Google's New Click-to-Call Service

teknopagan writes "Google has debuted a new service called Click-to-Call, in which they will connect you by phone to any of their advertisers. You click a phone icon next to the ad, enter your phone number, and Google calls you and connects you for free to the advertiser."

Comments

Are they using Asterisk?

[XorNand]

Pure genius.

I'd love to know the technology behind this. Given Google's commitment to FOSS, I would venture to guess that they are using Asterisk somewhere in the mix since it's one of the most flexible and mature open source telephony projects. However, Asterisk isn't known for scaling very well when you start talking about enterprise level installs. In fact, one of the biggest complaints of the Asterisk community is that VoIP providers routinely hack the source to improve scalability and stability, but then never release those changes back to the project. If indeed Google is using Asterisk, it will be interesting to see how much they support the developer community.

Re:Are they using Asterisk?

[wealthychef]

Um, the bad feeling continues for me. Why are people thrilled about this? Jesus, yes, Lord, I wish desperately to talk with Google's advertisers. Oh, thank you Google! Gosh, I'm so happy now. "Pure genius?" Um... sure. I'm sorry if I'm missing the point. I'd be much more excited if I could click on a myspace.com link and call my friend's house right from there. Is that the next step? If so, then yes, very cool. Right now, I don't really want to talk to some sales dude at pricegrabber.com or wherever...

Re:Are they using Asterisk?

[TooMuchToDo]

This isn't a feature so everyone can have free calls. This is something Google can show off to their Google Ad customers, to help them drive more revenue.

Note to Slashdot readers: It's not a crime to be in business to make money. It's the way you do it that matters. Google just happens to be very good at making money in a very friendly way.

Re:Are they using Asterisk?

[joto]

This isn't a feature so everyone can have free calls. This is something Google can show off to their Google Ad customers, to help them drive more revenue.

Obviously it is a feature so everyone can have free calls. If not, it would be easier to just list the phone-number to the advertiser, so I could call it myself.

The fact that I can only get free calls to someone who is trying to sell me something is the thing that drives googles revenue.

Is it something that I'm likely to ever use? No. Is it something that some marketers can be excited about? Probably. I trust google did some research before creating this service. Which makes me conclude that I have to become more cynical with regard to how many stupid people this planet contains. I could never be good in marketing, I have a tendency to assume people are intelligent.

Re:Are they using Asterisk?

[digidave]

No, this is just some lame tech that's been around for a couple of years on some yellow pages-type sites. Almost nobody uses it. I'm not sure which companies offer this, but I do know it's available. Vonage's Click 2 Call is the exact same technology, although I'm not sure if it's available for this use or not (http://www.vonage.com/features.php?feature=click_ 2_call).

Quit heaping the praise on Google when they don't deserve it. They've done enough cool things that they don't need to get credit when they don't do anything.

The biggest innovation here is that this can be used for a generic web ad, while AFAIK all implementations have been for paid business listings on business directory sites or on corporate sites to make it easier to call.

Re:Are they using Asterisk?

[miyako]

I can't speak for any other slashdotters, but I can immediately think of two reasons why this service could be useful.
The first is that I have a fair few family members who are completely computer illiterate. Once every couple of months they call me wanting to buy some obscure thing, and I have to google for it, find a couple of sites, read what is available and what the cost is to them over the phone. They write it down on a bit of paper and call me back in a few days to tell me what they want, I drive over there, get some cash or a check, deposit it into the bank, wait for the deposit to go through, get online, and order it for them. This is a pain that could be largely mitigated by me simply being able to google and then enter their phone number and allow them to talk to a representitive.
The second thing that I think this could be useful for is for helping smaller sites build trust with customers. I know there have been a few sites that I have decided not to buy from simply because the site looked unprofessional and I wasn't sure I could really trust the site to A: not steal my information, or B: actually deliver what I buy. In this case I think that smaller and lesser known sites might benefit from this service.

I can see someone abusing this

[Snarfangel]

..especially if they have the phone number of someone they don't like.

Re:I can see someone abusing this

[FhnuZoag]

That's interesting. *click* Though I don't see *click* why anyone would be *click* so *click* mean *click* and nasty to annoy people *click* with constant *click* phone *click* ringing in real life. *click*

Re:I can see someone abusing this

[nmb3000]

I can see someone abusing this

That's a good point.

It also raises the question: How will this interact with the Do Not Call bill that was passed a while ago? According to the bill, companies that have a past relationship with you are exempt from the blacklist. If you put your number into one of these boxes are you opening yourself up to get calls from hundreds of telemarketing companies all under one big corporate umbrella?

This is Slashdot, yet I haven't seen anyone concerned about privacy yet. I guess that since we're talking about Google, all anyone can do is "Oooh" and "Aaah" over this. Depending on how this is implemented, it could open the door for all sorts of problems with privacy and annoying telemarketers.

privacy vs authentication

[Anakron]

How do they make sure that the number entered is indeed from the person interested in the product? What stops me from entering (say) Darl McBride's number a million times?

Re:privacy vs authentication

[Anonymous Coward]

Because they will be building a phone book. Actually they will be building a huge personal profile, that just happens to include your phone number. When their database is big enough, they will realize that you're entering someone else's number, because it will be associated with someone else.

Or even simpler, maybe they can simply offer up a "do not call this number" feature. It will be interesting to see if they do or don't do this.

Moreover, what's to stop you from publishing Darl's phone number right now? If you did something that could be considered harassment, you wouldn't want to be found out, would you? Now don't you know that Google knows where you are, where you have been, and where you are going? They can correlate this information with anything you do, and disappear you anytime they wish. They are protecting Darl. They told me not to tell you these things, but ....

If Google knows everything

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't they know the reason that I use the web is because I don't like the phone?

Re:If Google knows everything

[hokeyru]

I agree. But sometimes you're forced to use the phone. Tech support, for instance. It would be really nice if I could navigate all those cursed telephone menus on the web, and THEN click to call. Are you listening, Dell?

Re:If Google knows everything

[thesandtiger]

Don't they know the reason that I use the web is because I don't like the phone?

Don't you know that you don't have to use this service if you don't want to?

Your phone number

[ornil]

According to the FAQ the advertiser can't see your phone number, so they can't add you to their list and annoy you if you decide not to order anything from them. That's pretty nice.

just a thought

[ladyjane_calm]

will our children mock google the way our generation mocks microsoft?

Re:just a thought

[AndroidCat]

Like the way we were mocking IBM not that long ago? Yes, but don't let that bother you. By then they'll teenagers and you'll have other things to worry about.

Re:just a thought

[killjoe]

Lets hope so. The alternative is that our grandchildren will still be mocking microsoft just like we are mocking them now.

Wow...too bad it is restricted to Google...

[skogs]

I wish this was everywhere. Not necessarily because I want to talk to every advertiser, but because I would love to be able to talk to these jerks sometimes. Really, if you got a spam email, wouldn't it be better if you could then just click, and be connected with them and tell them what you think about their -bodypart- enhancement, or their new guaranteed -success at something-? This would be an excellent feedback mechanism to increase the cost of internet advertising so that every hokey jerk out there cannot bombard me mindlessly. I enjoy google ads, I like those for the most part, and the do work. Targeted ads work. I wish I could provide feedback to the dimwads that do not target their marketing. I wish I could feeback to those that abuse my bandwidth.

Re:Wow... useful and impressive.

[gcaseye6677]

The real question is, who has a patent on this service? If it isn't Google, they're fucked, because someone else has one for sure.

awesome

[circletimessquare]

why ddos someone's website when you can ddos their phone network

is that all of the telephones ringing in the office at the same time i hear?

Cool idea

[AutopsyReport]

Okay, cool idea. Except how many people actually click their ad links (I've never clicked one in my life), let alone would actually call these advertisers?

Re:Do No Evil, Maybe

[Anonymous Coward]

This is of course silly socialist drivel. There are many reasons for a corporation to exist, including raising capital, shielding investors and employees from lawsuits, and surviving the death of its founders with minimal disruption.

You couldn't be more wrong

[TubeSteak]

You either don't like corporations or you're trolling.
Either way, your statements are wrong.

A corporation is created for a variety of reason like limiting liability or creating an 'ongoing concern'. Corporations can be used to raise funds. Can you sell 10,000 shares of stock in a partnership?

The main reason anyone files for articles of incorporation is to separate the business from themselves. If your corporation tanks, creditors won't come after your house, your car and your savings account. If you are the business, everything you own is on the line.

Further, I take issue with your blanket statement that "it is simply evil to have the power." Is it evil for police to own guns? Is it evil for you or I to own them? Is a pointed stick evil?

Like anything else, a corporation (or a gun) is neither good nor evil. It is neutral. You can go file for articles of incorporation and then do nothing with them... and guess what? Neither you nor the world becomes 'more' evil.