Murdoch AGM - phone hacking takes its toll

We promised news on the News Corporation Annual General Meeting in light of the scandal which has seen phone numbers around the UK and the world hacked, from 020 numbers to mobile phone numbers. The event certainly raised more than a few eyebrows for the votes cast against the Murdochs.

Rupert Murdoch was opposed by 14%, up from 2% the previous year.

Around 35% opposed his son's, James Mudoch, re-election, what is important to remember is that the Murdoch family owns around 40% of the shares on News Corp. Taking that into account, the rest of the shareowners make up around 60%, so over half of the non-Murdoch family shareholders voted against James Murdoch.

Murdoch was once indestructible, as was his empire. Slowly, bit by bit, he is taking a knocking.

Use a virtual number to take advantage of the sun!

To anyone who has their own business, this wonderful last gasp of summer sunshine and glorious weekend has made me think of an added bonus to having a virtual phone number! You can have you virtual 020 numbers pointed at your mobile phone, so people can still get in touch with you and think you're in your London office as normal, whereas actually you're out in your garden in the hammock with a nice glass of wine and a book! Enjoy the wonderful weekend folks! It's probably the last we'll get until next March! :)

What should you be looking for when buying a virtual number?

Right, lets go back to basics ...

What should you be looking for when choosing a company to provide you with a virtual phone number?

Firstly, they should have a wide range of different area codes to choose from. You would expect a decent provider to have a choice of around 500 different area codes - including 020 London numbers.

Secondly, they should not be VOIP numbers, as these are poor quality.

Thirdly, you shouldn't expect prices to be higher than 5p per minute to receive the call.

You should only expect to be charged for what you pay for - look out for pay per second billing.

Look out for companies that tie you in to contracts. You want companies that you only have to give a month's notice to. If they're locking you in for a year or two years then there might be something wrong with them and they think you're going to leave.

Finally, the company should reasonably be able to connect you the same day if you're calling within working hours.

Interesting facts

Was having a browse through the OFCOM website, and found this to be quite an interesting read.

It talks about different telephone number codes and costs, from fascinating facts to 020 numbers.

Enjoy!

Interesting info about 020 numbers ...

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I have to say, I'm not usually a fan of Wikipedia, but I found this article about London 020 numbers on there to be quite informative and interesting. I will focus on some of the elements of this in future blog posts ...

Demand increases for virtual London numbers ahead of olympics

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Of all the various virtual numbers available, London phone numbers appear to be particularly popular at the moment. Demand for 0207, 0208 and 0203 virtual numbers is increasing all the time. Presumably there are a lot of companies hoping to ride on the coat tails of the London 2012 Olympic Games and make their business appear to be London based when it actually isn't. Not that you can blame them - the price of property in London is incredibly expensive, so it is quite a good way of making sure your business gets some of the benefits that the London games are meant to be bringing to the UK without having to spend a fortune doing it.