You’ve probably noticed there is still lots of chatter out there about those pesky Yellow Pages. Mostly the print books but a little about the online Yellow Pages as well. Can’t keep up with all of it nor do I really have the inclination too. However…
…I am noticing there seem to be more Yellow Pages “haters” than “lovers”. The haters are obviously people that don’t want the print books dumped on their doorstep every 4-6 months. The lovers are most people that work for Yellow Pages companies or are related to Yellow Pages companies in some way.
The haters are throwing around all sorts of environmentally scary stats and why the print books will choke our already taxed ecosystems – the lovers are vehemently refuting the scary stats and countering with impressive stats of their own. The number of trees hacked down to make the books turns magically into the price for gas to drive around town checking out each and every business you might want to do business with because you couldn’t let your fingers do the walking through “the original search engine” book from home.
Th reality is it doesn’t matter how many trees are used to make the books or what is used to make the books or how much a gallon of gas is, was or will be. The fact that the Yellow Pages publishers continue to send me and millions of others a product made of recycled anything is immaterial. It’s nice they’re not destroying the environment but this is not the issue.
September 9, 2008 at 8:42 am
My name is Philip Cantwell and I founded the organization http://www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org. We are NOT affiliated with the Yellow Page Publishers. We are a 3rd party organization that contacts the publishers on behalf of people that sign up at http://www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org to stop the delivery of books.
Some of the publishers accept the request and some do not. Your post mentioned that the industry will not accept a 3rd party request. Our request are being accepted. We have had tens of thousands of signs up.
Consumers can “opt out” of receiving telephone books at http://www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org. We will contact the publishers and inform them to stop delivering books. This is a free service for consumers.
http://www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org is not against the telephone books but against the delivery of 4 to 5 pounds of paper on people’s door step 5 to 6 times per year and being told it is our responsibility to recycle something we did not ask for. If we need a book we will call. Otherwise I “opt out” from receiving it.
September 9, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Hi Phillp,
Thanks for your comment. You and I have emailed several times before and I completely support what you’re doing. I think I have mentioned that in my comments on other blogs. I think I have also encouraged folks to register with you if they no longer want the print Yellow Pages delivered.
I don’t believe I ever said that “the industry will not accept a 3rd party request.” I only say that because I don’t know, FOR SURE, whether they will or they will not. Perhaps you’re confusing me with Ken Clark? I hope that’s not the case but it sure could be.
What you’re doing is excellent and EVERYONE who no longer wants the print Yellow pages delivered – that did not EVER ask for them to be delivered in the first place – should register with you guys…poste haste!
I think you should, along with taking everyone’s registration information, also set the proper expectations. Tell everyone which publishers CURRENTLY accept a third party opt-out request AND which ones do not. This is something you could provide updates on as more publishers accept your opt-out registrations.
I think you should also provide a little more information about “how” the opt-out process works.
Things like: just to be sure – call all the publishers yourself. They’ll surely get the hint if they get two requests.
Explain the “timing” issues involved with the publishers honoring an opt-out request that comes from you guys or direct from the consumer. I can hear the yelling and screaming and profanities flying now when a consumer that’s fed up to their eyeballs with the print Yellow Pages registers with http://www.YellowPagesGoesGreen.org calls the publishers direct just to be sure and then a week or even a couple of months later, hears the KER-PLUNK, BOOM, BAM-BAM of the four latest and greatest print Yellow pages directories crash landing on the front stoop. And the stoop next door, down the hall and across the street. They’ll be unhappy only because they don’t understand how it works. Help ‘em understand and you’ll have all the evangelists you need!
Thanks again for the post and keep up the great work!
RZ