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October 14th, 2008 at 9:31 am

Tatango, a website that allows users to send text messages to groups, is adding a new feature today for making phone calls. Using the same interface, users can now opt to record a voice message and then send it to one of their groups. Recipients then receive a text alerting them to the new message, and can reply with “CALL,” which will in turn dial the user and relay the voice recording.

Similar to its group texting product we profiled earlier this year, Tatango Voice offers a freemium business model. In other words, if you want free service, all of your calls will include advertisements before the voice message is heard by recipients, but for a monthly fee, you can have the advertising removed. Free group texts include a 30 character advertisement at the end.

While to some extent, Tatango’s group text messaging service could be replaced by one of the many emerging “enterprise Twitter” startups, the voice offering is something that could be really useful for group organizers, especially considering there is only so much you can say in 140 characters. Meanwhile, since Tatango is a “one-to-many” platform, you don’t get the noise that accompanies a group microblogging service.

Source:Mashable!

Thrive is a new free financial advisory service for the Generation X and Y set. Their goal is to provide easy and simple tools to help the twenty- and thirty-something crowd manage their money matters and plan their financial future.

Thrive lets you add all of your financial accounts such as checking, savings, and investments. You then share how much you make and enter information regarding your spending habits so that Thrive can analyze your expenses. The site understands that visuals appeal a great deal to this generation, so everything is presented in an easy to view manner.

The consequences of each expenditure are presented in an easy to understand format. For example, they show that spending $4.45 a day at Starbucks adds up to $89 a month and over $1,000 per year! Even the least financially savvy person can grasp that.

The timing is perfect for this type of service considering the country’s economic status. There are, however, a wealth (no pun intended) of other free financial management services available such as Mint, Wesabe, and newcomer Rudder.

The truth is that any of these services can help the young demographic that Thrive is targeting. However, the fact that Thrive is clearly focused on this group should make it more appealing. All of the services and features are customized for younger investors with a focus on their retirement plan and long-term financial forecast. The other services offer broader more generic features because they have to appeal to a wide range of age groups, not just twenty and thirty-somethings.

It’s amazing how many financial services are starting to appear on the scene. Is it a case of sharks smelling blood in the water or just ironic timing? I think it’s just naturally a good idea to provide services that help users take control of their money. Despite all of the security measures taken by these financial sites, there will be large segments of the population that will be too concerned to trust an unknown entity with their private financial account information. However, the Gen-X and Y audience are more trusting of online services and might be more willing to share their account information with Thrive. Especially if they discover that they can learn to save money for their future.