Get Google Voice For Your ARES Group

If you haven’t looked at Google Voice, a new free voicemail and call management service, you really should. Among the cool things it does is convert voice messages into text messages and deliver them to your email.

You get a free number for use with your Google Voice account. I have a couple, including 209-565-HAMS for our ARES group.

That number normally rings on my cellphone, but it can be configured to ring several phones at once. That has obvious potential for use as a single number can could call several ARES leaders at once for emergency activation requests.

Even if you can’t find an EMCOMM use, I think Google Voice is worth playing with.

(Google Voice is an invitation-only service, as Google rolls it out in a measured fashion. If you apply today, you will get an invitation in a week or so, if my friends’ experiences are a guide).