My local phone company insists on leaving a book directory each year but who needs one in this day and age? Instead you can use an online phone book to access numbers in seconds. Most of them even includes email address directory to send email to contacts fast with just a click. This is so much easier than sifting through a heavy book. There are some pros and cons to using an online phone book as opposed to the traditional directory but you can balance them out to decide which is best for you.
One of the major benefits of using an online phone book is that you control the search by entering keywords into the search engine or Web Hosting Directory. This saves you quite a bit of time as compared to the traditional method of seeking the numbers by paging through text. With a few clicks, you are sent directly to your target in no time at all when you use an online phone book. You have to sift through pages of small print using the old-fashioned method.
Organization is the key to finding what you are looking for in a reasonable amount of time. Some paper directories are organized differently than others. I once spent nearly an hour looking for our mechanic’s phone number. He listed his business under auto inspection instead of auto repair because he wanted to draw business to that particular aspect of his trade. People who have their cars inspected there would learn about his repair service.
Why would he do this? He chose to list the auto inspection because that was the clientele he wanted to draw. He would have to pay more money into putting more details into his listings in the paper version. The online phone book is targeted and detailed without costing the mechanic too much. (This is appreciated because the money has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere could be my next repair.)
Other online phone books offer detailed descriptions of the business as well as customer reviews. I have written some of these business reviews my self and I find them to be a great way to help people find good service and merchandise. You don’t find these details in your traditional directory.
However, there are cons to using an online phone book. You have to be online to access it. I create a list of numbers I use a lot in a file that I can access when offline but I can’t always be at the computer. It’s a good idea to keep a hard copy of the numbers organized in a book.
This is a minor con and it also can apply to the old fashioned phone book as well. I hardly ever tote one around with me at all times. Actually, I haven’t even opened my new directory in over a year. The online phone book has proven to be the best method for me.
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