Unwritten Rules of Texting

Since texting is the main way of communication, whether it is through a mobile or business application or just the phone service providers, it is important to understand some ground rules. First of all, do not text and drive. This has been beaten to a pulp but it seems like some people still need reminding. Don't text sad or bad news, or anything private or confidential. This should be done in person only. Don't text at the dinner table (either at home or in a restaurant), in a movie theater, or when someone is talking to you. I think this seems like a no brainer but people actually whip out their phones when I or someone else was talking to them. Also it is important to be aware of the tone of the text and in case there is some confusion, add a smiley face or something along those lines. Got any more advice on how to use your texting abilities?

Blocking Telemarketers

Just when you thought that the switch of phone services will save you from those telemarketers, they have found you. It is a nuisance and a huge time waster when you are trying to run a business. There are actually apps that you can use to cut down on spam. If your phone is updated to Android 4.4 KitKat there are some built-in features that identify incoming calls. Caller ID by Google will match incoming calls with Google Places listings and display that name on the call screen for you. Unfortunately, this is highly dependent on the company being listed in Google’s business directory. Mr. Number lets you block calls and texts from specific numbers or specific area codes, and it can automatically block private or unknown numbers. It also lets users report spam, so when you get a call from an unknown number, you can see what others have reported about it. iOS 7 has built-in options for blocking numbers. Go to the Contacts app and tap on the contact you want to block or find the number on the Recent Calls tab (clock icon) in your Phone app and tap the circled “i” icon to the right of the number. Both these methods will take you to the contact page for that caller. Scroll to the bottom and click on the Block This Caller.