[sf-lug] Centralised phone number for Linux Support

[Jason Turner]

I just woke up to GrandCentral.com last weekend when a couple of 
associates mentioned it.  They're part of the closed beta and by all 
reports, this service is delivering and is absolutely fantastic.  Who 
knows what the service cost will actually be now that Google is part of 
the picture.  Originally free for managing only two numbers, $15/mo for 
up to six numbers and additional features.

I dunno of another similar service, but as Jim suggests below, it may be 
possible to do something interesting with asterisk and sf-lug.com.  
Asterisk users, what's your take on GC?

--
jt



jim stockford wrote:
> a reaction: great idea.
>     someone has to pay for the phone and some ones
> have to be willing to put in some time.
>     this might best be done using VoIP and software
> such as asterisk.
>
> On Sep 14, 2007, at 5:01 PM, Tom Haddon wrote:
>
>   
>> Hi Folks,
>>
>> I've been mulling over an idea that came up in my head after reading
>> about Grand Central:
>>
>> http://www.grandcentral.com/
>>
>> The idea is related to phone support for the Hayes Valley Learning
>> Center project that a few members on the list have been working on, but
>> could related more generally to a number of other projects. I was
>> thinking that often non-technical users need support, especially in
>> something they're as unfamiliar with as Linux, and that ongoing support
>> is pretty vital to the success of any project like that. Preferably
>> phone support, because if they could get online and/or get to a
>> ticketing system to enter a problem for a support team to deal with,
>> chances are they don't have a problem in the first place :)
>>
>> So, are there any sustainable free centralized phone services like 
>> Grand
>> Central out there (or Grand Central itself) that anyone has experience
>> with and could recommend? What I'm looking for (in an ideal world):
>>
>> - One phone number that could be relied upon to last for a good few
>> years at least
>> - You could subscribe multiple phones to this number at will
>> - Voicemail if no forwarding numbers are subscribed
>> - Email notification of messages and online storage of voicemail
>>
>> This would allow for a fairly nebulous group (like the SF LUG) to
>> provide a project with one support phone number to call, and behind the
>> scenes (and without too much administration) to turn that into a phone
>> support system that would be reliable enough to cope with members
>> leaving/joining the project and/or being away on holiday or something.
>>
>> Any ideas or recommendations?
>>
>> Thanks, Tom
>>
>> P.S. All I know about Grand Central I read on their website. I haven't
>> used them and while I tried to sign up, it seems like they're in a
>> closed beta at the moment.
>>
>> -- 
>>
>>
>> ----------------------------------
>> Tom Haddon
>> mailto:tom at greenleaftech.net
>> m +1.415.871.4180
>> www.greenleaftech.net
>>
>>
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>>     
>
>
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