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Get A Virtual Secretary Online

Need a personal assistant to answer the phone, route your calls, and take messages? A growing number of Web-based phone services have nifty features that handle those jobs.

I tried a handful of these fun and useful programs--BuzMe, Pagoo's Call Catcher, and CallWave--and each worked as advertised. While you're online (or on the phone) and somebody else tries calling, BuzMe intercepts the call and forwards it to a toll-free number; a pop-up window alerts you to the incoming call. You can send the caller to voice mail or reject the call entirely (if it's a telemarketer, say). With BuzMe, you can also use a regular phone to check for messages. The basic service is free, but it's sponsored by Web-based ads. For $5 per month you can pay to have ads turned off.

Like BuzMe, Pagoo's Call Catcherforwards your calls to a toll-free number, and a pop-up window alerts you, letting you hear your caller's message. But instead of bothering you with ads, Pagoo charges $5 per month for six months of service or $4 per month for a year. You can try it free for 30 days.

CallWave lets you hear your caller's message too, but its small window stays put on your desktop, blinking ads whenever you use the service. Unlike BuzMe, however, CallWave does not allow you to get rid of the ads.

Note: To use these cool tools, you must subscribe to your phone company's Forward Busy/No Answer Call Forward service. Depending on your phone company, these fees can start at as little as $1 per month (see also "Halfway-There Solutions to Internet Dial-Up Dilemmas").