Haha, funny you should mention this... Just got two giant-ass YPs in the past week.

W.T.F?

Despite the fact that it means less print in the world, I will sign up for this as the phone book is useless to me.

This would be a good time to remind everyone that you can register yourself on a national DNM (Do Not Mail) list with the DMA (Direct Marketers Association) here: http://www.dmachoice.org/. Almost all mailers use this list to suppress their mailings. It's not a perfect system, but it is a very effective one.





(The last paragraph is copied from a previous post I made several months ago.)

I have to disagree. I think the physical yellow pages are quicker than the online yellow pages in figuring out whether the service provider is right for you. The ads are more concise, and you're not directed to a web page for further information.

I have, however, abandoned the Thomas Guide.

oh, and i LIVE by the Thomas Guide. I NEVER follow internet directions, they always suck. And I hate having to zoom in and out of maps to get a feel for the area and how I get there from other areas.


Plus, I don't have internet access in my car.



And, yeah, I'll admit the physical phonebook has some uses. There are, as GD says, certain types of important services better advertised physically. The internet search engines are not necessarily geared to what serves you best as a customer. And I like having seating diagrams of all the big sports and entertainment venues in one easy place.

ISM - Curmudgeon AND Luddite!

When I was a motorcycle courier for a Century City law firm, the Thomas Guide was invaluable -- in fact most directions and destinations were given in T.G. map coordinates. But that was ... let's see ... fifteen years ago.

Now, if a business doesn't have a Web presence -- at the bare minimum, a listing in Google Maps/Local -- they're dead to me. I have Google Maps on my GPS-enabled phone, plus GPS in my car. Why do I need a thick wad of dead tree?

I often use internet directions as I have had good success with them (although when I used them for directions to CP & GD's place, it was incorrect). The Thomas Guide still resides in my and probably still will even when I get a GPS.

And I prefer the internet for seating guides as I usually can get a very specific location of where my actual seat is - not just the section I'm in.

I love using internet maps. I tend to ignore directions, because I can seriously glance at a map and memorize it and make my own route. I've been 99% successful with that tactic so far. For last-minute destinations or remote places, I'll use my GPS in the car.

The one time I had a problem with internet directions was when we drove from Switzerland to Paris, and it played like a comedy routine. I printed out our directions from Google Earth, and I swear we followed them to the letter. Nonetheless, we got lost in the hills and went twenty miles out of our way until we were dumped into a little town . . .right in front of a map store.

You're late, he said.

Really? To our current place? Which site did you get them from?

I've only just recently removed the Thomas Guide now that I can access google maps on my phone. I'm sad that their era is closing as it's a truly remarkable series of maps, but I cleaned my car out and realized that my TG had been resting unceremoniously beneath the passenger seat for close to a year without purpose.