Which Phonebook is Better? Paper or Digital?
Greg Wilson
January 09, 2009
Are you a stickler for doing things the way they were done in the "good old days"? Do you have a hard time with change and don´t feel any kind of rush to jump on the technology when it´s first introduced? If so, you´re not alone. Many people like doing things they way they´ve always done them, and aren´t inclined to alter their techniques just because a new product or service labeled "new and improved" comes along. However, what should be accepted is that there are times that these brand new technologies are simply a good deal better than the older ones, allowing you to get by a number of limitations that made the old method relatively impractical.
Consider the printed telephone book, for example. We´ve all used them in our lives. Whenever you need to discover someone´s contact information, or the location of a business, we lug out that musty, heavy volume and blacken our fingertips sifting through the alphabetical list of names that are up to a year out of date. For its time, it was the best thing going, but with the internet available in virtually every household, as well as on cell phones and in many businesses, it seems to have lost its practicality.
Phonebooks are now on the internet and they blow the old printed versions right out of the water. For one thing, digital directories are massive. Unlike their paperbound ancestors, they don´t stop at the local calling area. Instead, they can cover the entire state, country, or even multiple countries all from one location. For another, they´re not heavy, and you can access them wherever you can connect to the internet. Furthermore, you won´t get your fingers dirty (unless you´re using a mighty questionable keyboard…in which case you might want to invest in a new one!).
Perhaps best of all is the fact that digital directories include a reverse phonebook so that you aren´t limited to the searching direction of the printed books, but you can also use the number to find out who owns it. This is very useful when you have Caller ID on your home landline or cellular.
Consider the printed telephone book, for example. We´ve all used them in our lives. Whenever you need to discover someone´s contact information, or the location of a business, we lug out that musty, heavy volume and blacken our fingertips sifting through the alphabetical list of names that are up to a year out of date. For its time, it was the best thing going, but with the internet available in virtually every household, as well as on cell phones and in many businesses, it seems to have lost its practicality.
Phonebooks are now on the internet and they blow the old printed versions right out of the water. For one thing, digital directories are massive. Unlike their paperbound ancestors, they don´t stop at the local calling area. Instead, they can cover the entire state, country, or even multiple countries all from one location. For another, they´re not heavy, and you can access them wherever you can connect to the internet. Furthermore, you won´t get your fingers dirty (unless you´re using a mighty questionable keyboard…in which case you might want to invest in a new one!).
Perhaps best of all is the fact that digital directories include a reverse phonebook so that you aren´t limited to the searching direction of the printed books, but you can also use the number to find out who owns it. This is very useful when you have Caller ID on your home landline or cellular.
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