A: YouMail has free phone numbers in many area codes in the US or Canada, so there's a good chance you can get a local phone number. It's also possible to get a free local vanity number. (A vanity number is a number that spells a word or words with the telephone keypad. For example, 7665 spells "pool.") With a bit of searching, you can find a local vanity number – so your free phone number is exactly the free phone number you want – that becomes unforgettable to others.

A: Most customers use it to preserve their privacy if/when they give out their phone number. For example, if you are opening an account with bank, etc, your free YouMail phone number is ideal. Also, depending upon your business, you may not want to publish your cell phone number where everyone can see it (think a realtor's bus bench or another type of ad). Just publish your free phone number and set it up to forward to your cell. It will ring right to you, but gives you the option to play 'number is out of service' if needed.

A: There's no difference at all – users will have all the same settings (think: greetings, auto-reply) and their YouMail inbox will show all the messages and hangups to that number. It really is easy.