Nickname: Ryan

Review: As far as purchasing ads in the Yellow Pages is concerned, it's expensive! On top of that, the ads don't stand out from one another. When I've flipped through the YP, the full-page ads may catch my eye, but I don't see size of ad as indicative of a trustworthy business. All it says is that the owner can afford a full-sized ad for a year. I think many businesses are going online not just to save money, but because most people are already online and find it easy to type what they're looking for into a search engine. Not only that, but a Web site space can advertise a business as the 3-dimensional living entity it is as opposed to showing it as a big box with a headline and maybe a picture to boot. If Yellow Pages wants to stay in business they're going to have to match cheap (or free) costs as well as the aesthetics of a well-built Web site. Did I mention that Web sites can also lend credibility to a business, especially if consumer reviews and other endorsements are attached?

Date reviewed: Aug 28, 2006 11:26 PM

Nickname: SBCtoYB

Review: It is clear to see that with the recent SBC purchase of Bell South that AT&T is in a mode to buy all the utility companies while Yellow Book is on a quest to buy all the indies. AT&T will next buy Verizon. We are soon going to see a country where nearly every market will be served by only two Yellow Pages -- AT&T and Yellow Book, USA. AT&T will be partnered with Yahoo and YB with Google to sell their local product. Yellow Pages are as alive and well as ever.

Date reviewed: Jun 6, 2006 2:47 AM

Nickname: A real YP Rep

Review: Well anyone who once worked for a baby bell then had to go work for Yellowbook must really know their stuff, just joking. That being said, syndicated research indicates that across the board people are still 10 times more likely to pick up a phonebook to look for a business than go turn on the computer and look. It can't be disputed that the book will decline a bit in the face of newer and better online search tools, but it will never be gone for good. Rather, it's likely to experience a period of decline and stabilize again. Anyone who says its going to eventually become irrelevant either doesn't know what they're talking about or is probably selling some form of internet advertising.

Date reviewed: Mar 15, 2006 4:04 PM

Nickname: Marc G Publisher

Review: Telcos sell off Yellow Pages to pay off their excessive debt loads. The facts will show that debt played a huge role in the desperation decisions made by Sprint, Quest, and now Verizon. Selling these huge profit margins is like mortgaging your hotels and houses in a game of Monopoly. You hate to do it, you know that it lowers your chances of winning, but you feel you have to do it to survive in the moment. As soon as you mortgage Park Place and Boardwalk, 3 other players land on your old profit centers, and you get nothing. It is all you can do to keep from having a meltdown. The day will come when these companies long for the cash, and share of the local market that they once enjoyed as Yellow Pages publishers. Perhaps the leaders at Verizon should engage in a good old game of Monopoly before they sell off their yellow pages unit. Oops; I forgot that telcos have spent so many years trying to avoid being called a monopoly, that they probably do not know how to play the game.

Date reviewed: Dec 9, 2005 4:12 AM