News
16/01/2007 - Canadian White Pages cuts distribution as people opt to click, not flip
The march of technology has claimed another victim. Starting now, the residential phone directory will be distributed only once every two years in Ottawa and three other major markets across the country.
The trusty white pages have been an institution in Canadian homes for generations, allowing people to quickly look up the nearest pizza place or the number of an acquaintance.
However, with newer methods for finding phone numbers, Canadians are consulting the book less and less.
"People are using other means to find residential information," said Annie Marsolais, a spokeswoman for the Yellow Pages Income Fund, the company that publishes the phone book. "The number of unique visitors to our online Canada411.ca website has increased by 100 per cent over the past three years."
Ms. Marsolais said residents of Montreal, Toronto, Quebec City and Ottawa will receive the phone book on a biannual basis unless they apply to Yellow Pages to have their annual delivery continued.
The company said it has made a number of changes to the phone book, pulling out the government listings (blue pages) and all business listings. That information has been added to the Yellow Pages, which will still be distributed annually.
According to Jean MacGregor, co-ordinator of reference services for the Ottawa Public Library, demand for the printed versions of the phone book has been declining. She said many library users are opting to use online phone search services such as Canada411.ca or other computer-based telephone listings.
But, she said there are still many people who want the numbers in print.
"We deal with a lot of people who aren't comfortable with the idea of going online," she said. "The idea of going online is a little scary for them. ... They come to us."
She said the library keeps a collection of phone books for people who are less computer-savvy.
Ms. Marsolais said the changes have been planned since 2004, when the company did research to see if people still wanted to receive yearly residential phone listings.
Rick Broadhead, an expert on technology and author of more than 36 books about the Internet, said paring back on the residential listings is only the beginning.
"Phone booths are disappearing. ... The white pages will suffer the same fate," he said.
He pointed to the demise of the Canadian print edition of TV Guide in October as an example of how the world is changing. With digital set-top boxes and Internet websites offering TV schedules, the magazine no longer interested readers.
Ms. Marsolais said Canada411.ca, which is updated monthly, can offer Canadians better service than a phone book when it comes to residential listings.
The website hosts more than 12 million phone numbers from coast to coast. It also has a postal code locator. In November, Yellow Pages reported a 64-per-cent increase in profits, largely because of the growing number of people flooding to Canada411.ca on a regular basis.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=4b66726e-db87-46a2-a9ba-06ee49a20538&k=54013
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