Free Telephone services for Social sites.

There is a significant change occurring in the way people communicate. Companies and networking sites are offering free VoIP services over their platforms.  This has been around for a while but the idea that you can communicate for free over websites (and Apps) is picking up speed and may disrupt your service providers’ future plans. The ability to make phone calls, leave voicemail, video conference, and send messages for free (with a simple internet connection) are a strong advancement in communications.  These services would give users a lower cost (in some cases completely free) to communicate with their loved ones, friends, and business associates. Google, Microsoft and Facebook offer the most popular features through VoIP; which allows you to make phone calls over the internet. For those who are curious, here is a breakdown of their services:

Google Voice:  

• Requires a Gmail account to activate your personal phone number through Google Voice.
• You can call anyone in the country (& Canada) for free. The recipients don’t have to be a Google Voice subscriber, so they can call you back at your Google Voice number.
• International calls are 1-2 cents per minute and inbound international calls are the same.
• It offers all of the traditional telephony features like voicemail, call forwarding, conferencing etc.

Skype:

• Allows you to communicate with anyone who has a Skype account, for free.
• In the US they charge $2.99 per month to call unlimited, non-Skype numbers.
• Offers video conferencing, voice calls, messaging, voicemail and 3 way calling.
• They offer a free phone number (for those without an account) but it is $30 a year.

Facebook:

• Requires download of their messenger application. Once you have merged your contacts you have the option of making a free VoIP call to anyone you are friends with.
• Separately Facebook offers Video chat and messaging but they aren’t on the same platform.
• The service doesn’t include a native voicemail but offers a voice recording feature. To use this you press and hold the record button (where you would usually type a message) and speak your message. When you release the button the recording is sent as a message to the intended user.

VoIP services were designed to relay voice over the internet and are being implemented more and more on social networking platforms. Instead of using traditional phone lines and outdated switching stations, VoIP merges voice with visual and audio into one connection path. Everyone you know is on Facebook and communicating with them on a personal level has just become easier. However, it’s not very professional to contact a client this way. That is where Google Voice comes in; it provides you with the same functionality of your office phone without the cost. Skype bridges the gap between personal and professional and is an acceptable platform for video conferencing (and voice) across the world.

The options for free VoIP communication are out there. They do not follow the traditional paths we are accustomed to but certainly traverse high cost and are financially efficient.  VoIP is the natural selection for internet communication and as these types of service grow, service providers may need to reevaluate their business structure.