Thoughts on Google Voice…

* a link to the site.... :)

This discussion question was a sigh of fresh air because I have actually heard of and used the website suggested before! Until a year or so ago, I had a Google voice number and I found that it was helpful in a few ways. It offered me a second number to put on resumes and you can have the voice mails left on it forwarded to your 'original' number. You can also- I am not sure how as my ex did all that- set it up so that it will transcribe the message and send it to your email. It you have a limited cell phone plan and no house phone, a google voice number can really save you some minutes because you get the message without using any minutes to check the voice mail and it helps you to be able to only use your minutes for the important calls you wish to make. My cell company also had a way online to put a few numbers as family and frequent call numbers that would allow anyone to call those numbers and not use minutes... or I could use it and not use minutes. Our family and close friends would always call us on the Google voice number and so we were able to use the minimum phone plan with very few minutes but not really feel any kind of a pinch or too limited. It also would keep records of the calls which ended up being really helpful sometimes. I never used it to make calls straight from the computer because that option wasn't one that I needed, but I do like the program nonetheless as it was so useful in other ways. The only reason I let the number lapse was that I have an unlimited plan now and since I didn't use it on the computer, it was a small hassle to keep. But I would cheerfully sign up again if needed. It was great! Only downside that I saw was that the transcription would sometimes have problems based on ways that words could be pronounced or with accents... so I might need to make small translations of the translation myself- very rarely was the translation so off that I needed to listen to the message to figure it out. It would transcribe things like Harry Beattie to 'Harry Baby' due to his accent. Minor things like that really weren't an issue and did make me giggle.

So I watched the videos- there were twelve that seemed to be the starter ones. And I feel like I learned a few things and I remembered a few things that I loved about it like the personalized greetings. I had a few of those in the past and I really liked those... at least I had fun with them. I also learned about blocking calls- I didn't know you could do that nor did I know about the option for conference calls. This project has sort of convinced me to possibly sign up again. :)

Have you used it before? What are your thoughts?

The Nun Files: Beginning Discussion and Diary

Well, I have finally finished the transcription! Between everything else going on, it took me all summer. I will admit that I am glad that it is done and I can turn it in... and be able to share it with you... and my teacher who I am sure is just dying to grade it! OK, maybe that's not true. :)

So I am going to break the interview into a few parts because the interview as transcribed is almost fifty pages long - not double spaced. For those of you who are interested in buying the book that this beautiful sister has written(which both myself and my son adore) please look at the fifth and final transcription post for details. You can also leave a comment with an email address for me and I will make sure that you get the information if you need more specific information. All the money made from the books goes to a great cause which is described near the end of the fifth post on the interview.

Interview Diary

The interview was conducted in the convent kitchen. As the convent is a small home set up for one person, it is a very cozy place. Before the official interview, we introduced ourselves to each other and had some light chat about each other. We gave some basic facts about each other and our likes and lives. The kitchen was pleasantly lived in. Not austere and empty like I might have expected. It was warm, comfortable and the perfect interview spot. The interview occurred over a period of about four hours with some breaks due to convent business- it goes without saying that a nun has very few 'days off.' All recording breaks have been marked on the transcript and the recording was paused to be sure to keep the anonymity of those who were calling for personal and private reasons. The interview was performed in the kitchen with almost no movement- any movement is marked on the transcript. Just two women having a comfortable chat with large mugs of tea. It was a great time and very enlightening! I appreciated the opportunity. :)