USA TODAY — Nov 27 — Are you ready to get Jangl'd? Michael Cerda, the co-founder of Jangl, a telephone service start-up, sure hopes so. "We give consumers the ability to call each other without giving out phone numbers," Cerda says. Go to Jangl.com, and sign up for a free account. Provide an e-mail address and telephone number. Create a "Jangl ID." Once you have your Jangl ID, Cerda says, "You can stop giving out your phone number and just Jangl." Callers must go to the Jangl website and key in their Jangl ID. To be accepted, callers have to provide enough personal information so that the Jangl system — which is bi-directional — can connect you with that caller. Once the required information has been keyed in, the Jangl system hands over your contact "phone number." In reality, however, it's a unique telephone ID for that particular relationship. As soon as the call is placed, Jangl forwards it to your real phone number. The privacy protection is bi-directional, so recipients don't know the real numbers of callers, either, Cerda notes. For security reasons, each call is announced with a short preamble that includes the caller's name. Recipients can accept, reject or block any call. Jangl is a natural for online dating services, which have long favored anonymous e-mail systems to protect the identity of users. On Nov. 2, online dating giant Match.com started offering Jangl as a free service, called "matchTalk." Jane Thompson, a Match VP, says response to the feature has been "extraordinary." She says 275,000 people already have used the feature. One surprise: Match.com had expected the service to be used mostly by younger romance seekers, she says. But so far, 50% of users have been in the 35 to 49 age bracket. About 8% are over 55. FULL ARTICLE @ USA TODAY
Category: Jangl
Vumber President & CEO, Cliff Wener and Jodd Readick
OPW INTERVIEW — Nov 17, 2006 — Do singles really want to spend their evenings tapping on a keyboard in front of their computers or would they rather be talking on the phone or in front of each other, to see if they have chemistry? Match just launched matchTalk which is powered by Jangl. I’m advising a new service, Vumber, which is designed specifically for dating sites to help their customers connect by phone (any phone, any where), without divulging their real phone number. Here’s my interview with the President and CEO of Vumber, which is due for launch shortly – Mark Brooks
What are your backgrounds?
Jodd: I founded several telecom companies, common carriers for Hispanic and niche marketplaces, and have been a consultant on very large telecom projects for companies like Wells Fargo, CompuServe, and AT & T. I live both in the technical world and the marketing world.
Cliff: I founded and headed up the Computer Telephony Integration Lab for Williams Communications. We developed software applications that are used by many of the industry’s largest call centers.
What is a Vumber?
Cliff: A Vumber is an anonymous, disposable phone number that can be associated with any phone that you have. It could be your cell phone, your land line or even your fax! It’s completely anonymous and disposable. You can manage it via the internet or through the phone.
Who uses a Vumber?
Cliff: A Vumber can be used by any person needing to protect their identity. What makes our service unique is that not only can you receive calls on your new number but that you can call them from that same number. So, say if someone calls you on your Vumber;. You’ll actually receive the call at your number. But, you’ll also be able to dial out and show the on the caller-id display of whoever you’re calling. Vumber is a true, two way anonymous calling service. This is the only solution that works in both directions on any phone.
How does it work for internet dating companies?
Jodd: Email is somewhat anonymous but being able to talk to someone, in an anonymous fashion, is very important to people at the beginning of a dating relationship. A lot of people would like to be able to use their regular phone to talk with people they’re interested in dating. Especially women. Women, particularly, prefer to connect by phone to hear someone’s voice, before going on a date.
We expect to be able to use this as a driver for new revenues for internet dating services. The Vumber service offerings will be designed specifically for internet daters. We will partner with internet dating sites by offering them CPA based distribution or, if they prefer, their own white label offering. So, they’ll be able to brand the Vumber service as fully their own, and create member packages that will give their users their own unique Vumbers, under their own preferred brand.
So Vumber is essentially a throw-away number for singles?
Jodd: It can be a throw away number or you can keep it for a long period. It doesn’t have to be used just for dating. It can be used any time or any place when you would want a secondary number. It can be disposed of at will and you can have multiple numbers. You can also change those numbers if you wish. You may change how each call is treated in real time, so if you want all calls to go to voice mail or given a busy tone, you can do that too.
The major use is protecting identity and being secure. In the beginning of a relationship, singles shouldn’t give out personally identifying information like their home number or cell number. Once they’ve given out their number to someone it can lead to a lot of discomfort and insecurity if a person they’re interested in turns out later to be someone they’re actually not interested in at all. This can turn people off their whole internet dating experience.
Who’s your competition?
Cliff: We have not seen any company offer a similar product in which you can get an anonymous, two way, disposable number that works on any phone. Some companies offer complex anonymous scenarios that require either a special cell phone or the use of sign-in codes No-one offers a two way anonymous phone number like Vumber.
Tell me more about your patent..
Jodd: We filed a complex technology patent which covers the basis of the Vumber operation. We’ve been told after a significant amount of work that this is may be a landmark patent in the telephony arena and we feel quite comfortable that other people, while they may have various pieces of what we’re doing, won’t be able to offer a total solution for inbound and outbound calling and telephone number management.
What are your plans for 2006 and 2007?
Jodd: We’ll complete the Vumber system for Q4 and show it to selective potential partners. We’re currently talking to users and beginning beta trials. All the feedback so far has been very positive. We want to start to show it to selected companies and then partner with them to make it work for their specific needs and niches.
Jangl(SM) Powers New Match.com Service
BUSINESS WIRE — Nov 14 — Jangl is powering matchTalk(SM), a new Match.com service that allows its members to use their phone to talk with other members without compromising their privacy. When Match.com members choose the "talk to him or her" option, they are moments away from connecting over the telephone without ever giving out their phone numbers. Once a member makes a request to talk and the recipient accepts, both are given a unique number that allows them to call each other at anytime without revealing their actual numbers. Caller ID displays the matchTalk(TM) number, not a personal phone number. Also, Jangl is now available directly to all U.S. consumers. "We are always looking for new ways to help people connect and create great relationships. We know that the first phone call with a potential romantic interest is critical in determining whether you have chemistry with someone." — Jane Thompson, VP & GM, Match North America.
Mark Brooks: Singles want to talk. Anonymous calling helps them connect a little earlier in the 'getting to know you' cycle and gage chemistry. Within 18 months, all major dating sites will offer some form of voice connections service. When you lose your customers to offline 'voice,' you lose your customers. There are a number of options emerging for keeping the dating sites hooked into their customer base and giving them voice connections. I'll be reviewing matchTalk and others shortly. (DISCLAIMER: I am advising Vumber.com)
Match.com to Use Anonymous Voice Chat
CDT — Oct 31 — Online dating services may be convenient, but they're not the most personable way to meet a potential mate. What's been lacking, Match CEO Jim Safka believes, is a way for would-be couples to hear each other talk. Free for basic subscribers beginning Thursday, matchTalk will let users go online and signal if they're interested in speaking to each other anonymously, and securely, over their telephones. The system uses new computer-based phone technology that allows each person to call in to a central conference call of sorts, Safka said. The matchTalk system assigns the couple a unique number that they can use to talk to each other without fear of giving away their real telephone number or other personal details. Safka said such features are important to the future growth of Internet dating services. "Voice is really critical in determining whether you have chemistry with someone."
Mark Brooks: We'll see more online dating sites add voice connection services soon. I'm working with Vumber.com on a service designed for internet dating sites to offer voice connections and anonymous calling. A super simple, and higher converting service. Past services have been too complicated. I'm adding MatchTalk to my (CEO's eyes only) 45 point review of 17 other competing services (Grand Central, Jangl, Jajah, Useplane) right now. The most amusing service I came across recently was Getmooh.com.