I have been doing some silly speculating on what is going on with GC: http://keenpath.com/archives/2.....ndcentral/

Serious, I’m thinking all day long about it… and just don’t understand why a homeless person from Frisco would want a phone number in Houston.

Where exactly is the sense? People who doesn’t have a home, a place to sleep and probably not even 1 dollar in their picket… HOW would they sign up for GrandCentral or edit GC’s settings?

Yes, sure they spent their last dime for a cyber cafe…

Like one other said before… if Google would give away cell phones to homeless people, THAT would be a great idea, but a GC account sounds RIDICOLOUS!

at the end, it does not matter whether or not Google is trying to promote GC or not. The important thing is that the service is being useful for homeless people.

These people are in need of everything and the only thing you can think is to judge those who provide them with some help? It does not matter how the help is arriving… what matters is that the help IS arriving…

BWT, although i like the content of this site, it will not matter if you give them access to your site for “free”. They are not much interested in the content of these articles, but rather to find a way to answer a phone call from a potential employer that will help them to get back on track with their lives…

Google has a voice product, and now they’re offering it directly to some homeless individuals and to agencies in San Francisco who can give it to their clients. It’s a good model (we’ve been using it for more than a decade!), and it will have an impact. I think having a large, smart, innovative company putting some focus on this is a very good thing.

Happy Friday All!

- Audrey

Thanks
SG

Talk to someone who works with the homeless. Not having a phone number you can give to lenders, banks, landlords, potential employers, etc. is a huge barrier.

Many homeless do have access to phones at places like homeless shelters, pay phones, or a pay-as-you-go cellphone (which usually don’t come with *free* voicemail).

@63:

That is was free is inconsequential — do you expect a homeless person to ferret out a private beta invite and sign up at grandcentral.com? Remember that many homeless people have mental and physical health issues.

Google has the image and heft to make this happen. Lots of smaller NPOs have tried this but found it difficult to maintain the service. I know of at least two organizations here in SF that had to stop for budgetary reasons.

Bravo. As another early adopter of GC, they have been real slacking, despite their promises, since the Google acquisition. To come out with this refried press release is insulting.

GC- I am all for charity and see the value of the concept, but let’s focus on the core business here and move beyond 2 years ago. I feel like I am stuck in a LOST time shift.

Mike has master the art of debate.

Compounded by the fact that it was already free.

BTW, how does the homeless person access his/her voice mails? Have the Google folks cut a deal with service providers of the world for provide computers and internet access?

Are these guys loosing their mind and running out of marketing ideas?

SG

For starters, Bill and Melinda gates are the largest charitable donators in the entire world, they give more than the rest of the top contributors combined (if you do not include the massive giving away of an entire fortune by warren buffet, but that still doesn’t eve bring buffet close the Bill and Melinda’s all time charity spree…) (sure, being the richest man in the world helps… but look at the % of worth that the Gates’ delegate to charitable causes vs. the % of Larry or Sergeys worth that is thusly delegated, hell combine the entire Google board and add up all their percentages… what’s that? You’re very surprised to see that The Google is a selfish corporate hog and MS might have actually been the good guys all along? OMG wht have we done… ). Paul Allen was no slouch either in his heyday and still funds SETI, the search for intelligent extra terrestrial life (something the gov’t stopped funding and Allen has since bankrolled of his own private funds).

The hands that rocked the cradle at MS are very compassionate and kind hands indeed. So what if you think that MS as a company is evil, the fact remains that the private fortunes accrued as a result of MS’s success have been largely used to do more good on a global scale than anyone in these comments is willing to comprehend… (that’s clearly an assumption about the willingness)… and the good was done not for free press or political favortism, it was done for the good of mankind and the needs of dying children. So say what you want about the GC/SF deal… but dammit, don’t go bringing MS into this just because Goog. is in it… capiche.

What these people have done for charity is Give…. its a sacrifice to give of your own to someone in need. It means you could have t, but instead you let them have it. It is NOT here, we’ll put together an interface that will allow your local townships to sign up the areas homeless for our already free service.

Now to Craig… I’m sure you guys “acknowledged” the benefit to the homeless but I know beyond the shadow of all doubt that you did not set out to build GC for the homeless. Since your acquisition you could afford to rent a gymnasium, set up a temporary computer lab complete with Wi-Fi (um.. theres a Google announcement.. Google provdes electricity and Internet Connection for Bay Area Homeless Job Fair), provide a hot dinner, activities for children and teach the areas homeless to use the computer, sign up for GC themselves, looks for jobs and even work with select employers (aka partners for your big press release) to set up opportunities for wiling-to-work homeless… etc… you did not fucking do that, you did the least possible amount you could so stop acting like you deserve some sort of pat on the back. Do the Job Fair then i’ll be amazed at your zest to help the homeless… Mike was right to call you out, right to call Google and the Mayor out… you’ve exploited the homeless people for your own personal gain and self satisfaction and that’s nothing short if despicable… then to come defend yourself… you should be ashamed. You were better off letting Mike have his rant than coming in here and laying in front of the wolves…. silly little bastard.

I think (even after reading the “Second” version, that Mike is not against the homeless.. he is trying to stup up to the plate for the homeless, “Don’t exploit us for you own public image, please… unless, you know, you really are going to GIVE us something.”

I actually generally hate when people get on here and complain about your reporting, but I have to say I’m a bit disappointed to find out this was based on some main-stream media report that you just re-hashed and opined on. I come on here because I think you and your writers get technology in a way that the mainstream media just doesn’t.

OK, this move puts GC back in the headlines for a bit. Can we make any assumptions about when we’ll see GC with some forward momentum again?

I use the service and like it, but it has a few little issues which, if I don’t see movement within a month or so (at most!), will force me to leave GC for a paid service. Please don’t play possum for 16+ months, then resurface with half the features gobe, as the Jot folks did.

Any news at all would be welcomed, Craig.

I think Craig Walker’s comment was honest, for no other reason than it seemed so (that’s just me). It’s not impossible for even the great dark Microsoft to do something for pure philanthropic reasons though we’re usually skeptical of such notions. We have to use our historical exposure to try and identify the difference.

Could it be that this fruit was hanging so low that you couldn’t resist jumping on the big “G”? And with all of the comments and time to reflect, is it not possible to say, “hey, some good folks inside Google (not the goog itself) might have just tried to bring to bear the power of their org to make something good happen?” After all of the comments and time to reflect?

We all have jumped on something that seems obvious only to find that our conclusions were premature and incorrect but what makes us credible is using the same force with which we tackled someone to stand them up and correct our own selves. Dunno if you need to here but it seems worth investigating.

http://ayunt.murcia.googlepages.com/home

Michael A,
I can’t believe it, but I agree with you 100% on this observation:)
If GOOG really wants to help the homeless get jobs they would offer free websites and GOOG ads. Yes, this means Mr. Rogers who is homeless would have a adsense ad appear above Monster.com.

On another note I’d like to personally congratulate Craig and Vincent for pulling the wool over GOOG and getting $50M for GC. What a joke! What on gods green earth have you guys done to add shareholder value (REVENUE!). GOOG bought a company that truly had a cute UI, but zero horsepower under the hood.