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As more entrepreneurs are dispensing with land-line phones in favor of mobile and Internet ones, more services are coming on the market for them. For free and low-cost voice and video calls, check out the following:
Gizmo5 has free software that lets you make and receive free voice and video calls to and from any other Gizmo5 user via computer. (Mobile and land-line phone calls have low charges.) Features include IM, texting, voicemail, call recording and more.
Google Talk also provides voice and video chat plus instant messaging between you and your Google contacts.
If having to be at your computer for the duration of free calls leaves something to be desired, then add Jaxtr, which lets you make and receive calls on your mobile phone to and from other Jaxtr users in more than 50 countries for free via local phone numbers.
ooVoo is free software that lets you make and record video chats, send video and text messages, and more for free.
Skype
is similar to Gizmo5 in that its free software lets you make voice and video calls from your
computer to anyone, anywhere with a computer or phone at low rates. When you and the person you're speaking with are both Skype users, the calls are free. And if you watch Oprah, you already know she's a big Skype user.
Similar to Jaxtr, Talkster gives you local numbers to make free long distance and international calls via computer or mobile phone. You can also do group calls, make free calls to mobile phones with your Skype account, chat with your Facebook friends, and more.
For free directory assistance, use 1-800-Free-411 for business, residential, and government listings and 1-800-Goog-411 for local business listings.
And if you're an iPhone user, get replacement batteries from iPodJuice and change them yourself instead of leaving your phone for days at an Apple service center. (I'm not knocking Apple, I'm just saying...) iPodJuice also has other products and repair services for both iPhones and iPods.
Gizmo5 has free software that lets you make and receive free voice and video calls to and from any other Gizmo5 user via computer. (Mobile and land-line phone calls have low charges.) Features include IM, texting, voicemail, call recording and more.
Google Talk also provides voice and video chat plus instant messaging between you and your Google contacts.
If having to be at your computer for the duration of free calls leaves something to be desired, then add Jaxtr, which lets you make and receive calls on your mobile phone to and from other Jaxtr users in more than 50 countries for free via local phone numbers.
ooVoo is free software that lets you make and record video chats, send video and text messages, and more for free.
Skype
Similar to Jaxtr, Talkster gives you local numbers to make free long distance and international calls via computer or mobile phone. You can also do group calls, make free calls to mobile phones with your Skype account, chat with your Facebook friends, and more.
For free directory assistance, use 1-800-Free-411 for business, residential, and government listings and 1-800-Goog-411 for local business listings.
And if you're an iPhone user, get replacement batteries from iPodJuice and change them yourself instead of leaving your phone for days at an Apple service center. (I'm not knocking Apple, I'm just saying...) iPodJuice also has other products and repair services for both iPhones and iPods.
If you use chat or instant messaging (IM) with your clients and team members on a regular basis, you can access and use all of your IM accounts in one place and for free at these sites:
- Instan-T Messenger lets you IM your contacts on your AOL, Google Talk, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo IM accounts in one place. You can also do multi-person video chat on any of your IM networks, all for free and without ads or spyware.
- Meca lets you IM on your AOL, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo accounts in one place. It also lets you create custome skins, send message blasts, translate your messages into other languages, and more.
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Meebo lets you IM on AOL, Facebook, Flixster, Google, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, MySpace, and Yahoo. It also has meebo chat rooms, meebo mobile (IM on your phone), the meebo me widget for your website or blog (see mine on the left), and more.
Telecommuting is a growing way to get business done, and one of the most useful ways to connect with clients and team members from wherever you and they are is conferencing. It can also be used for teleseminars and video seminars.
Dimdim is a free web-based meeting resource for collaborating on projects, delivering seminars, and more. Includes audio chat and video broadcasting via webcam.
FreeConference lets you make conference calls for free with the Reservationless Standard package. Get your own dedicated dial-in number and access code for impromptu group calls. Only pay long distance charges, if necessary. Additional paid services, such as 800# conferencing, are available.
TeleJunctions lets you have free conference calls and Web conferencing with FreeBridge. Get your own access number for all your calls. Only pay for long distance charges, if necessary.
Zoho Meeting lets you meet online, show your documents, and do more with its free Web conferencing service.
Dimdim is a free web-based meeting resource for collaborating on projects, delivering seminars, and more. Includes audio chat and video broadcasting via webcam.
FreeConference lets you make conference calls for free with the Reservationless Standard package. Get your own dedicated dial-in number and access code for impromptu group calls. Only pay long distance charges, if necessary. Additional paid services, such as 800# conferencing, are available.
TeleJunctions lets you have free conference calls and Web conferencing with FreeBridge. Get your own access number for all your calls. Only pay for long distance charges, if necessary.
Zoho Meeting lets you meet online, show your documents, and do more with its free Web conferencing service.
There are plenty of companies that offer free email accounts, such as AOL, Google (gmail), Microsoft (hotmail), Yahoo, and others. However, as an entrepreneur, it is beneficial for the email address you use to communicate with your clients and customers to reflect the level of professionalism with which you serve them.
In my opinion, the ideal is to have an email address with a domain name that is distinctly yours, e.g. yourname@yourbusinessname.com. This requires you to purchase a domain name. A related ideal: If you intend to create a website for your business, it is oh so helpful to buy/register your domain name with the company that is going to host your website so you can avoid the domain transfer downtime and fees. You can do both with the following companies:
Go Daddy has some of the best pricing on domain names, website hosting and related services that I've found, and their customer service is excellent. For every domain name you purchase (prices vary by extension, e.g. .com, .net, .us, etc.), you get a free corresponding email account.
Microsoft® Office Live Small Business gives you 100 email accounts with your business' domain name as well as many other freebies when you sign up. The domain name and emails are free for the first year and $14.95/year thereafter.
Network Solutions is one of the most well-known domain registrars and offers products and services that are similar to Go Daddy's. (The price comparisons I've done show that they're higher at Network Solutions but you may have other considerations that outweigh cost.)
Yahoo! gives you a free domain name, 1000 email addresses, and more when you purchase a Web hosting plan. (Pricing varies for monthly and annual plans.)
In my opinion, the ideal is to have an email address with a domain name that is distinctly yours, e.g. yourname@yourbusinessname.com. This requires you to purchase a domain name. A related ideal: If you intend to create a website for your business, it is oh so helpful to buy/register your domain name with the company that is going to host your website so you can avoid the domain transfer downtime and fees. You can do both with the following companies:
Go Daddy has some of the best pricing on domain names, website hosting and related services that I've found, and their customer service is excellent. For every domain name you purchase (prices vary by extension, e.g. .com, .net, .us, etc.), you get a free corresponding email account.
Microsoft® Office Live Small Business gives you 100 email accounts with your business' domain name as well as many other freebies when you sign up. The domain name and emails are free for the first year and $14.95/year thereafter.
Network Solutions is one of the most well-known domain registrars and offers products and services that are similar to Go Daddy's. (The price comparisons I've done show that they're higher at Network Solutions but you may have other considerations that outweigh cost.)
Yahoo! gives you a free domain name, 1000 email addresses, and more when you purchase a Web hosting plan. (Pricing varies for monthly and annual plans.)
Other Cool Communication Resources
CellSwapper lets you get out of your cell phone contract without paying the early termination fee by swapping it with someone who wants it for just $18.95.Dopplr is a free online service that lets frequent travelers share travel plans and connect with friends and colleagues.
Iwiletter is a free online service that prints, stuffs, stamps, and mails letters that you write (on the site) to anywhere in the U.S. for just $2 each. As postage, paper and ink costs continue to rise, this is a good deal, especially when you can't easily get to a post office!
LangOver is a free language converter - not translator - that converts what you write into the foreign language of your choice (Chinese, French, Greek, Russian, Spanish, etc.) and its alphabet or characters.
ReadTheWords is a service that converts text into audio files that you can upload to your site for customers who speak English, Spanish, and/or French. (Excellent if you have customers who are visually impaired.) It's free for up to 3 recordings; after that you must upgrade to the Silver Membership level for $19.99/year or Gold for $34.99/year.