Thursday Buzz: Treat Phone Calls Like Emails

The problem with phone numbers is that their design comes with natural annoyances.

People you don’t care about inevitably call at bad times. Phone calls you do care about are treated the same way as the ones you don’t.

A new iOS app, Listen, could prove just the trick  (opens in a new tab) to solving this problem. The design of this platform basically organizes your phone calls and texts like emails. The so-called “smart phone number” ensures that you aren’t buried in a flood of robocalls or marketing messages that you don’t really want.

On Product Hunt, product co-creator Lauren Leto notes that the strategy is designed to cut down on spam calls.

“If you use Listen we have a default setting where contacts ring your phone ‘like normal’ (read: full screen) and people who are NOT in your contact book ring your phone as push notifications,” she commented  (opens in a new tab). “So spam calls are in no way as intrusive when you’re on your phone.”

Only problem? It requires a new phone number (which they give you for free), and that number isn’t tied to your old one—so you’ll be stuck handing out some new digits to your doctor or your local CVS.

But once it’s set up, the benefits could be massive. Read more about the philosophy of Listen over at Medium  (opens in a new tab).

Scoping Out an AMS

You need a new AMS. How long will it take to get one? Timelines revealed – https://t.co/LHvPQZ0nEd  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab) pic.twitter.com/tQicNQdTMs  (opens in a new tab)

— DelCor (@delcor) November 17, 2016  (opens in a new tab)

Putting an association management system (AMS) into place is not an easy task. It takes time, planning, and lots of consideration—especially because it costs so much and requires a number of team members.

Keeping these concerns in mind, Delcor’s Bill Rowan reached out to some of his fellow employees for feedback on how much time and how much staff will be needed for this kind of project. Check out the insights over this way  (opens in a new tab).

Other Links of Note

It’s been common lately to hear concerns about fake news sources, especially on Facebook. A new plug-in for Chrome, B.S. Detector  (opens in a new tab), might be a potential solution, Lifehacker says.

You might still see BlackBerry phones around in the near future, but it won’t be the same: CNET says the company will start licensing out the name  (opens in a new tab) to other manufacturers.

Thinking of bringing Snapchat to your next event? This ProposalSpace blog post  (opens in a new tab) could prove helpful for your strategy.

(via Medium)