What's the point of Yellow Pages?

What's the point of Yellow Pages?

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Los Palmas 7

Original Poster:

29,908 posts

242 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
Got home today to find a big. useless yellow brick propped against my front door. Oh lovely - a copy of the Yellow Pages, just what I need. Not.

Apart from professional strongmen, who rip them in half (the trick is to do the spine first, apparently) does anyone still use the Yellow Pages? I mean, are us internet users still in the minority?

Surely the YP's days are numbered?

GTIR

24,741 posts

278 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
I used to advertise in the YP and got a total of one job in 2008, not much point now.
My elderly neighbour cannot even lift the thing up!

I noticed its a lot smaller this year but still massive.

To many categories (or sub forums, take note Haymarket)

Yes, YP is on the way out.

Edited by GTIR on Wednesday 8th April 18:05

cs02rm0

13,812 posts

203 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
We use it as an alternative to the fire extinguisher to keep the fire door open at work.

Famous Graham

26,553 posts

237 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
Well, if they're still producing it, advertisers must still be paying for adverts, which in turn means they must be getting leads from it.

The book is a fair bit more convenient next to a landline than looking it up on your PC.

I used to work there between 2000-04, and John Condron, the CEO (dunno if he still is), gave a speech at the annual company report thingy to that effect. That they were not considering phasing out the book just because Yell.com was taking off.

Having said that, I recently learnt from some friends of mine who still work there, that the New Media dept (which was solely responsible for Yell.com and where I worked), no longer exists as it's been subsumed into the company as a whole. So maybe they are changing the focus of the company after all. Who knows.

Los Palmas 7

Original Poster:

29,908 posts

242 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
I haven't looked, but does it still say under Boring "see Civil Engineers"?

Cotty

40,945 posts

296 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
Not everybody has a computer. My mum has trouble switching on her mobile phone let alone surfing the net to find a plumber.

Famous Graham

26,553 posts

237 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
No.

Simply "Engineers" biggrin

We had some fun with synonyms on Yell. I seem to remember "elderly" or similar would map to "Nursing Homes" and "Funeral Directors".

Oh how the long winter nights flew by...

Los Palmas 7

Original Poster:

29,908 posts

242 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
Famous Graham said:
The book is a fair bit more convenient next to a landline than looking it up on your PC.
What? Really?

bint

4,664 posts

236 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
Great for lighting fires with and the same for the local phone book & Thomson directory.

None of which we use for their intended purpose.

Los Palmas 7

Original Poster:

29,908 posts

242 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
bint said:
Great for lighting fires with and the same for the local phone book & Thomson directory.

None of which we use for their intended purpose.
I guess if I had a table that had one leg that was considerably shorter than the others, then it might come in handy as a steadying device. But (a) I don't have a table, and (b) if I did, it wouldn't have one leg considerably shorter than the others.

spikeyhead

18,522 posts

209 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
The only section I'd ever use is to find an emergency electrician

Simpo Two

88,423 posts

277 months

Wednesday 8th April 2009
quotequote all
It's all very confusing.

Once upon a time there were White Pages for residential numbers and Yellow Pages for business numbers. Now the White Pages seems to have both... wot?



And don't even get me started on Directory Enquiries banghead