Party Line — a Business Idea
When I was a kid, I lived in Plymouth, NH, population less than 3000. The town printed a calendar, and you could pay 25 cents to have your birthday or anniversary printed on it so everybody would know.
In those days, your telephone line was a party line, shared with about a dozen other families. If you had an emergency, the others would get off so you could take care of it. But normally, you had to wait until others had finished talking before you could place your call .And you might listen in to know when they were done. And you might join in the conversation, the other parties all being friends and neighbors.
Yes, there was a lack of privacy with those party lines, but there was plenty of community. And I’m surprised that no one now offers such a service over cellphones. (If someone does, please let me know).
Imagine — you and your friends subscribe as a party, up to about a dozen people. When one of you calls another, the rest are alerted that the call is going on so they can connect if they wish and listen in and participate. Everyone connected sees who started the call and with whom and who else joined in. The call ends when the last person hangs up. (It could also be done with video as an option).
