Reality Check: Jajah Buttons

Jajah is a VOIP phone service that doesn’t require a download or headset. It enables you to make VOIP calls from any phone to any phone. The company recently introduced “Jajah buttons.” This product enables people to call you at no charge (or very low cost) by clicking on a button in places such as email signatures, blogs, websites, MySpace page, and Facebook profiles.

The key features of Jajah Buttons include:

• Customize the color, size, and style of the buttons.

• Keep your number confidential.

• Control who can call you and at what times.

• Block unwanted callers.

This is a way for you to enable customers, relatives, and friends to call you very easily. Think of it as an “800 number for the rest of us.” A great use is also eBay auctions, but that got tricky right away. :-)

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I am on the board of advisors of Jajah.

Comments

[Jon]

This is a neat idea... but skype is still a tough competitor to this service... but this technology does have some very interesting ideas that is sure to spur development of both systems :-)

Jon

[Dean A. Nash]

Guy, I can easily understand why people listen to you - you're smart, creative, yada, yada. Still, I don't quite understand why you are so defensive about the disclosure issue. You have every right to post about your own likes and it makes perfect sense that you would have connections to those companies.

Having said that, it is customary in journalism to disclose UPFRONT - so as to put the writing in perspective. (Good writers work hard so that the reader doesn't have to.) Putting it at the bottom causes it 'to appear' as if you are trying to hide it. And we know what they say about appearances.

I don't believe that hiding it is your intention, you've certainly earned the benefit of the doubt. But to those who don't know you, well, why be stubborn?

[Dominic Messenger]

I was introduced to Jajah by one of our customers who wants in integrated with their custom application.

One thing that would be great would be "self-disabling" buttons based on a calendar. So you could both hide your telephone number and make it only available between 6pm & 7pm on Tuesday. That way, consumers could "send" their telephone number to businesses knowing that the call will only be made at an appropriate time and also won't end up in a telemarketers list.

[Fofa]

Ye, I agree it would be beneficial to home-business mostly because now-a-days everyone uses cellphones that come with different plans offering great savings and unlimited incoming calls, so there isn't much use from this application.

[Pierluigi Rotundo]

Great for home businesses...My concern regards a more professional use of it...

Pierluigi Rotundo

[Andrew Fife]

Guy:
IMHO it would be a lot more forthcomming if you put your disclosure at the top of this post rather than the bottom. Frankly, its kind of buried beneath the poll.
-Andrew

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Are you kidding me? You think I put at the end to bury it?

Guy

[Moshe Maeir]

Guy, my thumbs are caught in the middle as I wrote on my blog - http://flatplanetphone.com/wordpress/?p=329

[Enric]

In my opinion Rebtel is much better as VoIP service, not as Facebook app. Try it!, I gave up Jajah when I did it. No necessary any phone either and better quality.

[Meg H.]

I voted thumbs up, because for most people, this looks like it can be a very good thing.

I can't help but inwardly groan though as I know the days of the nice non-interruptive emails are coming to an end. More accessibility by phone means more calls & more interruption, but hopefully, it will mean more business.

[Dan Limbach]

Has a lot of potential for businesses who want to keep their phone number anonymous, but still want to provide technical support. I suspect it will be great for home-based businesses. Also good for offering a pseudo toll-free number.

For most established businesses, if you need to hide you phone number, you might question why you are in business.

It could be exploited by friends who just use it to talk to each other for free and eat bandwidth. Doesn't VOIP already provide this? I guess it eliminates the need for Skype, but is it worth it?. Many people will not want to open a new account with Jajah just to make a call.

Good luck!