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Phone directory products on CD-ROM can be divided into two categories --yellow pages and white pages. Yellow pages directories cover business listings and give business subject heading access; white pages listings contain residential and business listings, but have no subject headings. There are a number of electronic phone directories on the market, giving buyers an opportunity to choose products that closely match their specific information needs and searching abilities. This article reviews three yellow pages products: the NYNEX digital Directory Business Disc, ProPhone, and Business America on Disc (BAOD).
SELECTING A PHONE DIRECTORY ON CD-ROM
A number of factors should be considered when choosing a yellow pages director. Ini the case of the three products reviewed here, their differcnces provide clear points of distinction for determining which product is the most appropriate for a particular environment of application.
GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE
Does the database offer national or regional coverage?
RECORD ELEMENTS AND ACCESS POINTS
What information is included in each listing? Is it a simple listing containing address, phone number and business subject heading, or has the producer added further information, such as sales range or eployee number range? What fields are searchable?
EASE OF SEARCHING
Will a beginning user be able to search the product successfully, or will it take a lengthier time commitment and a higher level of searching expertise to use the product successfully?
PRINTING/DOWNLOADING
Once the searcher has located the needed listings, can they be easily printed or downloaded for further use? Are there limits on the amount of information that can be used?
COST
How much does the product cost, and is the price in line with the database capabilities?
A further note: Although white pages directories are not the focus of this review, it should be noted that business listings are included on most white pages products. What the searcher loses by selecting a white pages directory to locate business inormation is the ability to search by business subject heading, and any other producer-added field, such as emyloyee number or Metropolian Statistical Area (MSA).
NYNEX BUSINESS DISC
The NYNEX Digital Directory Business Disc from NYN EX Information Technoloies is a newcomer to the phone directory CD market. Introduced in September 1992, it currently covers much of the Northeast. Customers may...