The Blog

ViaTalk Cruising to HostingCon 2007

29th Jun 2007

ViaTalk will head to Chicago on July 23rd for the largest gathering of hosted services professionals in the world.

Stop by booth # 420 and check out ViaTalk's VoIP Reseller Solution, VT White. If you're into water sports, take a ride on Lake Michigan with ViaTalk aboard HostingCon's Business Networking Cruise.

Make sure to check it out. ViaTalk's giveaway at HostingCon 2007 will not disappoint!

posted by Krista

Good News for Chit-Chatters

26th Jun 2007

This just in:

BOGO sale!

ViaTalk is now offering two unlimited phone lines for the price of one and a free year of service for all new annual VT_Unlimited customers!

Forget about busy signals and call waiting when you can receive calls on two separate lines simultaneously.

Get talking today and take advantage of this limited offer.

posted by Krista

Party Time EXCELLENT

20th Jun 2007

Last week, the HostRocket and ViaTalk folks teamed up to throw a surprise fiesta for our very own CTO and father-to-be, John Reyes (the guy sporting the sombrero). A piñata exploded with vegetable contents, but luckily, there were no major injuries to report. The following pictures were obtained from the paparazzi:
(from left to right... cake, look of surprise, piñata prep, vegetables, gift basket and pure jubilation)

posted by Krista

Behind the Scenes: The People

19th Jun 2007

Paul Stengel

Workin' Hard for the Money: Since April 2004
Job Title: System administrator
Reason to love work: Operating the 2nd line of defense.
Pastimes: Watching the Red Sox beat the Yankees, real estate, defeating computer games, golf (but not the carts)
On his Ipod: Eminem, Ludacris, Maroon 5
Favorite Crayola Crayon Color: Tumbleweed
Breakfast of Champions: 2 eggs over easy with corn beef hash and rye toast
Films that get 2 thumbs up: Saving Private Ryan and The Departed
Celebrity Icons: CHUCK NORRIS
Office lunch to die for: Nothing But Noodles

Unique facts: Stengel recently found a moment to become a licensed real estate agent. He hasn't sold any celebrity mansions yet, but there's no telling what Stengel is capable of. At the end of the real estate course, Stengel was allotted 3 hours to complete a 75 question licensing exam. He completed the test in just 16 minutes scoring a whopping 91%.

Also...unknown to many, Stengel's roots actually lie with the Yankees despite his love for the Red Sox. Stengel is in fact, a distant cousin of former New York Yankees pitching coach and legend, Casey Stengel.

posted by Krista

Father's Day: Necktie mania.

18th Jun 2007

Hallmark Cards, Inc. 2006 revenue: $4.1 billion.

It's hard to believe, but Father's Day was NOT started by greeting card companies. Though they may be reaping the benefits of the third Sunday of June each year, the origin of Father's Day is a non-for-profit endeavor.

Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, came up with the idea in 1909. Her father, a widowed Civil War Veteran, raised six children on his own when his wife died during childbirth. In 1966, President Johnson proclaimed Father's Day a national holiday.

The history of Father's Day gift-giving is a little blurry, but somehow, the Necktie has evolved as a holiday staple.

At ViaTalk, one father (and necktie hater) surpassed the cliché, receiving a tool chest and a new set of screwdrivers! hooray

posted by Krista

Behind the Scenes: The People

14th Jun 2007

Sabrina Alimi:


Workin' Hard for the Money: Since October 2006
Job Title: Marketing
Reason to love work: being able to learn everyday about new online marketing strategies
Pastimes: playing lacrosse, frolicking on the beach, web surfing, dominating air hockey, occasional golf, watching the Yankees beat the Red Sox
On her Ipod: Dashboard Confessional, Maroon 5, Goo Goo Dolls
Favorite Crayola Crayon Color: Razzmatazz Red
Breakfast of Champions: Homemade egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel
Film that gets 2 thumbs up: Finding Nemo
Celebrity Icons: Hideki Matsui of the Yankees
Office lunch to die for: Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

Unique fact: Contrary to popular belief, Alimi was not named after Melissa Joan Hart's portrayal of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Though she may have some magic up her sleeve, Alimi was actually named after Sabrina Duncan from the original Charlie's Angels (the brains of the operation).

posted by Krista

New Features!

13th Jun 2007

The ViaTalk folks have been plugging away in their workshop night and day to come up with some convenient new features!

Here's what's new:

-You can now disable voicemail through the Control Panel
-You can also disable the voicemail password prompt when checking voicemail from the VT phone (if you are dialing in remotely, however, you still need to enter the password)

Keep in touch by checking out our forum and post your ideas on which features to come out with next!

posted by Krista

Behind the Scenes: The People

12th Jun 2007

Braxton Mairs:

Workin' Hard for the Money: Since 2006
Job Title: Tech Support
Reason to love work: the challenge that goes along with solving problems for customers
Pastimes: long boarding, Frisbee of the ultimate manner, pogo, going to church, parkour (freestyle running to overcome obstacles on the route with a variety of gymnastic and acrobatic moves)
On his Ipod: Rage Against the Machine, Peter Bjorn and John, Goldfinger, Modest Mouse
Favorite Crayola Crayon Color: Neon Carrot
Breakfast of Champions: Fruity Pebbles
Film that gets 2 thumbs up: Dumb and Dumber
Celebrity Icons: Lincoln and Einstein
Office lunch to die for: Vegetarian Chili

Unique fact: Mairs adopted his sister's pink and green pogo stick in elementary school, and has never looked back. Mairs is not jumping for distance or height, only tricks and style. When he's not working, Mairs is busy mastering the ULBS (Under the Leg Bar Spin).

posted by Krista

ViaTalk Ranks "Interesting"

11th Jun 2007

ViaTalk is listed in the 25 Most Interesting VoIP Startups at voipnews.com.

Here's the gossip:

"Flat-rate phone service so cheap that you pay for it by the year instead of by the month - that's ViaTalk's angle, and it seems to be catching on."

The way things are booming now make it hard to believe that ViaTalk started up sharing the same little cozy nook with sister company HostRocket.com- interesting.

posted by Krista

Behind the Scenes: The People

8th Jun 2007

Everything you've always wanted to know about the people on the other end of the phone.

Joe Schoonbeck

Workin' Hard for the Money: Since July 2004
Job Title: Customer Service / Tech Support
Reason to love work: gaining experience in system administration...and foosball
Pastimes: baseball, riding his brand new motorcycle, designing and engineering
On his Ipod: TOOL, A Perfect Circle, Brand New, Death Cab For Cutie, The Starting Line
Favorite Crayola Crayon Color: Sunset Orange
Breakfast of Champions: Grand Slam from Denny's
Films that get 2 thumbs up: The Blues Brothers and Running With Scissors
Celebrity Icons: David Hasselhoff
Office lunch to die for: Justin Mazzi's Chili

Unique fact: Schoonbeck's life ambition is to win the Bag O'Crap from woot.com. In case you didn't know, woot.com stirs up a frenzy each time they allow any average Joe to trade a "few perfectly good U.S. dollars for crappy items of dubious value" that are laying around woot's warehouse. So far for Schoonbeck, this is only a dream.

posted by Krista

Nintendinitis Strikes Again

7th Jun 2007

Now I've heard everything.

Dr. Julio Bonis, member of Barcelona's Research Group in Biomedical Informatics, recently diagnosed a nagging, painful ailment. A disorder so common in fact, that he himself suffered from the malady.

Bonis, an avid Nintendo Wii competitor, experienced painful injuries from repetitive movements after a rousing game of Wii Sports Tennis (a simulated tennis match).

After extensive Wii research, Bonis concluded that he was not alone with his nagging symptoms. He dubbed the condition Wiiitis (pronounced "wee-eye-tis).

At this point, Bonis recommends ibuprofen for one week, as well as "complete abstinence from playing Wii video games."

P.S. Wiiitis strikes here at ViaTalk. An undisclosed member of our staff has suffered from back and wrist pain after engaging in Wii games. The remedy: heating pads, ice packs, wrist splints, and the heart of a lion.

posted by Krista

Put Your Thinking Caps On

6th Jun 2007

The infamous forum contest was a big success and posts were plentiful. But where have all the posts gone?

Get answers, give feedback and get going on the ViaTalk Customer to Customer Support Forums.
We may be in need of a few new contest ideas, and who doesn't love winning free stuff?

Go ahead. Rant, rave and post.

posted by Krista

Don't Stop Till You Get Enough

5th Jun 2007

Want to make a deal?

For a limited time, current customers can add time to their existing plans for $150 per year and can add as many years as they want to pay for.

A few days ago, one customer added FIVE years to his plan.

Looks like too much of a good thing, is a good thing.

posted by Krista

Pigs In a Blanket Make National News

4th Jun 2007

It must be a slow news day.

Joey 'Jaws' Chestnut, 22, was featured on the NBC Today Show for smashing the world hot dog eating record.  Jaws eliminated 59 ½ hot dogs AND buns in just 12 minutes.

His reward? Hot dogs for a year.  Go figure.

Our lunch today: make your own tacos

posted by Krista