As stated on the main page, phone calls from the dead are simply phone calls that are apparently placed by a deceased person.     There are certain characteristics that are often present in these calls, and researchers D. Scott Rogo and Raymond Bayless (virtually the only researchers of phone calls from the dead) have developed an informal classification system that is handy when talking about these characteristics.     This system is two-tiered, with calls being simple and prolonged which refers to the length of the call. Next, the researchers divided the calls into three categories-----apparent phone calls, intention calls, and answer calls. *Simple Calls*  Simple calls are the most commonly reported. Rogo & Bayless set their standard for simple at thirty words or less spoken by the phantom caller. Oftentimes, these simple calls are brief because the dead caller is unresponsive to the living party on the line. In these situations, the caller will repeat a phrase or question, and then eventually quiet without responding coherently to the living person. At this point, the line usually stays "open" until the recipient of the call hangs up; the line will not go dead and there is no "click" of the dead caller breaking the connection. *Prolonged Calls*  Prolonged phone calls are much more rare. One of the most striking factors in the majority of calls is that the living person will not know that the other person is dead. Conversation will proceed normally, except for the deceased person being reluctant to answer questions that would require lying or revealing that he or she is dead, such as committing to future plans, talking about where they are, or their health.     It had been theorized that the duration of these prolonged calls is a direct result of and dependent on the living person not knowing that the other person is dead. Even when simple calls have a phantom caller who is sentient and willing to talk, the shock and surprise of the living person often makes the call brief. *Apparent Phone Calls*  As for the second tier of classification, most calls reported are cases in which a dead person calls a living person. The living person may or may not know of the other's death, so the calls may be prolonged or simple. *Answer Phone Calls*  Less common are those calls in which a living person calls a dead one. Obviously in these cases the fact that the other person is dead is not known, so these calls are usually prolonged. *Intention Phone Calls*  The last classification is different because a dead person is not involved. In these cases, the living person considered or wanted to place a phone call, but did not actually make a call. Despite this, a call conveying the message the person intended will be received. Sometimes, the call received will be normal, and the "caller" will sound like him or herself. However, an intriguing twist is the occasional report of slurred or robotic, mechanical speech on the part of the "caller" (which is reminiscent of some "Men in Black" anecdotes). In other cases, a mysterious third party will call and relay information on behalf of the "caller."