Do You Still Use Your Phone Book?
Were you excited when it arrived recently, or is it collecting dust?
A familiar yellow bag, with a familiar yellow book has been arriving on door steps in the area this past week.
The 2012-13 phone book is here.
Once upon a time, the arrival of the latest phone book meant a chance to see if there were some new businesses you might want to patronize, a chance to toss out the old and bring in the new. A chance to see if they finally spelled your name right (they didn't).
Today, more often than not, the phone book has been relegated to the pile of forgotten items. It's still in its yellow bag, weeks later, collecting dust. Or, it's recycled just as quickly as it arrives.
What about you? Are you using the phone book just as often as you did 10, 20 years ago? Do you use it at all? Do you wonder why we still get them, year-in, year-out, without fail? Take our poll and chime in below.
Margret Brady
11:42 am on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
From the standpoint of history, the old directories were the record of the existance of most of those who lived in a community. With cell phones not listed, that record is gone and its as if those people won't exist in the future unless they're on facebook and then we'll know more than we should.
John Dunphy
11:50 am on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Great points, Marge. Though, if history looks back on my family through the phone book, they will likely see us as the "Dunphey" family, and who knows what that family's like??
Matt Giordano
12:41 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Seems to me the phone book is vying to be a historical notation similar to the US Postal Service. It amazes me that the management of these organizations lack the business acumen to realize their services are going the way of the horse and buggy. Or maybe I don't understand considering the so-called "green movement" may just consider leaving their cars on the roadside and start using the horse and buggy for their daily transportation. Hmmm, might not be such a bad idea...employment could be increased by the number of street cleaners that will be needed.
Steve B
2:21 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
I use my phonebook to prop windows open, yet haven't opened its hallowed pages in four years for any purpose.
Margret Brady
2:52 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Hi again, how about a column on uses for phone books. I use the old ones for my pressed flower hobby. They also work for holding down a corner of fabric or large piece of paper for other craft projects. Any other ideas for some adaptive reuse?
Dipper
3:46 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
I rip the pages out of old phone books to clean up my vomit after a long night at a Walsh owned establishment!
Spaceman47
3:53 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Green movement!?!? Cell phones and computers are way worst for the environment then cutting down trees in Canada that need to go!!!
Spaceman47
3:56 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Worse
Ron Brandt
9:29 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
My new phone book is not gathering dust, as it is still in its yellow plastic wrapper. It is on the floor in my garage and will soon make its way to the recycle pile.
Rich
1:56 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
I don't use the book as much as I used to but still find it useful for its intended purpose. As an example I was looking for an auto salvage yard to get a car part and could find none closer than Kearney on the web. The phone book had the one I knew existed in Whippany but could not find on the web.