Yellow Pages and Business Insider

Yellow Pages
A particular Yellow Pages (YP) is a print directory which provides an alphabetical listing of businesses within a specific geographical area ( Greater Chicago), which are segregated under headings for similar types of businesses ( Plumbers). Traditionally these directories have been published by the local phone company, but due to the highly profitable nature of the business there are numerous independent directory publishers. Some YP publishers focus on a particular demographic ( Christian Yellow Pages or Business Pages).

Layout

The site offers both a broad coverage of business news and deep coverage of specific vertical industries. Its verticals include Silicon Alley Insider (digital), Clusterstock (Wall Street), Money Game (economy), The Wire (media), and The War Room (business strategy). Content segments are broken into concise pieces usually under 500 words and featuring an image, video clip, or alternate form of multimedia. The site tends to skew towards technology, web 2.0, and high visibility companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Research in Motion.
The site editors vary greatly in background. Henry Blodget is the CEO and Editor-In-Chief, a Yale graduate who previously worked on Wall Street. Deputy editor Dan Frommer is a Northwestern graduate who joined from Forbes. Deputy editor Joe Weisenthal has worked as an analyst and writer for a series of Nicholas Carlson, editor of Silicon Alley Insider, previously worked at Internet.com and Valleywag

The Business Insider obtains, per month, approximately 4.0 million unique visitors and 40 million page views.
The Clusterstock section appeared in the Time article "Best 25 Financial Blogs"[4], and the Silicon Alley Insider section in the PC Magazine article "Our Favorite Blogs 2009 Yellow Pages directories are usually published annually, and distributed for free to all residences and businesses within a given coverage area. The majority of listings are plain and in small black text, usually in the Bell Gothic or Bell Centennial typefaces. The YP publishers generate profit by selling advertising space or listings under each heading. Advertising may be sold by a direct sales force or by approved agencies (CMR's). Available advertising space varies among publishers and ranges from bold names up to four color twin page ads ("double trucks"). Advertising rates typically increase every year regardless of distribution or usage fluctuations.

In the United States, the predominant yellow pages are the Dex One Corporation's DEX, the AT&T Real Yellow Pages, Yellowbook, and the Verizon Superpages.
Yellowbook Logo used in the United States. Note the resemblance to the "Walking Fingers" logo.

Business listings used for publication are obtained by several methods. Local phone companies that publish YP directories rely on their own customer lists and include business listings that are provided by phone service providers (ILEC's). Business owners that utilize phone services other than the local phone company (typically a Bell Company) should make certain that their information has been sent to the publisher for printing in upcoming directories.

Advertising in YP directories requires payment in full prior to printing or may be billed monthly over the life of the contract, which is usually 12 months. Typically, a sales representative will assist the customer in creating their ad design and provides a Proof Copy for review and approval. Advertisers should be aware that many contracts have automatic renewal clauses and require action on the part of the advertiser to end future billing.

Yellow Pages print usage is reported to be declining with both advertisers and shoppers increasingly turning to Internet search engines and online directories. According to a study by Knowledge Networks/SRI, in 2007, print Yellow Pages were referenced 13.4 billion times, while Internet Yellow Pages references increased to 3.8 billion, up from 2006’s 3.3 billion online searches.[3] As a result most YP publishers have attempted to create online versions of their print directories. These online versions are referred to as IYP or Internet Yellow Pages. Independent ad agencies or Internet marketing consultants can assist business owners in determining sound opportunities for YP advertising and provide objective information on usage, possession and preferences.


Business Insider

Business Insider is a business news site launched in February 2009. It is the overarching brand beneath which fall the Silicon Alley Insider (launched May 16, 2007) and Clusterstock (launched March 20, 2008) verticals. The site breaks and analyzes business news and acts as an aggregator of top news stories from around the web, each with an "edgy" commentary. Their original works are often times cited by other larger global publications such as the New York Times [1] and domestic news outlets like NPR [2]