Format of Tel. Numbers in CDOL

[lajackson]

Even for local calls in the U.S., with standardized area codes in some places you do not dial the code and in others you do for a local call.

It may depend on your phone system, but I don't think there's any harm in using the area code when it's not needed.

Where I live, the call is not completed or you get a different number. It is hard to remember what life was like with land lines.

With cell phones, you have to feed the beast ten digits, and many folks today do not even know the significance of an area code. When folks move, they often keep their phone number, so you can no longer tell where a member lives by their area code.

I used to think you could tell where they came from, but even that is no longer true if they have moved twice or more often. It is a whole new world.

[mevans]

As lajackson mentioned earlier, some countries have multiple formats. Some also have a varied length of numbers. There are many different rules, and some countries have very unique dialing modes (for example, I remember a few years back the phone guy at my company told me about special phone number formats that are only used in Austria and Germany phone systems). Microsoft Outlook seems to have formatting rules built in for different countries. I presume they make sense to the citizens of that country. You can google articles about phone number formats. I presume the church could add such formats to CDOL and the member directory.

One standard I see used frequently is a "+" in front of the country code. On GSM phones, you seem to be able to put a + in front of the country code and it knows how to dial out wherever you are, rather than trying to figure out the international dialing code for the country you're in. I see that CDOL uses the + in noting country codes, but in other church listings of phone numbers, I see the country code listed in parenthesis instead. I'm not sure why the church isn't consistent.

[johnshaw]

Always returns to the not all countries do it the same..... Doesn't matter, when the phone number pattern is the same, standardize, regardless of whether your in the States, or Europe, Africa or Asia..... Frankly, it's the non us that standardizes we generally are behind in that area.