Print Directories: Yellowing with Age
Comments(15) Ever seen an old, outdated book? The pages are yellow, crackling, and faded. They’re sometimes cherished, perhaps even immortalised in some library where people can gasp in wonder at all that it represents. But no-one turns its pages, except perhaps some specialist bibliophile. And those are the lucky books; the rest become landfill, or unvisited – even embarrassing – monuments to dead trees.
Such is the fate of the traditional yellow page directory. Why? In an age of online directories, print directories are like clay tablets: large, cumbersome, limited, and unwieldy.
Even then, the comparison can’t emphasise just how obsolete they’ve become, all over the world. If you’re a business owner, you normally can’t get your details printed in them without paying a regular fee. You can’t easily edit the information without calling up the publisher. And even if you get your details in there, that’s it: you’re in a single publisher’s directory, viewable only to people who get the printed brick dropped outside their door. And what if there’s a mistake in the book, or your details change? No fixes will be forthcoming until the next print run.
Compare that with something like Bizwiki, for example: anyone can submit their business details to it, covering a wide range of information – information about your company, your email addresses, website addresses, and phone numbers – far beyond the traditional few words you’re limited to in print. Anyone can edit the business information as well, which makes it exceptionally easy to keep the information up-to-date and current. Best of all, it’s completely free. There’s no pushy sales people to deal with trying to sell you extras; it’s completely in your control, and that’s the way it should be.
On top of that, anyone using a search engine like Google looking for “Plumbers in Aldershot” or “Attorneys in Austin, Texas” is a potential customer. (Not to mention that, depending on your business, your potential customers could now be located anywhere in the UK, US or even the whole world, instead of being limited to a particular geographic location). Plus, if you add your details to Bizwiki UK, for example, you’ll appear in other directories on-line, like AccessPlace.com, increasing your exposure.
Then, consider the user, or customer, who wants to find a business. Printed directories have one method of organisation: dumping everything into categories, and organising them alphabetically. You can’t search by postcode, zip code, state, town or city. You can’t search for a particular business name. In short, with on-line directories, the customer is not limited to one particular method of finding business information.
Then, there’s the issue of portability. Mobile phone usage across the world has sky-rocketed. If you’re on the train, and want to find a nearby restaurant, tome-like yellow page monstrosities can’t sit there conveniently in your back-pocket.
Realistically, the only thing yellow-page style printed directories are destined for is the recycling bin. Alternatively, you could have a bit of fun and collect them from your neighbours, dump them on the doorstep of the publisher, and get scolded for creating a fire hazard. But, the point is, we simply don’t use them anymore, because they’ve been superseded by a new medium that is more current, accurate, and easy to use, for both business owners and customers. Plus, digital content isn’t made of dead trees, and that can only be a good thing.
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When you mention that if you add an item to bizwiki it gets listed on accessplace,com is this a company/site that you also run? isn’t it a bit confusing when you see you search results in 5 or 6 places how does someone know that yours and accessplaces are linked. Do you supply the information from your site directly to them as well. I wish to list on your site our florists business wesite address http://www.butterflyflowersonline.co.uk will this get listed on access places under the correct categories?
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the question. Yes, Bizwiki supplies data directly to Accessplace.com as well as other high profile directories. On each company page of Accessplace there are links through to Bizwiki. And on the About page http://www.accessplace.com/about.htm there is a section detailing the connection to Bizwiki. I look forward to reviewing your submission.
We’re an online estate agent specialising in properties in Essex, we offer a low cost fixed fee service – google ’247 Estate Agents’ for details
Can you help. This website lists my company with an incorrect address. The address is 6 yrs old but I cannot get it changed. It is causing me hassle due to suppliers getting confussed with our address. Any suggestions as Bizwiki never reply ??????
I kind of miss the Yellow Pages days. At least there was a lot more control over what was put out into the big wide world about your business and if your business details changed you told Yellow Pages and in the next edition it was right.
I have been requesting since February that Bizwiki change the details listed for my business but nearly 5 months later (and several extra requests later) nothing is done.
Because other online directories use your data there are now multiple citations on the web saying business is somewhere it isn’t and this is screwing up my Google Places listing and confusing customers. Could someone at Bizwiki please look into my problems as it is really getting me down now.
Thanks
Hi Mark, We updated your listing on June 16th (you can view the history tab). Thanks for bringing it to our attention and all the best!
Bizwiki Support
Hi Richard,
We updated your listing on July 1st. Thanks for letting us know about the required changes and please accept my apologies that it took awhile to get it actioned. We have had a few staff changes.
All the best,
Bizwiki Support
I updated my listing in March and it is still awaiting approval, could you look into it please.
Thanks
Hi Simon,
Thanks for the note and sorry about the wait. Your revisions have now been approved http://www.bizwiki.co.uk/accounting-services/6797/fields-accountants.htm.
Bizwiki Support
could you aprove the edits for http://www.bizwiki.co.uk/node/216902/ please
Hi John,
The listing has been edited and approved. Please see http://www.bizwiki.co.uk/node/216902. Thank you.
Bizwiki Support
Hi I have updated my website address and email some months ago several times now which is still awaiting approval by Bizwiki
The information has been damaging to our company as it is still showing the wrong web address telephone numbers and email address
Can the editor at Bizwiki approve the changes please to the new
email address multitreatmentsltd@yahoo.co.uk
telephone 07933844410
website address http://www.damptreatments.com
thank you
Hi Philip, your listing has been amended http://www.bizwiki.co.uk/node/1571745.
Regards,
Bizwiki Support
Would one of the editors update the Multi-Treatments Limited profile page on Bizwiki with the following please as we have changed our email address due to fraudsters diverting.
The new contact email currently being used is now philipmultitreatmentsltd@gmail.com
the other email is still live if you require verification
The telephone number is 01132170461
mobile 07933844410 or 07580229185
Hi Pilip, thanks for your comment. Can you please send a request through the Report an Error link on the business listing page. That way we can be sure that we are updating the correct page. Thanks.
Bizwiki Support