Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: fmsys!macy@usenet.ins.cwru.edu (Macy Hallock) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: The Correct Way to Write Your Phone Number Message-ID: Date: 3 Mar 91 00:52:00 GMT Sender: news@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Mr. News) Organization: Hallock Engineering and Sales Medina, Ohio USA +1 216 722 3053 Lines: 23 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 173, Message 4 of 9 Originator: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: hub.eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu In article our Moderator Notes: > I have always wondered why people write phone numbers with parenthesis > around the area code, as though it were incidental to the entire > number, i.e. (311) 555-2368? Actually, Pat, this is the way I was taught to do it at The Phone Company back in 1967. The explaination given was: use parens to denote the area code was separate from the phone number, since it was only required for calling from outside the area code. I recall reading this in some type of official documentation, probably training material of some type. I asked why a 1 was not shown, and was told that some areas did not use 1 for toll access (e.g. NYC) ... only later did I find out about Stromberg Carlson "circle digit" and other oddball toll access code schemes used by the independant co's ... and then there was AE SATT. Macy M. Hallock, Jr. macy@fmsystm.UUCP macy@NCoast.ORG uunet!aablue!fmsystm!macy