Check your Spam Folder

[scottish-guy]

Likewise, when people ask me why I carry two mobiles, I just tell them the truth - one is my "real" phone and the other (unregistered) one is my Nookie phone. The expression on their face is usually priceless.

And do you tell the nosey parkers to "bog off" when they demand your mobile number or do you give them a dud one?

Can I start by saying that even though it is generally accepted that it was invented by a Scot (I disregard any claims to the contrary) I dislike phones generally - but I can just about see a case for landlines being used Mon-Fri between the hours of 9-5 for matters of life and death only.

Mobiles are however the work of the devil and I hate them with a vengence. This idea that people seem to have gained that they're entitled to contact you at a time which clearly suits them but almost never suits me with the expectation that you are then obliged to a) answer the fucker, and b) listen to what is invariably a pile of frivilous and mindless shite, doesn't sit well with me. For example, I have a "friend" who will call my mobile to tell me that he got a haircut for ┬г3 - who the fuck cares? I tried to tell him gently that the reason for the cut-price haircut was that attaining the age of 57 has caused his facial skin to lose all elasticity to the extent that his already unfortunate fizzog now resembles a scrotum - thus a Tuesday special Old Age Pensioner discount had automatically been assumed and applied - but he insisted that he'd found a "bargain" which he had to share with his (slightly younger but considerably better-looking) sister.

Any "demand" for my mobile number is automatically resisted, but if someone asks politely I will decide on a "need to know" basis if they get it. People on fora/chatrooms/message boards etc get the Nookie phone number, whilst online forms for car insurance quotes (for example) will get an inactive number from 20 years ago. The only people who have my "real" number are BF, friends, family, and professional colleagues. Should anybody else acquire it by nefarious means - that's where iPhone's wonderful "block" function comes into its own. My "block" list is quite extensive.

Another thing - I'm still working and clients these days seem to feel they're entitled to have your mobile number. I don't see it that way - my mobile number is strictly private and since I pay staff to answer my business landlines why should I be answering calls from clients on my mobile?

I know exactly what would happen if I gave my mobile number out to clients - they'd consider it an invitation to call or send SMS whenever it took their whim. I had one occassion where a client obtained my mobile number because I made the mistake of calling her landline from it without witholding it. Some weeks later, what ought to have been a negligible degree of anxiety over a very trivial matter was elevated by her dementia to become a crisis of international proportions causing her to ring every 30 minutes from 6pm one evening to 3am the next morning when the poor cow presumably fell asleep due to exhaustion from pressing telephone buttons for 9 hours. Of course my mobile had been set to silent since 5pm the previous evening, so her calling spree had no effect on me other than to fill up my voicemail with increasingly hysterical messages (which seemed to rise an octave each time) and to drain my battery of all power.

We ought all to insist on communication only by letter - after all that was why another Scot invented the adhesive postage stamp!

:ymparty:

[bruce_nyc]

I used a one-off email address to register for SGT, so anything sent to that email address will "bounce" as it is inactivated. I assumed everyone does the same, but apparently not. The alternative is to use a service like MaskMe. The one rule everyone should follow, especially on the Internet, is never, never, never give out your real email address. My invariable habit when some impertinent person asks me for my mobile phone number is to give them one - just not mine.

I do the opposite. I publish my main email address everywhere. I use it to log in to everything. I use it when I create an account on a forum like this one. But I use it only for automated stuff..... notices, newsletters, whatever. The very first time I receive something I don't want, I create a Filter ( inside gmail ) to automatically delete anything coming from that same sender in the future.

I also have a secret private email address.... which is the opposite. It is never entered anywhere, published anywhere, or used to sign up for anything. It is given to individual humans only. It's a free email account at Tutanota ( http://tutanota.com ).

When asked for my phone number, I say No. I tell them it's much better to reach me on Telegram ( http://telegram.org ).... or just on email. The reason I don't give out my phone number is that I don't want anyone to have the ability to wake me up when I'm sleeping.... even accidentally. Not cool..... and so not necessary. We can even voice chat free, and independent of time..... using Telegram.... and if I am sleeping, it is silent until I wake up and look at it.

[christianpfc]

I largely agree with scottish-guy, and thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

I prefer written communication (try to get everyone I know to use Line to communicate with me), because then I can read and answer when I have time (travel a lot, in loud environment or when walking it's inconvenient to talk on the phone, so I don't accept calls).

Now I switch off phone when I go to bed. I had calls at all ungodly hours.

One Farang friend has no mobile phone. We make an appointment (by PM on forum) and lo and behold, I manage to be there on time! If he had a mobile phone, there would always be the possibility to make changes to place and time in course of the day.

And voicemail comes directly from hell! I don't activate voicemail on my phone and I don't speak on someone else's voicemail.

[bruce_nyc]

By the way.... on the original topic....

If you use gmail, I suggest you try this trick.....

"Create a filter for mail like this" which says, "Never send to spam folder".

You have to SCROLL within the screenshot photos attached below.... to see the whole image.

The reason I don't give out my phone number is that I don't want anyone to have the ability to wake me up when I'm sleeping.... even accidentally. Not cool..... and so not necessary. We can even voice chat free, and independent of time..... using Telegram.... and if I am sleeping, it is silent until I wake up and look at it.

And there was me thinking you're a high-tech wanker who would know all about the Do Not Disturb settings on your phone

[quote=scottish-guy]

Likewise, when people ask me why I carry two mobiles, I just tell them the truth - one is my "real" phone and the other (unregistered) one is my Nookie phone. The expression on their face is usually priceless.

And do you tell the nosey parkers to "bog off" when they demand your mobile number or do you give them a dud one?

... whilst online forms for car insurance quotes (for example) will get an inactive number from 20 years ago.[/quote:eyeodaq6]
I've always thought of myself as the sort of role model you need, and this statement proves that I am.

Here's a suggestion for your enterprise's Organisation Chart which you may find useful:

[attachment=0:eyeodaq6]OrgChart.jpg[/attachment:eyeodaq6]

[bruce_nyc]

And there was me thinking you're a high-tech wanker who would know all about the Do Not Disturb settings on your phone

lol Yes, I know all about it. New phones now come with built-in vibrators too.... and even this new button called, Power Off.... or something similar.

But if I set my phone so that it is *silent*.... then I won't hear it ring when a really important emergency call comes through.

You see, I use my telephone ( voice calls ) as an emergency channel. So I normally only give my number to my closest family and friends.... people whom I *trust* have been raised in a civilized enough home to know the rule: Never never never telephone anyone before 9:00am, or after 9:00pm.... unless it is a *real* emergency.

For example.... If my bf is out ( late night or anytime ) with his friends and, god forbid, he gets into some sort of an accident.... then I absolutely want my phone to ring loudly and wake me up.

But for all others.... Don't ever call me before 9:00am or after 9:00pm unless there is blood involved.... or else I will block your number from being able to call me.

But, I receive only a couple of phone calls per month. Almost everyone I know uses http://Telegram.org to chat or talk with me.

The LINE app is passe because everyone knows that the Thai police, and pretty much anyone else who wants to, reads all of your messages. This has been reported openly *years* ago. ( a few sources: http://bw.gl/117 and http://bw.gl/116 )... Whereas, Telegram has an end-to-end encryption mode where even the NSA cannot listen in.

[Tobi]

But if I set my phone so that it is *silent*.... then I won't hear it ring when a really important emergency call comes through.

You simply add any important callers to your favourites list and that overrides Do Not Disturb.

[bruce_nyc]

You simply add any important callers to your favourites list and that overrides Do Not Disturb.

Think about it.

That doesn't work when he's been in a car or motorbike accident and his phone went flying.... or a mugging and it was stolen.... and he is borrowing a phone at the hospital to call me.... Or he's unconscious and his friends are calling me from some random person's phone.... My phone needs to ring loudly no matter who calls me from where. My voice phone number is a "red phone"..... for emergencies only.... and thus, my phone number is a guarded secret.

I use a Google Voice phone number for everything else. Any calls, voicemails, or sms, that come in to it.... appear in my email.... like any other email message.... without ringing my phone.

[Tobi]

My voice phone number is a "red phone".....

In your case, more like a batphone.