San Francisco may ban the Yellow Pages

[Danny Tse]

From KRON-TV....

San Franciscans may soon have to request a copy of the Yellow Pages phone directory instead of just expecting it to show up at their door.

The Board of Supervisors is considering legislation that would ban companies from leaving a copy of the Yellow Pages at the door of every home and business in the city.

Instead people would have to request the book by e-mail, phone, or in-person.

"The amount of natural resources used to create, distribute and dispose of the Yellow Page phone books is staggering," Board President David Chiu said this
morning.

Chiu says the city already pays about a million dollars every year to cover the costs of recycling the Yellow Pages.

Industry groups have indicated they might sue to block such a law. If it passes, the ban would start with a pilot program in October.

[steveinaz]

hehe, I love it.

[treitz3]

I don't think they are alone. My area seeks to do the same thing. No big deal, if you want one, request one.

[shack]

I guess if they don't have a phone book they can call directory assistance to get the number to request a phone book.

[dkg999]

The printed yellow pages is something that probably isn't long for the world anyway.

[BlueFox]

The printed yellow pages is something that probably isn't long for the world anyway.

I agree, but it is so useful since many small businesses are not on the web.

[Face]

I haven't used the yellow or white pages in almost 10 years.

[ViperZ]

I agree, but it is so useful since many small businesses are not on the web.

The exact copy (or even larger one) is online anyway. It's not like you have to specifically register to be on the internet version.

[dorokusai]

There's no reason for the Yellow Pages. It's a waste of paper and 95% of the public doesn't even use them. I don't recall a helter skelter moment when the phone company removed them from public phone booths....let alone the removal of public phone booths.

If you aren't in some way, even free and without your knowledge, on an internet search, I wouldn't be looking for you anyways.

[bobman1235]

The paper Yellow Pages is a joke. The fact that the companies that print it are too stupid to realize this and it's come to having to be outlawed is absurd, but that seems to be the world we live in.

[bruss]

I use my phone books to start my fireplace. Just rip out what ya need and poof... fire

[sucks2beme]

Would somebody PLEASE do that here.
Between Verizon, AT&T, and the other guys(no names)
I bet 6-8 sets of white/yellow pages show up on my doorstep every
year.

[bobman1235]

By the way, for anyone NOT in San Fran, here's how to opt out of them : http://gizmodo.com/5748743/at-last-y...-pages-to-hell

[cokewithvanilla]

For once, I agree with something that is being done in Cali. I'm not so sure I agree that it needs legislation, but I certainly hate seeing those stupid books.

I can't imagine how much money is wasted by printing those. I also can't imagine who pays for the ads to be in there. Over at my apartments here (mostly college kids), those things will sit in the entrance way (a stack of 5) until someone decides to throw the whole lot out. So far, they've been sitting a about a month. I assume that eventually, with or without legislation, they will disappear.

[wz2p7j]

People, lot's of people, use the YP. At least for some things.

I own a franchise business (auto repair). Just a couple years ago, the franchisor failed to renew our YP ad. Guess what, sales immediately dropped 35-40%, within the space of the few weeks after the new YP was delivered. Literally almost put me out of business. I bled so much red ink you wouldn't believe it.

Some things are just so much easier to find in the YP. Type in, for example, "transmission repair, yourcity, yourstate" in your favorite search engine and see how many hits you get. Now crack your YP and see what you get. See what I mean?

Personally, I'm a big (really big) internet user. Every thing's out there. But there's still a time for the YP. When my furnace went out about a year ago I tried on line. Got sick of wading through all the crap and opened the book to find someone.

Personally, I would probably vigorously fight such legislation. YP is still a vital form of marketing for many small businesses. I wouldn't want to see that taken away from us.

Chris

[F1nut]

I believe the Yellow Pages are still vital to most people.

[pepster]

I believe the Yellow Pages are still vital to most people.

What about the color blind people?

[wz2p7j]

Let me tell you another reason the internet is a joke for some things. It's really easy (and free) for us as business owners to get ourselves signed up for as many on-line "yellow pages" as we can. Plus we can sign up with separate ads in surrounding communities to increase our chances of being called. Hey, my competition does it, I have to too.

My center manager will get 3-4 calls sometimes from the same person "calling around" looking for the best price. What a monumental waste of time.

The YP is expensive for me and my competition. You crack it open in my county and there's 3 players with 3 good sized ads. Narrows it down way quicker than our friend, the search engine.

Just sayin' what I see.

Chris

[bobman1235]

I believe the Yellow Pages are still vital to most people.

Most dumb people, maybe.

[emoxley]

I believe the Yellow Pages are still vital to most people.

I hope so!
Our bread and butter is yellow pages. My wife does all the ads for the yellow pages, in the city she works in. She's worked on yellow page ads for the past 30 years, starting back when they did paste up & layout, and now on computer. If you're traveling, and your car breaks down in a strange town, most people go to the yellow pages to get a tow truck and find a mechanic. The yellow pages are a needed service.......

[shack]

There is still a generation of people who use the phone book. My 80 yo mother doesn't use the internet...doesn't want to...even though she has been around computers for the last 40 years or so (she helped my dad in his accounting practice). She would probably have difficulty at her age navagating in the cyberworld. She needs and wants a phone book. Until the internet is used by everyone, there will continue to be a need for phone books by a segment of the population.

OTOH I never use a phone book.

Here is the problem...it is a huge waste of resources...but still a needed product...for now. As long as it is being paid for by the advertisers in the yellow pages and business listings then I suppose it still makes economic sense. If it only goes out to a few people, then the advertisers won't pay for listing in it and it no longer makes sense to produce. It is not a product that works in a limited distribution model. Once the internet is universal then it will fade away...and that is probably not too far in the future.

As for SF...like I said...if they pass the law they will kill the phone book in their area. No company can afford to print and distribute them in a limited market.

[Jstas]

I still use the phone book.

The online sites are garbage and never have complete listings. The phone book will list every registered phone number regardless of whether you bought an ad or paid for a listing or not. The sites that have business searches and such are usually out of date too.

Besides, I can't use http://www.yellowpages.com to prop something up or to give a boost in a child seat or anything like that.

[bobman1235]

Let me tell you another reason the internet is a joke for some things. It's really easy (and free) for us as business owners to get ourselves signed up for as many on-line "yellow pages" as we can. Plus we can sign up with separate ads in surrounding communities to increase our chances of being called. Hey, my competition does it, I have to too.

My center manager will get 3-4 calls sometimes from the same person "calling around" looking for the best price. What a monumental waste of time.

The YP is expensive for me and my competition. You crack it open in my county and there's 3 players with 3 good sized ads. Narrows it down way quicker than our friend, the search engine.

Just sayin' what I see.

Chris

You can similarly advertise on GOogle and get your name to pop up first, just like in the Yellow Pages. It's not expensive to just BE in the phone book, it's expensive to be prominently displayed. The same goes for the internet; it's free to be searchable, it costs money to be noticed.

As I tried to say, I don't think legislation needs to be involved, but for people like me, it's a GIGANTIC waste of resources (especially the paper) and it would be nice if it were an opt-IN service rather than opt-out. When the phonebook comes to my door, I curse and throw it out. I don't "keep it around just in case." .

[cstmar01]

If it something that can still be requested by the end user I don't see as large of an issue. In that case its not being just completely done away with, so older people, or people who depend on it can request it.

I for one think its a better idea to have those that request it be sent and the other not. For instance I live in an apartment and they just drop off the books on our doorstep and half the time they sit there for a few months before someone just takes them to the trash. Maybe 2-3 are grabbed and the rest remain so a total of 5-6 books are wasted per complex and when you look at the number of complexes that are in our area its a lot of books really quick.

[F1nut]

Most dumb people, maybe.

Your ignorance knows no bounds.

[Lasareath]

I haven't used the yellow or white pages in almost 10 years.

Same here. I also do not have a home phone for at least 14 years.

[bobman1235]

Your ignorance knows no bounds.

Let's not be too self-serious here; it was a joke, and we're talking about the G-D YELLOW PAGES, not war.

However, while it's true that my ignorance knows no bounds, about this topic I do not believe I am being "ignorant." It's 2011. There are better and more efficient (and up-to-date, for that matter) ways to get information than flipping through a several thousand page book. And there are CERTAINLY more efficient - by every measurable metric - ways of distributing that information than having someone literally drive to every house and drop off said giant book.

I realize there are exceptions, and that they are not all "stupid." Again, joke. But if you're HERE, on an internet message board, you have the capacity to understand this concept.

[Danny Tse]

As for SF...like I said...if they pass the law they will kill the phone book in their area. No company can afford to print and distribute them in a limited market.

I may or it may not. Here in SF, there are phone directories in foreign languages that, I would imagine, have a smaller circulation rate than the "regular" Yellow Pages. And those are everywhere.

I still use the Yellow Pages myself.

[F1nut]

Let's not be too self-serious here; it was a joke, and we're talking about the G-D YELLOW PAGES, not war.

However, while it's true that my ignorance knows no bounds, about this topic I do not believe I am being "ignorant." It's 2011. There are better and more efficient (and up-to-date, for that matter) ways to get information than flipping through a several thousand page book. And there are CERTAINLY more efficient - by every measurable metric - ways of distributing that information than having someone literally drive to every house and drop off said giant book.

I realize there are exceptions, and that they are not all "stupid." Again, joke. But if you're HERE, on an internet message board, you have the capacity to understand this concept.

Fair enough Bob. I usually enjoy your posts, but on this matter you seem to have an almost rabid stance. Hence, I did not realize you were joking.

I gave this some thought as I motored down the road this afternoon. I'd bet that I can find what I am looking for in a Yellow Pages book much quicker than someone else can turn on their computer, get online and do a search. Not only can I do it faster, I'll find more choices and they will all be in my local area. Now, for finding numbers and info that is not in my local area, yeah the computer is the way to go.

[mantis]

i believe we all need to let go and move forward. I'm all for using the internet , cell phones to find who we need to call. I'm all for paperless. I see no reason to use paper anymore.

It's a digital world so lets go digital.