Go Green, Lose the Yellow Pages

I used my phone book just the other day. You see, there was this mug on the top shelf that I had to reach...Try standing on a website. I guarantee it wouldn't have been quite so effective. :)

I don't even bring my directories into the house. They go straight into the recycling bin.

Great article! =)

@Jocelyn, at least you didn't stand on a rolling chair ;) side note, could you sue a phone book company if you slipped off and fell since they don't have a disclaimer against that? LOL

@mediachick that's awesome just wish we didn't even have to bother with recycling in the first place...so few of us actually bother to do so... although I hear out on your coast they fine you for not recycling stuff that can be?

just goes to show you why you can't believe everything you read on the Internet. Your statistics on the Yellow Pages industry use of trees for its paper (and the other stats you quote) are incorrect.

Go here for how their paper is actually made: http://www.yptalk.com/archive.cfm?ID=322&Ca...

While it may fit your agenda for selling SEO/SEM services, the reality is the Yellow Pages industry doesn’t knock down any trees for its paper!!! Let me repeat that – they don’t need to cut any trees for their paper supply. Currently, on average, most publishers are using about 40% recycled material (from the newspapers and magazines you are recycling curbside), and the other 60% comes from wood chips and waste products of the lumber industry. If you take a round tree and make square or rectangular lumber from it, you get plenty of chips and other waste. Those by-products make up the other 60% of the raw material needed. Note that these waste products created in lumber milling would normally end up in landfills. Not only that, as wood chips decompose, they emit methane, a greenhouse gas closely associated with global warming.

So Ken, I wasn't really trying to sell anything, are you saying that people still use phone books or are you trying to protect a dying industry? Seems like when you use your own facts to fight against what even Bill Gates can see coming that you're not doing a very good job of proving your point.



First off I understand that you can use recycled materials to create phone books and I think that's great. But where do most of those books still end up? Recycled again or just plain thrown out. You can't justify to me that just because you're using recycled materials you can get away with obvious waste. Just like phone booths and pay phones have gone out of style the phone book/yellow pages are dying.




I'm less worried about how accurate the facts are and more interested in the general trend. I can't remember when the last time I used a phone book was, but I use Google and other search tools, even 411 when I need an address or business information.




Additionally while you put off the decomposition process, it will still happen a year later as the people who use phone books throw them out. What are the effects of the inks and dyes you use on the environment?



I think its sad that much like the record companies you and the YP industry are fighting hard against progress (see the link about the yellow pages fighting opt-in).




And on a side note I think that newspapers and magazines are a dying breed too so you're recycled materials source will dry up some day soon too.

I'm not sure 14 billion look-ups in the just the print products last year would be considered "dying".

Third party research still shows that 85% of adults use the print books at least once a year. No doubt we all spend a lot of time online "browsing" things, but "buyers" are still turning to the print Yellow Pages when it's time to buy -- that's why so many are being printed -- people use them.

If you're not using a book, why not?? They have coupons, maps, special sections and and government information. They don't require any power when not in use. No special connections, software, or tech knowledge. You really should check one out. I won't tell your friends.

And if you hadn't noticed, Mr. Gates skills at projecting things is pretty poor: http://www.yptalk.com/archive.cfm?ID=286&Ca...

Kenc,

The main point of the article was that phone books are being wasted. The stats backing up that main thrust may vary depending on the source, but they main point still stands that the paper is wasted. Since phone companies need to buy so much paper, we could even assume that the price of paper is increased because of its being wastefully used.

Certainly, more factors are involved in the paper making process than we have listed. Doug was simplifying the matter because this article was not about making paper; Doug was just drawing attention to the fact that people are wasting this resource.

Unless you're into wasting paper after its been made into a phone book, I don't know why you'd get so exercised about this blog post.

I touched on this topic just a couple of months ago. Kenc (aka Ken Clark) responded to my post, too, with his nonsense about something not being waste if it's made of recycled materials.

Here's my complete article, which also talks about how the Yellow Pages and other industries manipulate their statistics to justify their behavior: http://coolrulespronto.wordpress.com/2008/10/24...

While I sympathize with anyone trying to protect their industry and their jobs, I wish they would put just as much effort into imagining alternatives. (In other words, Ken, stop reading blogs and start brainstorming a future that doesn't have tons of books being thrown into a landfill.) Whether it's the Yellow Pages or Chrysler or the music industry, the wailing of the dinosaurs is growing old.

@kenc Regarding Mr Gates, you will see that not only did I accurately quote him I also linked to the transcript. Not only do you not provide this, you misquote him as saying

And of most interest: In five years, the number of people consulting the printed Yellow Pages will drop to "near zero."

You've dug a bit of a hole here since what he really said is that people under 50 won't be using phone books in 5 years. I would tend to agree or suggest that number be around 90% at least.

Have you tried to use a metro area phone book lately? They're stinking huge...I'd rather use a cell phone or a computer to look up what I need without trying to use a monstrosity that would take me forever to locate info I can find in a few seconds online. Only reason I would ever use a phone book is if the relevant information wasn't available online. In most cases a business that's not professional enough to have an online presence isn't worth my time or I've heard about it through word-of-mouth.

<ul>
<li>Did you know that better than a coupon I can find daily/weekly specials and discounts tailored directly to me online? </li><li>Did you know that better than a map, I can look up directions directly to a business online? </li><li>Did you know that when I am making a buying decision I research what friends, family and neighbors on the internet have to say about a product or service, not who has the most expensive YP ad? </li><li>Did you know I can find government information that is more up-to-date and easier to navigate online?</li><li> Did you know that 55% of American's have broadband? Not really anything special required there... Even more have cell phones... could you imagine carrying around a phone book that weighs nearly 4 pounds with a cell phone that weighs 4 ounces? </li></ul>
The only time I'll ever use a phone book is if I have no cell phone and I'm at a phone booth or a business and have to borrow a phone.

Did you know, according to Google, iPhone users perform more than 50x the number of searches that other cell phone users do? With Apple gaining market share and even a rumor of a $99 iPhone I've no clue why anyone would bother to use a phone book... http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2008/12/04/apple...

Another point, a phone book may not require any power to operate but how much electricity is put into manufacturing it?

All I want is for my readers to consider the costs and the direction of the markets. You seem to want people to cling to old and dying technology. While phone books still serve some purposes and some segments of the population they are a dying technology. They can't keep pace with the instant updates and easy searching that the Internet can provide. I'm merely encouraging the push towards the future instead of wasting time (and natural resources) in dragging our feet to get there.

I tried to use google just yesterday to find my local doctor to make an appointment. After over 10 minutes and 2 disconnected phone numbers coming up I opened my local phone book and made the call. I have tried to make the switch at times but find it very cumbersome. If I have the time to fiddle around and look for a while eventually I can find what I am looking for on the internet but man is it a pain in the neck. If you really want to save paper, please go after the pounds of junk mail we get each and every day.

Mike I understand what you're saying but eventually you won't get bad results like that on the internet. I'm not asking for phone books to be banned, I'm asking for people that don't use them to be able to opt-out. I have a friend who says he uses his phone book frequently but he gets 6 of them from different companies and only ever uses one to find what he needs. Its a waste and companies that advertise in the YP need to be very careful instead of just assuming that they're going to lose business by not being listed...

I would love to see a national (or even state-by-state) No Phone Book lists, where consumers can opt out of receiving books they know they won't use. Thanks so much for providing the links to the petitions.

I see why the YP industry would fight such a proposal; their ad revenue depends on being able to boast huge circulation numbers. Unfortunately for them, the internet has permanently changed this model, and they would be better off finding new (possibly online) revenue streams than fighting to preserve a dying model.

If the YP publishers don't believe this, I'd suggest they talk to the RIAA or any major music label for a first-hand report on how a profitable business can be completely destroyed in a few short years, and how exploring new business ideas wins out over fighting a defensive battle.

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No kidding. I haven't cracked a phone book in four years.

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Great post and great replies! I own a business that many people would consider a waste of fuel - mobile billboards. (I am in the process of converting to WVO). I can tell you that of all the business owners I know that advertise in the YP's, the response is terrible. A maid service told me he spends on average $250 to generate a new client. His closing ratio is 25% for internet leads and 80% for YP leads. Sounds great for YP, right? Well - when you figure he has been scammed into upgrading his ad each year and is now paying $1290/month for his ad, and that ad (1/4 page full color) generates 1 measley call per month! The effectiveness of YP is terrible. I can't ever justfy suggesting to a client to spend $1290/month on an ad that each adult in my community will have a once/year chance of seeing his ad. And what if the ONE TIME the adults pick the book up they are looking for a service that begins with a different letter? With all due respect Ken, your arguements are very weak. There are many, many better ways to spend your money...

We recently had our end of the year budget meeting and while most will think we are cutting back because of "hard times" that is far from the truth. This past year was actually one of our best yet but we went over what was and wasn't working for us. The yellow pages was one of those things that wasn't plus as a company that provides new media services we felt it best not to support a business model that hasn't brought us any income plus I'm amazed at the waste that goes into the process of putting these huge directories out. Even if they do use recycled paper the plants that produce them use power and the means of delivery also burns needless fuel. I can understand why some segments of our population still may need them but I say give us an option of at least opting out.

If you would like to read the article I wrote about our budget considerations the link is right here.

http://www.spinningsilkmultimedia.com/creativit...

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Great comments; they really expand the topic beyond the scope of this blog post. My first inclination when reading the post was to jump on the "facts" about resources consumed to make paper. But as KenC illustrated, that veers us from the [some might say obvious] point that Yellow Pages are truly wasteful for what they are (unlike other large books that are designed to have all their pages viewed), and must benefit very few advertisers. I like the whole opt-in/out issue –I already busted my new snowblower on a "complimentary" and log-sized Sunday paper I didn't ask for!