Friday, November 12

Question to Ponder:

Which would you prefer, if you had to choose?

  • Caller ID
  • Voicemail/Answering Machine

The differences are huge, when it comes down to it. One of them lets you be totally neurotic, and log all of the incoming calls you get, no matter how mundane (eg: MCI, Friend #1, Friend #29, etc.), and the other lets you filter the call-backs (if someone didn't have enough to talk about to actually leave a message, what's the point in giving them a call back?).

Fortunately, there is an element of screenage available with either option. I'm an avid (if somewhat ashamed) call-screener. I like to know who I'm talking to before I answer the phone. The answering machine makes you wait out the ringing, which is a minus, but the caller ID is a pay-as-you-go function, and I'm more inclined to a one-time-only fee.

If you had to choose, which one would you pick?

5 comments:

Byagi said...

She's not kidding about screening the calls - I called from work and she picked up then hung up. It was great. :)

I'm thinking both. I like the idea of knowing who called and didnt leave a message and those that did as well. It covers all your bases that way. If I had to choose one, probably the caller id. I hate the way you can get messages on the answering machine and have it as nothing but three minutes of dead air. Then you can wonder who called and said nothing for that long. You'll never know. I'm not neurotic about it, mind you, but it will stick in the back of my head for a while.

Anonymous said...

caller id. i'm a screener too. i have caller id on the cell but not on my home phone so i'll use the answering machine. i use *69 if i get too curious. the only reason i have the land line is i'm cheap and still have dial-up or i'd get rid of it.

Anonymous said...

Pay as you go for call display? I don't understand...So, you pay for each call you get? But, couldn't that get pricey if you got lots of calls? I haven't heard of that. I like the message aspect. But then, sometimes, if I know who it is, I'd rather just talk to them and get it over with than listen to their message and then still probably have to call them back. Anyhow, I have both. I'm really not sure if I could decide between them. ~brown

Anonymous said...

I guess the question was what if you had to choose. Ok, I'd choose voicemail. ~brown

Sunny said...

Guess I wasn't completely clear (sorry brown!).

When I lived in Minneapolis, we bought an answering machine. It's a one-time-only fee of about 12 smackaroos. Not bad. Voicemail is more of a continuous fee, as is caller ID.

Personally, I'd rather have an answering machine than a beefed up phone bill every month. Then again, I'm cheap.