Using Google Voice for free SMS reference

The interface is simple and intuitive

Google is starting to hand out invitations to use their newest service, Google Voice.  I received an invitation a couple of weeks ago, and after using for a bit, I’ve decided it’s the perfect thing for libraries.  Here’s the setup: to create a Google Voice account, you need an existing Gmail account.  Once you receive an invitation, Google lets you choose your own number by local dialing code or vanity number (as I call it), so you could have something like 618-LIB-RARY.  How cool is that?

Once the setup is finished, it’s up to you to inform people of your new number.  While Google Voice (GV) lets you make phone calls and send SMS, I find that the SMS will probably be the most useful.  A patron could send a question to your GV number, and anyone on your staff who’s logged in to GV will see that a new message has been received.  When the answer is sent back to the patron, the question can be marked ‘read’ or ‘archived’ so that other staff members know that it’s taken care of.

Sadly, Google Voice is invitation only right now- if you’d like to get an invite, get one here.

Web-Filtering with OpenDNS

Filtering the Internet can be costly and frustrating, but I’ve had good experiences with OpenDNS, a free web-based filter.  The setup is simple- set your firewall or PC to use their DNS servers (found in the network settings dialogue), and all web traffic will automatically be sent through their filter.  This tends to be a bit more secure than using the proxy settings in web browsers.

Controlling what gets filtered is pretty straightforward- you can choose from categories like violence, pornography, online gambling, etc.  Sites that get categorically blocked are rated by the users of OpenDNS- if enough users mark a site as inappropriate, it gets blocked.  The results are usually very accurate, if not a bit conservative.  You can also specify by URL what sites are allowed or disallowed, if there are some exceptions you’d like to include.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 9th, 2009 at 4:12 pm and is filed under Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. # # You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. # #