I stopped making my phone number public back in 2006 ... and I change my phone number every so often so as NOT to get calls from folks, as people have a tendency to pass on phone numbers without the owner's permission.
I am now very selective as to I am going to spend time talking to.
I remember when I made this decision: I (literally) got about 15 phone calls from people I did not know, each one of which lasted :15 to an hour, and my entire day (and much of my evening) was utterly wasted with a piece of plastic glued to my ear, talking to people I didn't know, all of whom were picking my brain for information.
I finally said, "Enough!", and never made my number public again
Jack