Should Your Phone Number Be on Your Website?
One of the things you will hear repeatedly as you work online is that you need to be real and make sure that you have contact information on your business website. The reason for this is simple . . . there are so many scams out there these days that people want to make sure you are a real human being and real contact info helps them feel safer.
But what about the nasties out there? We have been warned time and time again of the dangers of putting any personal info out on the internet because it could lead to stalkers, so what is the happy medium?
It probably depends on each person. I, for example, blog about my family life and put photos of my children online, which many people would never do. Your level of comfort with the internet will affect how much you put out there.
What do you think? Is it a good idea to put your telephone number out there? How did you resolve the situation?
If I were to put my number up (I don’t have it up now), I would get a Skype number, they don’t have Skype numbers for Canada, so I could pick which ever city in the US I wanted my number to be from. Then people may think I live in an entirely different country.
I´d say it depends on what you are using your site for. If there is a commercial intent I think the number should be shown. It´s very rare that you´ll actually get called, but it contributes a great deal to building trust. If you expect people to send you money they should be able to see your number.
I agree that putting a skype button on your page if its a commercial page enhances your relationship with potential customers. Trust is built very quickly when someone has the ability to talk to you. There is no real privacy danger with skype that I’m aware of.
I think Skype would be an excellent option. I actually wasn’t aware of the Skype numbers that are available in the US.
I use sprint as my cell provider, they have a plan where you can get a second phone free and split minutes between the phones or share the minutes. Which is what I did, one phone for business in the real world, and a second for the online world that I also work in. I never pick up the phone when it rings unless I recognize the number or it’s ID’ed. this way whoever it is can leave a message and if they really want to get a hold of me, they will leave a message eventually if they didn’t at first. I am however going to get askype account so I can do recorded phone conversations, which I intend on doing podcasts with. One of my first podcasts will be with the “@home mom” for my single parents forum.
I use Magicjack. It’s $40. You plug in to your computer, pick a phone number. The rest is history. Reception is great. I suggest you look into it.