Google+ Archives - Daniel J. Lewis

Google Voice is a communications web and mobile app that can make and receive phone calls, send and receive SMS, transcribe voicemail, and more. Learn more about its features here or watch the video below.

Here are five creative ways to use Google Voice for business, hobbies, and home.

1. Use Google Voice as a business phone number

Google Voice can forward to any other phone number, and it's easy to make call from a Google Voice number through your computer, mobile device, or any other phone.

I created a Google Voice phone number for my business, and I have the convenience of answering calls either through my personal wireless phone, or my computer through Gmail/Hangouts.

The greatest business feature of Google Voice is the “do not disturb” (DND) feature. This can be enabled on demand, or for any number of minutes, hours, or days. It will not forward Google Voice calls to any of your phones, but send the caller directly to your voicemail inbox. DND is perfect for focus times or preventing business calls in the evenings.

2. Use Google Voice to ring multiple phones

You may be a multiphone person: you have a home phone, wireless phone, and work phone. Your Google Voice number can ring all of these phone simultaneously to ensure you don't miss an important phone call.

But don't just think about your own phones. You could have a single “family” number that rings your phone and your spouse's phone.

If you don't want to continue the conversation from a particular line, press * and you can switch lines.

3. Use Google Voice as a feedback voicemail system

I host several podcasts and love the convenience for my viewers and listeners to send feedback with their own voice. This is especially convenient for celebrities.

Google Voice can be set to never forward to another phone number. This will make it function like a 24-hour voicemail system.

You can have these messages forwarded to any email address (like your podcast feedback address) so you'll have a rough transcript and the audio recording file.

4. Use Google Voice to protect your privacy

Concerned about giving out your home or wireless phone number to businesses? Make a Google Voice number in your local area code and you'll never have to give away personal, direct numbers.

This is also a convenient way of having a local phone number, for the rare case where that actually matters.

My wife and I used a Google Voice number when selling our house. That allowed us to also have a custom voicemail greeting to point callers to our house website for more details when we couldn't answer the phone.

5. Use Google Voice to make and record phone calls with your computer

One of my favorite features of Google Voice is the ability to make a phone call through the Internet. My home office is currently in the lower level of my home, and our home is in a valley. So wireless phone reception isn't always the best.

Google Voice solves this by allowing me to conveniently make and receive phone calls through my computer and not have to worry about wireless signal strength. If I need to leave the computer, I just press * to switch the call to my phone.

Also, by routing a phone call through your computer, you can easily record the call with several apps and devices. This is great for interviews, or conversations you simply need to document.

Why I'm convinced Google Voice isn't going away

I've seen some old fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) about Google Voice's future. But I'm quite convinced that—like Celine Dion, World of Warcraft, and the ending of The Lord of the Rings—Google Voice will go on. Here are several quick reasons.

The Google Voice website uses the standard Google account bar, which is on all of Google's most current and updated properties. (Interestingly, this isn't on FeedBurner, which is the more likely candidate to shut down since it has already ceased development.)
The Google Voice website also uses the same clean design as other, modern Google properties. (Again, FeedBurner doesn't.)
Google Voice calling has been integrated into Hangouts, which enables sending and receiving calls in Gmail, Google+, Google+ Hangouts, and YouTube Live / Google+ Hangouts on Air.
The Hangouts app and Google Voice app for iOS have been recently updated to include phone-calling with a Google Voice number from any iOS device. (Yes, you can even call phones for free from your iPod Touch or iPad!)
The Google Voice app for iOS has finally been updated to iOS 7 design standards (the week before iOS 8's release).

Considering all of these things, I would not be surprised if the Google Voice service is eventually merged completely into Hangouts, but I'm convinced that the core functionality will remain.

How do you use Google Voice?

Photo Credit: gfairchild via Compfight cc

We've all been there. A late-night tweet, a questionable Facebook photo, a deeply held belief that was just offended.

I've decided to make my own list of stuff I won't share on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or any social network. Most of these are things I would recommend that you avoid sharing, too. But I'll write this from my perspective.

1. Relationship problems

Whether I have a disagreement with my wife, breakup a relationship, or get angry at a friend, social networks are not good places to vent.

This is where I can struggle the most with passive-aggressiveness. I, for one, know that some people can really have a hard time not being passive-aggressive!

Instead of sharing my relationship problems with the world, I should talk directly to someone who can actually help. Even better, talk to the other person in the relationship and resolve the issue!

2. (Bad) stuff about clients, employers, or employees

If I share anything bad about business associates, it reveals bad things about my character. I would essentially be talking behind that person's back, and it's fully possible for them to find out.

I also need to think about how this looks to potential business associates. If I said bad stuff about other people I worked with, you may be concerned about what I'd say about you if we work together.

Sometimes, it may even be a good policy to say nothing about a full-time job or clients.

3. Location-revealing updates (rarely)

Yelp, Foursquare, Path, and many other apps can make sharing my location fun and sometimes rewarding. But I don't like telling the world that I'm not home.

I think it's okay to check-in and share special events. But you probably don't need to see every rest stop I visit in competition for the mayor of the porcelain throne.

4. Opinions on highly controversial moral or political issues

Remember passive-aggression? Highly controversial moral issues are more hot topics that can raise hate, hurt, and rarely help.

I think it's fine to discuss these things online, but I would only do it with a limited list of my friends whom I know will appreciate and intelligently discuss it.

I made this mistake big time before and it still hurts today.

5. Food

Sharing recipes is cool. Recommending places to eat can be cool. Posting a photo of my Centuple-Stuffed Oreo™ could also be interesting.

But photos of whatever I'm about to eat—since I'm not a food reviewer—is probably not interesting to almost anyone else.

6. Alcohol

This is definitely a personal choice and may not apply to you. Whether I drink alcohol is up to me. But I have chosen to never publicly endorse alcohol. I know I have minors and Christians of greatly varying beliefs following me.

I'm not saying alcohol is right or wrong, but I like the teachings of the Bible that says to not cause others to stumble because of what I may accept as freedoms.

7. Profanity

Another personal issue, but one that reflects on character and self-control.

I don't use profanity at all, and you'll never see me use it in an actual post. In the rare event that I share something with profanity in it, it has to be really good and I usually give a disclaimer.

I think the Bible is clear that Christians shouldn't use profanity, so I have chosen to not only limit my words, but also keep my attitude in check. (Sometimes the uncontrolled emotions are worse than the words themselves.)

Strong profanity can look bad to employers and potential employers. But maybe profanity is part of your edgy branding. So this is another thing that is really up to you.

8. Every reshare request

“Raise money for spotted puppy awareness!” “Please share this AMAZING thing from SkyMall!” “Please help unite the world around whirled peas!”

There are plenty of good causes to support. But I can't and won't give in to every request to share some cause or campaign. It's not that I don't care, but I just don't think it's something that fits my branding.

Yes, I do reshare quality stuff from others, regardless of whether they ask. If I know them well and they are personally asking me, then I'm more likely to fulfill the request in order to help them. But my social profile shouldn't look like the Foundation for Everything Campaign.

9. Only personally created content

Newsflash: social-networking is about being social. If I want to be social, I shouldn't always talk about myself and only share my stuff.

I often try to start or join conversations and reshare what others post. I'm regularly consuming great content from other people, and I try to share that with my audience.

I don't think it's always “spam” to share one's own stuff. There should be a balance.

10. “Follow Friday” (#FF) and other mention spam

“Follow Friday” was fun in the old days when very few people were on Twitter. Now, it's essentially spam. Have you followed anyone recently because of a #FF tweet?

If I really want to recommend that you follow someone else, the best way for me to do it is to write a quality message explaining why.

I also avoid and try to get out of mention-spam tweets with simple messages. For example, “Happy Monday! @Adam @Bob @Charlie @David @Erin @Frank @Gale @Harry @Irene @Jack @Kevin @Steve”

And for the love of everything beautiful in this world, please do not reply to these tweets by mentioning me and everyone! “@Matt Thanks! @Adam @Bob @Charlie @David @Erin @Frank @Gale @Harry @Irene @Jack @Kevin @Steve”

These are ten personal rules for what not to share on social networks. I know you may disagree with some of my own rules, so tell me why and share your own rules for what you will or won't post online.