Google Gives Homeless Free Voicemail..for Free!
Friday, February 29th, 2008;
-- Andy Beal |
I’m not quite sure how you give away something for free that’s already free, but that’s what Google’s GrandCentral team is doing with Project CARE.
The initiative is designed to help San Francisco’s homeless get back on their feet–by giving them a free GrandCentral voicemail number employers can reach them on. They’ll also be able to keep in contact with local medical clinics.
TechCrunch claimed the announcement was just a re-hash of one made two years ago, then along came GrandCentral co-founder Craig Walker with a clarification:
The point of the announcement yesterday was not to restate the goals of Project CARE but to announce that we are taking Project CARE beyond showing up to these bi-monthly events and are now developing a self-service portal for agencies to be able to create these accounts directly for the homeless people they serve on a daily basis. It was also to announce that we are working directly with the Mayor’s Homeless Policy Director, Dariush Kayhan, to help us develop that portal to fully fill the needs of these agencies. The announcement also was to highlight how now that Google is behind Project CARE that we will have the resources to extend this service to homeless individuals nationwide.
Kudos to Google for helping the homeless, but there’s something kind of sad about the state of our society when you see this statement:
One man who used to be homeless said the right message can raise the spirit.
“Having your family, friends and loved ones being able to say ‘here I’m thinking about you, I love you, I want you to know you’re mine, and I miss you,’ can have a monumental change in one’s behavior.”
Why would we let a family member live on the street, but then call their voicemail to say “I love you?” If you love them, let them sleep on the couch!
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February 29th, 2008 at 9:36 am
So, this may be a dumb question, but what phone would homeless people use to check their voicemail? And better yet, how is google going to market this to homeless people? Last time I checked, they don’t use the internet. It is a nice thought though.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:00 am
@Mike - I believe they’re all given new MacBook Airs
Seriously, I think they use the phones at shelters etc.
February 29th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I’d sit in a line at a soup kitchen to get a MacBook Air. lol. God, I want that laptop. Mike, you do have a valid point about marketing the service.
February 29th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I love Google more and more for thier last projects.
February 29th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
This is a nice and charitable endevour by Google.
February 29th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Hopefully more people try to accomodate a project like this and integrate it with their own. If so think of the possibilities. It would be a great step in the right direction
February 29th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Andy,
As an advertiser, I suppose the hardest endeavor in this philanthropic novelty would be how precisely does one plan on making the homeless aware of this new service being offered them? Furthermore, how will the success rate of this new voicemail system be measured along with follow-up of each users account activity? A decent idea but really how successful will it be?
Regards,
Isabella
http://www.760media.com
February 29th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
How much of this is heart felt and how much just a good sound bite for Google? Sorry if that sounds a bit cynical!
March 1st, 2008 at 5:14 pm
This sounds like a cheap PR gimmick. I mean, what the hell do homeless need voice mail for? And second, if they have phones to access voice mail, they probably already have that feature with their plans.
This latest ploy from G smells!
March 1st, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Regardless if Google is acting on their own behalf, or making a move to get some press, someone is still benefiting from their generosity. Those billionaires run a classy shop.
March 2nd, 2008 at 12:55 am
@Isabella__They could set up shop at a junction homeless people gather at. The “homeless shelter.” I’m sure they’re in every city, and even the soup kitchens would be an ideal place to start.
March 2nd, 2008 at 3:19 am
I completely agree with Don. Cheap PR tactic indeed. They should be giving blankets and food not voicemail.
March 2nd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
lol they just had to do something high tech. What happened to the good old blankets or sleeping bags? Im sure homeless guys need them more.
March 2nd, 2008 at 10:55 pm
If they could get some other companies on board and pair that with interview outfits, showers, addresses to use on resumes, and maybe a little cosmetic dentistry, they might have a shot at doing something that would get people off the streets. It’s nice, but like everyone else has said, I’m sure it won’t make nearly as much of a difference as food, sleeping bags, or shelter.
March 3rd, 2008 at 5:02 am
Coudn’t agree more with Andy. That’s the whole purpose of family, to look after each other and to have one another’s back.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:28 pm
I agree with that. It’s amazing how PR can make people think. lol.