Send us your actual Yellow Pages experiences
May 9, 2008
One of the reasons I think the print Yellow Pages is so misunderstood is that people don’t recognize how it really does impact their lives.
Case in point – my 26 year old son, one of those “people under 30 who never use the Yellow Pages” you’ve probably heard about, buys his first home. He asks me to come help him fix a old floor. We rip up the old wood floor to find all kinds of leftover glue and crap still on the slab. After 10 minutes of trying to scraping this stuff away, I know this is going to take the rest of the weekend on my hands and knees to get this done – and that’s not my version of a great weekend. My son runs upstairs, fires up his pc, and starts searching. 10 minutes later he is no closer to a solution then when he started. I grab his print YP and in one minute I’m talking to a local equipment rental shop that has a special buffer with a steel wool pad on the bottom that is perfect for the job. Problem solved.
Here’s my call action then – I want all of you who work for the Yellow Pages industry to send me just one real life experience, like the one I just provided above, which shows the value of this powerful medium. You can either post it to this blog, or email it to me at ken@yptalk.com and I will get it up there.
Let’s share the value of these great products with others….
Entry Filed under: Actual Experiences. Tags: IYP, local search, yellow pages.
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1.
bob fortino | May 21, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Phone books are invaluable:
1. They choke up landfills
2. Every spring, they litter yards, porches then dumpsters
3. Millions of gallons of gas is wasted delivering these books nobody wants.
4. You will receive one every year regardless of your willingness to have one
5. You can sit on them while looking up phone information on your computer
2.
KenC | May 21, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Bob:
I decided to allow your comments to be posted on this site because they show the exact level ignorance you and others demonstrate on this subject. But since you felt compelled to post – ok, let’s look at your comments since this is THE FACTS ABOUT YELLOW PAGES
“Phone books are invaluable”: They are. I actually agree with you on this one point. They provide a medium for MILLIONS of small businesses to cost effectively promote their businesses. If you hadn’t noticed Bob, small business is the biggest driver in our society, they employ the vast majority of the people that work, they provide a wide range of products and services that people need, and they are the ones most in need of some marketing help – which is where the Yellow Pages industry comes in. Next time you go visit a local small business Bob, ask them where the bulk of their business comes from. You may be a little surprised – IT’S THE PRINT YELLOW PAGES
“1. They choke up landfills:” Totally untrue – the EPA has reported that print Yellow Pages take up only .3% of landfill space. You probably waste more in printing on your home based printer than that book which is delivered to you.
“2. Every spring, they litter yards, porches then dumpsters”: Why does that happen in some places Bob?? Because people like you are too lazy pick it up, take a look at the book, and make an intelligent decision whether to keep it or recycle it. Bob, it’s just a phone book. Get a life.
“3. Millions of gallons of gas is wasted delivering these books nobody wants.” The books were used nearly 14 BILLION TIMES LAST YEAR. Sounds to me like you are one of the few that doesn’t want one. At $4 a gallon for gas, you had better believe I’m using my book more to find what I need and call the business first before just driving over there. I suggest you try that also. That way you can save some fuel yourself.
“4. You will receive one every year regardless of your willingness to have one.” I get a lot of things I don’t ask for either. Do you spend your entire life fretting over small stuff like this? Again, take a look at the book, and make an intelligent decision whether to keep it or recycle it. It’s simple, dude. Why are you so stressed about this?
“5. You can sit on them while looking up phone information on your computer”: While you could do this it may affect the angle at which you type and could result in Carpal Tunnel syndrome, so I wouldn’t recommend it. It would also suggest your behavior on the computer would be childlike since that has been the more traditional use of the books as a booster seat. The good news is at least you would know where your book is…
3.
Betsy Turbell | June 7, 2008 at 2:42 pm
One observation from us city slickers (South Boston):
This year when the multiple “yellow books” were distributed, many sat idle on apartment doorsteps for three or four days until a torrential downpour. Then, on the ensuing garbage day which happened to be Thursday, you could see “yellow books” stacked for disposal in the back allies for as far as the eye can see (still in their plastic wrappers!!). NOTE: Thursday is NOT recycling day.
If you don’t believe me, ask ANY CITYgarbage handler- “yellow book day” for them is backbreaking. Instead of “killing the messenger”, perhaps the YP industry can be part of the solution?
Respectfully submitted,
B. Turbell
4.
KenC | June 8, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Betsy:
Thank you for your comments. But I’m not sure where you are going with your comments. Who says that the YP industry isn’t already part of the “solution”?? In nearly every area I’ve heard from or have visited, publishers offer recycling areas where people can drop off their unwanted books. In most curbside recycling programs, the books can be added to your little green/blue/whatever colored bin for recycling. If you city isn’t, ask them why. They should be – paper recyclers would love to have them.
On “killing the messenger” all I’m trying to do is make sure the “messenger” has the facts. And here’s a classic case of where you are being deceived. If those garbage handlers are suffering so badly then maybe they need to address the real cause of their back aches – newspapers and all your crap mail. The EPA, not me, not the Yellow Pages industry, but the Environmental Protection Agency’s own numbers show that only 0.3% of the municipal solid waste stream comes from print Yellow Pages. Standard mail and newspapers account for 2.4% and 4.9% of that waste stream.
Respectfully
Kenc
5.
Betsy Turbell | June 20, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Dear KenC,
Please pardon me if I was unclear about my observations. On garbage day, BRAND NEW YP books still in their plastic wrap were stacked two deep in the back allies as far as the eye could see… which suggests (to me) that some recipients would prefer to opt out of “Yellow Book Day” in favor of http://www.yellowpages.com. (YES, that presents challenges for the Y-E-L-L-O-W pages print business model- but your industry might be wise to start reading some of the G-R-E-E-N writing on the ally walls?)
BTW- I am an AVID user of http://www.yellowpages.com which continues to evolve in new and interesting ways. You should try it – you might like it? Oh…and I promise to send you a picture next YB Day…they say a picture is worth a 1000 words?
Sincerely,
BT
6.
KenC | June 20, 2008 at 9:10 pm
BT:
Glad to hear you are finding the YellowPages.com of use. That’s great to hear.
Let me ask you this – do you read all of the junk mail you get?? Do you watch all of the 100’s of TV channels available to you? How about the many radio stations in your area?? How about those weekly local newspapers that appear on your doorstep??
My guess is probably not. So why does it surprise you that not everyone may want or use a print Yellow Pages?
I’m surprised me that some people miss the value of it:
-Uses no additional energy all year long unlike the computer you are probably reading this on, which does use electricity continuously.
- It requires no batteries or power or connectivity to make it work
- It is made with recycled paper, is fully recyclable, and in the .3% of the landfill space it takes up, it does not pollute the landfill with the many toxins that all the electronic junk and batteries does.
- It is not made with plastics which requires petroleum (at some $135.00 or more per barrel) like the computers, PDA’s, IPODs, fantastically equipped cell phones, switching equipment, cable shielding, and all the related hardware does
- Is quicker in nearly every case I have seen to find the information you need
- Is often more complete and accurate than many electronic products
- Isn’t biased because of your age – with tattoos, sushi, and skateboards being some of the fastest growing headings, I doubt those print books are only being used by “the elderly”
If online works for you — go girl. But don’t jump to assumptions because a few other people are confused…
7.
Brutus C. | June 23, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Ken,
First let me mention that I work in the yellow pages industry and have for over 12 years. I fully understand the value of the print yellow pages and the challenges the industry is facing (both real and perceived).
That being said, please consider the following:
• Defending the print product is important, however the tone you are taking with the naysayers in these posts are demeaning to yourself and our industry. These people have an opinion in which they are entitled – granted, some of them are just trying to pick a fight and you’re playing right into their hand. You use terms and phrases like “Because people like you are too lazy,” “Get a life,” and “your behavior on the computer would be childlike.” Such comments would be expected by a teenager on some social networking site, but not a professional site like yours. Try to be professional, respectful, and thoughtful with your words – you are attempting to represent an industry here.
• How about recognizing that many areas do NOT offer phone book recycling because many publishers (printers, really) still use petroleum based inks which are a bear to separate from the paper fibers. Ask a recycler about the difference between petroleum and soy based inks and you may understand why so many books end up in the dump.
• I am a proponent of opt-in and/or opt-out for directory delivery. This would eliminate people like Bob from being burdened with tossing a book in the can. Unfortunately the industry is skittish about such proposals – why is this Ken? And don’t give me an executive song and dance, either. Opt-in/out is an excellent tool to negate all delivery objections. If you don’t want it – we want give it to you.
• Your (and our, as an industry) attempts to undermine the importance and depth of the internets reach reminds me of Saddam’s official standing in front of the camera proclaiming that Baghdad was NOT being invaded as tanks rolled down his street. And don’t give me stats about IYP’s, they are just fancy versions of our print products and are not typical of the internets capabilities or features which people are more accustomed to using (like search engines or social networking).
8.
KenC | June 24, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Brutus:
Thank you for your comments, but of course, I beg to differ on many of your comments.
My tone: sorry it some of my comments bother you but I didn’t start this site to be politically correct in the battle against those that spend hours and hours spewing incorrect facts and criticism across hyperspace, many of which are then picked up and echoed by others. I believe the issue with this industry is it has been way too soft in defending its turf and educating people on the value it does bring to the community. In this new communication media, no matter the topic, the more aggressive you are, the more attention you will garner. Hence, the creation of this site. If you believe a softer tone is more appropriate, please start another site. If you think that will help, go for it. The more we can people to hear the key messages of this the industry, the better, no matter whether it is softer or stronger in its approach.
My tone – part 2: At end of day it is just a Yellow Pages. If people are that upset by receiving the book, recycle it and move on. It would take just a fraction of the time it takes them to find, create, and post such crap. Would think they have better things to do with their time.
NO recycling: if a local government is NOT offering a recycling program of some type, its citizens should be asking why. In rural areas it will obviously be more difficult. But I’m not sure what dialog you want this site to run in those areas.
To your other point, I have “…Asked recyclers about the difference between petroleum and soy based inks and you may understand why so many books end up in the dump…” – your comment is blatantly incorrect and has nothing to do with the number of books that get recycled. Paper producers welcome the books. The middle men recyclers that don’t want them only do so because they don’t make as much money on the books as they do on the high grade plastics. For more go to this link and you see what really is happening out there: http://www.yptalk.com/archive.cfm?ID=322&CatID=3
Opt-in/opt-out: this is a topic for a future post as it’s not a one sentence answer. But your question clearly indicates you must be naïve about the industry you supposedly work in. Are you on the publisher or supplier side of the industry?
Importance of the Internet: Wow. Where have you been lately? This industry in the throes of a complete transformation to a multi-product strategy, of which the Internet is just one forum. What is your basis for a comment like “attempts to undermine the importance and depth of the Internets.” What are you talking about?? If that was true why would a company like RHD spend some $350 million on buying Business.com? YPG in Canada has also moved on Facebook. The search engines have already commented that the Yellow Pages industry has to this point been the best group at selling local search placements on their sites. Does that sound like an “undermining” effort to you?
The print Yellow Pages is the original search engine.