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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!vortex!lauren
From: lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: unsolicited calls
Message-ID: <125@vortex.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 1-Sep-83 04:54:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: vortex.125
Posted: Thu Sep  1 04:54:27 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 2-Sep-83 03:22:07 EDT
Organization: Vortex Technology, Los Angeles
Lines: 35

While telco usually does rent out "reverse" telephone 
directories (organized by phone number and/or address), these
of course only include listed numbers.  At least in California, you
can even specify that your number will be listed in the ordinary
directory but NOT in the reverse books.  However, these days,
telephone solicitation firms mostly just dial blocks of numbers in
chosen prefixes and don't make heavy use of the reverse books.  The
block technique allows the hitting of unlisted numbers, which are
making up a greater and greater percentage of the total subscriber 
numbers.

Frankly, however, I don't really know what you're all screaming about.
Once in a while I get an unsolicited call from a firm -- as soon as
I realize what's going on I say, "I'm not interested."  They almost
invariably say, "Thank you" and hang up.  Big deal.  I have three
voice lines here, which would seem to increase my odds of such calls
(particularly in a major metro area like L.A.) but I really don't get
enough calls like that for me to even consider such purely snobbish
techniques as touch-tone call screening machines (which do exist) and
other such gimmicks.  Some unsolicited calls are quite interesting.  I've
been hit a few times with opinion polls, including once recently when
a major ABC News political poll included me as one of the 1000 or so people 
included in a national sample.  The results were widely reported on the wire
services and on ABC.  It occurred to me later that my opinions in that
15 minute poll probably had FAR more influence on politics than all of the 
voting I've ever done or will ever do.  Not much to be sure, but 1/1000
of a national poll gives your opinion a certain amount of clout compared
with actual voting.  All of my lines are non-published, by the way.

If people showed a bit more consideration (on both sides of the phone)
we wouldn't see the "restrict everything to your own little universe"
mentality emerging with phones like it has with so many other aspects
of our society.

--Lauren--