Don't Give Up Your Landline Just Yet!

So many people have given up their landlines and have opted to just use their cell phones as their primary means of telephone communication. Although it makes sense in a way, especially due to how heavily people rely on cell phones, you shouldn't give up your landline just yet. At least one good reason is that in a natural disaster, your cell phone is most certainly not going to work. Your landline may be your only means of communication to the outside world in a situation like a hurricane.

An article I read recently said that by 2009, between 23 and 37 percent of wireless cell phone users will use their cell phone as their only telephone. Other users will choose voice over internet, or VoIP, for broadband and phone service because they like to have choices and they are all competing for the lowest prices and plans.

As far as surveys go, however, the traditional landline is said to still the most reliable phone service available. Just contact your phone company to make sure you are getting the best deal and use PhoneHog for free long distance and you won't have to give up your landline or switch your current phone number.

VoIP Offering A Social Network?

With all of the buzz about social networks like MySpace and Facebook, it's no wonder VoIP is introducing its applications to these websites. If you think about how many conversations are initated electronically vs. over the phone, by people using email and instant messaging, it is no wonder that many people think these social networks will replace those forms of communication altogether.

VoIP has plans to embed the voice features as an upgrade, starting with a Facebook voicemail application. And even though I'm not a huge fan of Vonage and other such Voice Over IP products because of the security issues discussed earlier in this blog, this is something for the social networking websites that has a lot of potential.

What do you think about this as an upgrade feature for Facebook? Is it a feature that you would use? You obviously can't do this with traditional telephone service. Maybe I'm old-fashioned but I still trust my landline the most. I get local telephone service for about $25 a month, and I get free long distance with PhoneHog.

I have yet to sign up with Facebook, but if my friends keep making fun of me, I might have to give it a try.