limited to 10 minutes and, to U.S. and Canadian numbers during the beta.
Connect with Babble.ly – here.
Bill Mullins' Weblog - Tech Thoughts 