Yellow Magic Blog

Local Search Solutions Provider Yellow Magic Incorporated Launches New Website

2012-01-12T14:27:00.000-08:00

Facing a new year always leads us to reflect on what improvements we can make, and to ponder on our plans for the future. We are excited to enter 2012 together with you as we consider how the Yellow Pages industry is changing, and the new opportunities that it brings.

We, as Yellow Pages professionals, need to remind ourselves, and the public, that the Yellow Pages is the Original Local Search, and that Yellow Pages publishers always have had the most current, most accurate, and most relevant content. The only difference now is that we have a lot of new media opportunities to better do our job of connecting buyers to sellers.

In order to be able to connect any buyer to the right seller at any time, under any circumstance, you need to have the tools to have your content found regardless of the media platform. Whether it is on the Internet, from a mobile device, or when using a printed directory, your users should know they can turn to you for local search results. And that is what the Yellow Magic solutions facilitate. We are a single-supplier source for publishing on all platforms, and our new web site should provide information about our products and services to help prepare for your digital future.

Have a look by visiting our new site at www.YellowMagic.com

Sincerely,
Ron Mintle
CEO
Yellow Magic Incorporated

World Population 7 Billion; Mobile Phone Subscribers 5.9 Million

2012-01-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

This just in from CNET news!

Let YelloTouch turn your Directories into Android and Apple Mobile Directories.

Find out more from the Yellow Magic Team.

CNETNews CNET News

World population: 7 billion. Mobile phone subscribers: 5.9 billion.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57352095-93/2011-ends-with-almost-6-billion-mobile-phone-subscriptions/

Thanks CNET!

Yellow Magic Capitalizes on Growth of Kindle, Nook

2012-01-03T10:45:00.000-08:00

Contributed by: Stephanie Hobbs
Local Search Insider, December 22, 2011

Outstanding products always shine during the holiday season. This year,Amazon’s Kindle is standing out from the crowd.

Amazon is selling Kindles at an unbelievable rate of more than 1 million per week– and demand is only increasing. At its current rate, the Kindle family is outpacing the iPad’s post-launch sales.

The newest addition to the Kindle clan is the Kindle Fire, which remains the No. 1 bestselling and most gifted product across the millions of items available onAmazon.com.

Yellow Magic presaged the growth of digital platforms early on. Recently, the company launched a version of its YelloReader application that transforms white and Yellow Pages directories into eBooks for Kindle. Additionally, Yellow Magic also recently launched a version for Barnes & Noble’s e-book reader.

Millions of Kindle and Nook users now have access to Yellow Pages in the print-like format they’ve known for years. To find out more about how to navigate Yellow Pages from your eReader, check out these Kindle YelloReader and Nook YelloReader demonstrations on YouTube.

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Thank you Stephanie Hobbs, Local Search Insider, for your article!

http://www.localsearchinsider.org/yellow-magic-capitalizes-on-the-growth-of-kindle-nook/archives/

Happy New Year to all our Directory Publishers!

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Yellow Magic Incorporated

Yellow Magic Incorporated is a global supplier of digital directory publishing software and solutions for Yellow Pages Directory Publishers and Local Search Industry. Our software and directory pagination software has been licensed to more than 170 publishers for directory production for 53 countries and in 23 languages. Supported publishing formats include both Print and Electronic (Internet, CD-ROM, and Mobile) directories. The software helps reduce costs, errors and overtime, while improving quality and increasing productivity and revenue.The suite includes Mobile Yellow Pages Sales Management, real-time Sales Force Automation, Data Verification, Contract Entry, Billing, Collections, Free Listing Management, Font Management, Quality Control, and Extensive Reporting along with Ad Tracking, Customer Relations Management, and Directory Distribution. Mobile Directory publishing, Internet Directory Publishing, iPad, iPhone, Android Directory Publishing, eReader Directory Publishing for the Nook and Kindle.

Worldwide Forecast for Tablet Sales in 2012 - 99 Million

2011-12-19T10:51:00.000-08:00

JP Morgan gave a bullish outlook for the worldwide tablet market, adding well over 10 million units to an earlier forecast. The investment bank is forecasting worldwide tablet shipments will reach 99.3 million next year, a 55.2% jump over 2011. Earlier, JP Morgan had said it expected tablet shipments would reach between 70- and 80 million units next year, according to an article by Media Post reporting on the JP Morgan forecast.

In 2013 the forecast calls for tablet sales to easily eclipse the 100 million mark, jumping to 132.6 million.

More Information http://tabtimes.com/news/ittech-stats-research/2011/12/16/big-jump-99m-tablet-sales-worldwide-forecast-2012

Now is a great time to add Tablet-formatting to your publishing plans for your Yellow Pages and White Pages Directories.

YelloTouch Digital Directories can format your Books quickly and inexpensively - our Publishers that are posted on both the Apple platform and Android platform, are very successful! The best part is that the price is right with the added benefit of digital distribution.
http://www.yellowmagic.com/YelloTouch1.html

Happy Holidays!

Amazon: Third Week in a Row, Kindle Sales Surpass 1 Million per Week

2011-12-15T14:49:00.000-08:00

We are thanking Tech Crunch for this news bite and sharing it here.

http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/15/down-goes-the-ipad/

This is incredible! We are beginning to see even more penetration of eReaders worldwide and understand the significant benefits for Directory Publishers to add this format as soon as possible. Yellow Magic has added the YelloReader for conversion of White Pages and Yellow Pages for eReader devices, including for the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook.

http://www.amazon.com/White-Pages-ebook/dp/B004WXF20Y

http://www.yellowmagic.com/YelloReader.pdf YelloTouch

http://www.yellowmagic.com/PR_YelloReader.pdf Press Release Info

Several Local Search Industry Events Announced

2011-12-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

This week in San Francisco, BIA/Kelsey’s ILM –West

Interactive Local Media, will focus on the latest

developments in Search, Mobile, Social and Deals.

http://www.biakelsey.com/Events/Conferences/

SMX West 2012 (Third Door Media)
San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, CA
February 28- March 1, 2012
(Workshops start on February 17, 2012)

http://searchmarketingexpo.com/west/agenda?utm_source=twitter-post-west&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=west-agenda

ADP Association of Directory Publishers announced their

Annual Convention & Partner’s Trade Show will be held at

Embassy Suites in Frisco, Texas

March 19-22, 2012

www.adp.org

BIA/Kelsey’s Interactive Local Media –East Conference will be held at the

Boston Marriott Copley Place, in Boston, MA

March 26-28, 2012

http://www.biakelsey.com/ILMEast2012/index.asp

LSA Local Search Association

2012 Local Search Association Conference will be held at the
Boca Resort, in Boca Raton, FL

April 21-24, 2012

www.ypassociation.org/

Revolutionary changes in our Industry are sparking new name changes of companies and associations to reflect the digital age.

Most of us know the YPA Yellow Pages Association changed its name to LSA-Local Search Association, and the EADP European Association of Directory Publishers, just announced its new “working title” as the EASDP – European Association of Search and Database Publishing and a new tag-line: “We provide Europe with contacts and business information” www.eadp.org

The new EASDP is also announcing their new spring event in Brussels, May 10 and 11^th, 2012

at the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel. “Turning Conversation into Conversion”

http://www.eadp.org/index.php?q=congress

Search Your Local Yellow or White Pages Directory on Kindle and Nook Readers

2011-08-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

Yellow Magic Incorporated Launches YelloReader Technology for White and Yellow Pages Directory eBook Publishing for Nook and Kindle Readers

Search Your Local Yellow or White Pages Directory on Kindle and Nook Readers

Murrieta, CA. (August 4, 2011) With the advent of Amazon already outselling print with electronic books, Yellow Magic Incorporated strategically developed YelloReader Technology for Yellow Pages Directory Publishers, formatting directories for the Barnes and Noble Nook and the Amazon Kindle eReaders.

“While Amazon and Barnes and Noble have been benefiting from surging sales of Kindle and Nook reader devices, the demand for more eBooks has also increased,” said Ron Mintle CEO of Yellow Magic. “We felt compelled to create a program that formats a white and yellow pages directory book for both top-selling Nook and Kindle readers, in which they could also be distributed electronically on the Amazon and Barnes and Noble platforms,” commented Mintle.

“YelloReader will format a directory’s’ complete list of headings to select from, yellow or white listings, images and display ads. The devices already support search and the ability to create bookmarks, making the eReaders perfect devices for the Yellow Pages and Directory Publishing Industry,” adds Sam Pretorius, Director of Program Development.

“The YelloReader technology formats the directory content and graphics for the Kindle and the Nook, and opens up more channels for electronic directory distribution on Amazon and Barnes and Noble platforms for publishers,” said Mintle.

“YelloReader also offers an easy way for publishers to be able to just post a free download link of their eReader-formatted directories on their own website, giving consumers both download and device choices,” said Pretorius.

“With Amazon lowering the price of the Kindle and electronic books projected to surpass print books within 2-3 years, clearly eReaders are a critical mass to respect and follow,” commented Mintle.

According to Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney, the Kindle alone has increased sales 200% compared to the same period last year.

“Other exciting aspects of reaching this fast-growing demographic of eReaders is that both the Nook and the Kindle continue to upgrade their functionality and programming of each device to include color screens, streaming video, email, social network sharing, movie service, games, and the ability to share content. As they begin competing with smart tablets, they become a very affordable and popular hybrid,” noted Pretorius.

"Whereas not everyone can afford an iPad or Android tablet, the ultra-mobile and much lower priced eReaders appear to have struck a chord with a much wider demographic that has the potential of making the electronic book reader as ubiquitous as a cellphone. The exciting opportunity for the publishing industry is that this can extend their distribution reach. Not long ago there was the almost iconic image of a phone on top of a directory in each home, and now the other day I saw a cellphone resting on a Kindle in a coffee shop, that's where we are heading," observed Pretorius.

Kindle and Nook publishing solutions for the Yellow Pages Directory Publishing Industry:

Kindle YelloReader http://bit.ly/oRun3I

Nook YelloReader http://bit.ly/p3wjqU

About Yellow Magic Incorporated

Yellow Magic Incorporated is a global supplier of software solutions for directory publishers. Our software has been licensed to more than 170 publishers for directory production for 54 countries and in 23 languages. Supported publishing formats include both Print and Electronic (Internet, CD-ROM, and Mobile) directories. The software helps reduce costs, errors and overtime, while improving quality and increasing productivity and revenue.

The software suite includes Sales Management, real-time Sales-Force Automation, Pagination, Data Verification, Contract Entry, Billing, Collections, Free Listing Management, Font Management, Quality Control, and Extensive Reporting along with Ad Tracking, Customer Relations Management, and Directory Distribution. For more information, please visit http:www.yellowmagic.com and http://www.yellowmagic.com/YelloTouch1.html

Yellow Magic Website - Now in 4 Languages!

2011-07-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

Recently, Yellow Magic Incorporated began publishing their website home page, www.yellowmagic.com in three (3) additional foreign languages to best serve its worldwide customer base.

The additional languages that have been chosen are Spanish, Chinese and Russian, besides English.

The new web pages are designed to offer dedicated support to make it easier for customers to get product information, news and information in their language of choice.

Increased Distribution for Pennies

2011-06-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Yellow Magic launched a YelloTouch Apple app for the du Yellow Pages headquartered in Dubai. Within a few days they were getting hundreds of downloads a day and they are getting good usage too. They have had to date 1,707 downloads and 2,432 launches of the app. That means that the directory has been used at least 2,432 times in the last couple of weeks (we don’t know every time it was used, only how many times the app was opened, for one can leave the app open for days and use the directory many times). This means that in this short amount of time, the book was used 1.42 times on average. That is very hard to determine at times for a about a printed book.

Here are some maps of where the books are being used.

Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East

Middle East

The United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Dubai

Look at the results that can be achieved in just a couple of weeks!

When you look at this map that records the location of the user every time the directory app was launched, you will see that the directory is being used primarily in the business areas of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This is good news for the advertisers who want the ads to be seen by people who are ready and able to buy. This usage information also shows that the directory is being used in other parts of the Middle East and around the world, exposing the advertisers to buyers who would likely not be able to find a printed directory.

Here are some other things to consider. Publishers print and distribute books often without knowing how much they will be used. They have probably even delivered some to people who do not want them. But if someone goes to the trouble to download the book, that means that they want it and intend to use it. In other words, unlike an unused printed book, it is not a waste of your money.

With YelloTouch directories, one not only knows that they were used, but where and how many times they were used!

And as you know, the value of a directory (and thus the ad prices) is a function of how much it is used. Not only can you see and prove usage, but you can also tell a good PR story about how you are helping the environment by distributing electronic books.

UAE Telephone Directory, du Yellow Pages, Receives Thousands of Downloads After Publishing New Mobile Directory App using YelloTouch Technology on the Apple Platform

2011-06-21T10:51:00.000-07:00

United Arab Emirates’ Yellow Pages Telephone Directory, the “du Yellow Pages,” Receives Thousands of Downloads for New Apple Mobile App Directory

Murrieta, CA. (June 22, 2010) du Yellow Pages headquartered in Dubai and serving the United Arab Emirates, published their telephone directory,the “du Yellow Pages” on the Apple platform using Yellow Magic Incorporated’s YelloTouch Technology, which replicates the printed directory with touch page-turning and several robust search and viewing features.

Ron Mintle, President of Yellow Magic Incorporated pointed out, “Du has a very large and extensive yellow pages directory of business listings and display ads serving the United Arab Emirates. Creating an exact replica of the printed book with the added convenience of touch page-turning, search, zoom and many other features on an Apple device, has proven to be of great interest in the UAE. Within just a few days after its release, the app was downloaded and used over 2,000 times.”

Sam Pretorius, Director of Program Development commented that “When you look at the map that records the location of the user every time the directory app was launched, you will see that the directory is being used primarily in the business areas of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This is good news for the advertisers who want the ads to be seen by people who are ready and able to buy.”

“Offering a wide-area print directory coupled with adding mobile access to the directory, available on the top mobile platforms in the world, opens the door for increased use of the directory as well as reaching more users affordably, which are factors that will definitely benefit the businesses listed within the du Yellow Pages directory”, commented Mr. Mintle.

The mobile application, which uses YelloTouch technology to create the exact look-and-feel of the printed directory, adds several features that assist mobile users such as touch and tap functionality for ease of searching and zooming in the ads and listings, with touch to call, touch and tap to send emails or to visit websites, mapping features and more.“The usage information shows that the directory is also being used in other parts of the Middle East and around the world, exposing the advertisers to buyers who would likely not be able to find a printed directory,” said Pretorius.

About Yellow Magic Incorporated Yellow Magic Incorporated is a global supplier of software solutions for directory publishers. Our software has been licensed to more than 170 publishers for directory production for 53 countries and in 23 languages. Supported publishing formats include both Print and Electronic (Internet, CD-ROM, and Mobile) directories. The software helps reduce costs, errors and overtime, while improving quality and increasing productivity and revenue.
The software suite includes Sales Management, real-time Sales-Force Automation, Pagination, Data Verification, Contract Entry, Billing, Collections, Free Listing Management, Font Management, Quality Control, and Extensive Reporting along with Ad Tracking, Customer Relations Management, and Directory Distribution. For more information, please visit http://www.yellowmagic.com

About du Yellow PagesWelcome to our world. We are here to connect, inspire and reward.du is UAE's integrated telecommunications service provider with a fresh approach. At du, our promise is to enable better experiences for our customers. This is fulfilled by our mission to employ the best talent and deliver excellence. At du, we aspire to be confident, honest, surprising and friendly. These four simple but dynamic values will help us to develop strong relationships with our customers and advance the telecommunications industry in the UAE. To know more about du, please visit our website, http://www.du.ae

Press Release: White Pages Directories Published on a Kindle

2011-05-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Press Release

White Pages Directories Published on a Kindle

White Pages Directories can be published on an Amazon Kindle and Kindle Readers

Murrieta, CA, May 13, 2011: Yellow Magic Incorporated, a global provider of print and electronic directory publishing software solutions for the Yellow Pages Industry, announced today that the company has successfully published a White Pages Directory for Kindle and for Kindle Readers.
The new application was designed to target users of the Kindle, which is Amazon’s number one seller on the entire platform. Amazon is reporting significant growth this year and their total sales are reported as reaching a billion dollars.

Ron Mintle, CEO of Yellow Magic Incorporated states, “There is an estimated 9 million Kindles sold so far, and with the advent Kindle Readers for almost all platforms including mobile devices, such as Apple, Android, and BlackBerry, and for Window, MAC, and Linux users, the usage figures greatly compound.”

Sam Pretorius, Director of Program Development said, “We have been able to take a White Pages Directory and format it for the Amazon Kindle and Kindle Reader applications to be able to publish a White Pages directory with all its listings, and logos, ads, etc. on Kindle and Kindle readers".

The significance is that a White Pages directory can now be distributed for pennies, electronically, to millions of new users, and have the Kindle’s basic functionality of zooming in, enlargening the fonts, see all the listings, saving Bookmarks, plus Search any key word or name, address, phone number or listing.

“No doubt, Yellow Pages advertisers will want to buy more White Pages space to receive this kind of unbelievable distribution and new exposure. The directories are easy to download like any other Kindle book on Amazon, and not only can it be a new revenue source for directory publishers, but it is also an alternative to expensive directory assistance services for users,” said Mintle.

Headquartered in Murrieta, CA USA, Yellow Magic Incorporated is one of the leading global providers of Yellow Pages Industry publishing software, services and solutions.

Contact: Paula Menard
+1 (951) 506-4005 FAX +1 (951) 506-1919
Yellow Magic Incorporated
41571 Date Street
Murrieta, CA 92562 USA
paula@yellowmagic.com
www.yellowmagic.com

First Time Ever White Pages Published on Kindle!

2011-04-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

Just very recently our Programming department has been able to publish a White Pages Directory on a Kindle.

The Amazon Kindle is infinitely sold beyond any mobile device.

With quiet reporting of over 5-9 million devices sold, coupled with their Mobile Kindle reader applications for the iPad, iPhone, Android, Black Berry et al, and Smart phones everywhere in the world, they are clearly the device leader. Now Reporting: the Kindle is Amazon's #1 seller of all items on their platform, and Amazon reporting a total of 999 million dollars in sales...almost a billion.

Yellow Magic Incorporated is announcing their new application to take a White Pages Directory and format it for the Amazon Kindle and Kindle reader mobile apps to be able to publish a White Pages directory with all its listings, and logos, ads, etc on Kindle and Kindle wide-area mobile apps.

The significance is that a White Pages directory can now be distributed for pennies, electronically, to millions of new users, and have the Kindle basic functionality of zooming in, enlargening the fonts, see all the listings, save as Bookmarks, plus Search any key word or name, address, phone number or listing.

No doubt, Yellow Pages advertisers will want to buy more White Pages space to receive this kind of unbelievable distribution. The Kindle mobile apps are free, and there are NO download fees like Android and Apple platforms.

Contact Yellow Magic for more information at sales [at] yellowmagic.com

YelloTouch Editor, Edits Digital YelloTouch Yellow Pages Directories Published on Apple and Android Mobile Platforms Year Round for Advertisers and Users

2011-04-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

Press Release

YelloTouch, Apple and Android Publishing App for Directory Publishers Adds New YelloTouch Editor, for Live, Year Round Directory Editing

New YelloTouch Editor, Edits Digital YelloTouch Yellow Pages Directories Published on Apple and Android Mobile Platforms Year Round for Advertisers and Users

Murrieta, CA April 6, 2011 –Yellow Magic Incorporated, a global directory publishing software solutions provider, announced the release of a new digital editing tool for YelloTouch, an Android and Apple app that publishes an electronic replica of a printed yellow pages directory. The YelloTouch Editor allows publishers to refresh their current YelloTouch apps with new content year round such as including new splash pages, creating hot links within in an advertisers’ display ad, links to websites, emails, maps, coupons or menus and other audio video media.

Ron Mintle, President of Yellow Magic also points out, “Already having the capability to produce a real replica of a printed directory with touch page-turning on the Apple and Android platforms is a major coupe for our industry, but adding the YelloTouch app’s editor, YelloTouch Editor, gives the publisher incredible flexibility to continue to add advertising revenue and fresh content to the directory year round. The YelloTouch Editor will allow you to even replace whole pages with fresh ones and you may add new splash pages for advertisers or update existing ones,” said Mintle.

Sam Pretorius, Director of Program Development commented, “YelloTouch Directories provide the look and feel of a real printed directory, complete with white pages, yellow pages, tabs, government information etc…with zoom in and robust search for anything in the book, but now we are able to take a directory yellow pages app and update it even after it is published on the mobile platforms. What makes this even better is that the updates will automatically be refreshed when the user launches the app with an Internet connection– there is nothing more a user must do to get the new content.”

Paula Menard, Director of Marketing added, “The YelloTouch Editor helps pull in more relevant new content that may be seasonal or part of an advertisers’ new marketing campaign. Most apps do not have the ability to update downloaded content, but YelloTouch Directories offer that with the YelloTouch Editor for directory publishers to use, as they wish and as they go.”

Patrick Wallin, Lead program developer noted, “There are several editing options that are easy to use that include making any spot hot, anywhere on the page.”

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Company Description
Yellow Magic Incorporated is a global supplier of software solutions for directory publishers. Our software has been licensed to more than 170 publishers for directory production for 54 countries and in 24 languages. Supported publishing formats include both Print and Electronic (Internet, CD-ROM, and Mobile) directories. The software helps reduce costs, errors and overtime, while improving quality and increasing productivity and revenue. The software suite includes Sales Management, real-time Sales-Force Automation, Pagination, Data Verification, Contract Entry, Billing, Collections, Free Listing Management, Font Management, Quality Control, and Extensive Reporting along with Ad Tracking, Customer Relations Management, and Directory Distribution.

www.yellowmagic.com

www.yellotouch.com

http://www.yellowmagic.com/YellotouchLinks.pdf

2011-02-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

As you probably know, YelloTouch mobile applications deliver the rich content of the printed pages and the strong search capabilities of an IYP site, but now with the YelloTouch Editor, you can not only add rich content like links, maps, buttons, audio, video, menus, coupons, tab pages, splash pages, sponsored searches, and more, but you can continue to sell these features all year round.

Besides being able to generate new revenue, the Editor provides the ability to edit and update almost anything in the directory. This means that you can edit listings, update telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, web sites, and even replace whole ads. You can sell seasonal ads, tab pages and splash pages that only appear for any duration of time.

User’s directories are automatically updated without any action required so every time they use the directory the content is refreshed. And moreover, the publisher knows where and when the directory was used.

Go to http://www.yellowmagic.com/YTEditor.html to learn more about this new technology.

YelloTouch for Android

2011-01-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

for Android

The Android version of YelloTouch is here! Now you can search the Android Market for “YelloTouch” to download, install, and play with YelloTouch for Android.

There are a lot of yellow pages apps appearing from companies all around the world, and we try to find and test them all, and to date, we have not found even one that comes close to what YelloTouch is. All of the others are nothing more than an interface that goes to a web site. They are not sophisticated apps, but rather fancy links. If you download any of them, just put your mobile device in Airplane Mode (turn off any cellular and/or Wi-Fi connections) and see if the app still works!

Once a YelloTouch directory has been installed and downloaded, no Internet connection is required unless the user wants to go an advertiser’s website.

And none of them are look-and-feel directories. They are for the most part, simple search engine type listing returns. Only with YelloTouch can a user see all of the listings and ads of a page or a page spread all at the same time and without clicking back-and-forth to see details.

But the most important aspect of YelloTouch is not the unique technology, it is how the technology can increase distribution and create another profit center.

Click here to learn how.

Try a YelloTouch Directory for Free

2011-01-04T15:10:00.000-08:00

Try a

Directory

Now there is a YelloTouch demo app on the Apple App Store that you can download and evaluate a YelloTouch directory yourself. If you have an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, just visit the App Store and search for “YelloTouch” and you will find the Hagadone Directories’ Black Book for Del Norte, Idaho. If you have an Android device, it is coming soon to the Android Marketplace, so contact us and we will send you a link to download it.

This app was launched on the App Store on December 23^rd and as of Monday, January 3rd, the directory has been accessed over 500 times by users in countries all over the world. Here is what the eastern part of the US looks like.

And this was during the Christmas holiday time!

Go here to see a map of where the directory has been used: http://yellowmobimagic.com/yellostats/. You can scroll around and zoom into any area to see details.

Most other apps are nothing more than a simple program that directs the user to a web site, but once downloaded YelloTouch directories are resident on the mobile device and can be used anytime, anywhere, with or without a cellular or Wi-Fi connection.

And time after time it has been shown that someone can find what they are looking for much faster with the content-rich format of the printed book than with the limited information that Internet-type search result listings provide.

Now your customers can have all the benefits of a Yellow Pages printed directory, without chopping down trees or the hassles that come with opt-out programs. In addition, you get all the benefits of an electronic directory, such as in-book searches, bookmarks, additional advertising opportunities and an icon on their devices that reminds them your directory is just a finger-tap away.

The best of all is that it is quick, easy, and inexpensive to turn your own directory into a YelloTouch directory. Contact us and learn how today.

http://www.YelloTouch.com

Introducing the iRag...

2010-08-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

We're very excited to introduce the iRag & gRag to you!

These two products may look very alike, but we can assure you that supporters of the iRag say that it is "a truly magical and revolutionary product".

On the other hand fans of the gRag say that all the iRag does, the gRag does & then some, since the gRag is based on open-foam technology which gives you more access to the gRag innards.

Reviewers report that although the iRag cleans up the competition, it could be a little spotty in some areas. Users of the gRag report no such problems, replying with ad campaigns that claim "There's a rag for that!".

The iRag CEO retorted "It is the best wiping experience you've ever had. ... It's unbelievably great ... way better than a ragtop. Way better than a smartwipe."

While the gRag team's marketing strategy has been markedly more low-key than the iRag, they're steadily adding cleaning applications & reportedly has started to out-sell the iRag in retail outlets.

Whichever you choose, the iRag or gRag, here at Yellow Magic we use both.

While this blog entry might have been a little humorous and tongue-in-cheek, we'd thought we would let you know that we're working on applications for all the "truly magical and revolutionary products" such as the iPad, iPhone & Android devices.

For more information, please visit our website: YellowMagic.com

NOTE: Although this blog is based on true events, the product names & quotes have been altered to protect the innocent.

Sell4Search

2010-06-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

We recently learned about a useful sales tool for the Yellow Pages Industry created by Kuk, Baldwin that we are sharing with Directory Publishers.

With all the new Yellow Pages publishing applications and advertising platforms recently created to maximize local search for advertisers, it is often difficult for the small business owner and entry-level sales reps to get a grasp how all this new technology, when combined with the print product, benefits a business owners’ local exposure and increases foot traffic and sales.

Kuk, Baldwin has created a website, "Sell4Search" (Educating Your Advertisers) that features informative animations of several important topics.

Sell4Search is a new and extensive website packed with business-specific information and animated presentations aimed at small business advertisers and dealing with local advertising strategies and issues. The website content relates to all media, including local search – but also has a strong bias towards the value of Yellow Pages in the media mix.

As a publisher participating in this program, you would have your own individualized web page as a portal to the system – and you’d have blocks of passwords to distribute (on your terms) that will let your advertisers access all of the content. And because they update content and add new features periodically, the site is DYNAMIC to keep advertisers coming back. Major benefits include using Sell4Search as an added incentive to buy into the rep’s recommendation, and to demonstrate key sales concepts.

To view a 4 minute segment from one of the animations, click here.

To sample the extent of the content coverage so far, click here then scroll down the panel on the Kuk, Baldwin website that is headed “Educate Your Advertisers”.

Congratulations to Kuk, Baldwin for creating this valuable tool that not only reminds Yellow Pages advertisers about the importance of advertising–but also the fundamentals of How it Works!

Big on Yellow

2010-04-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

As everyone knows by now, we're pretty big on Yellow.

In fact, we're so crazy about Yellow that we've arranged a massive public flower show with Yellow flowers everywhere in California!

Okay, I made up the part of us arranging it, but we really do have beautiful wild flowers here in California this time of year & it just so happens that a lot of them are Yellow.

Just look at these pictures, aren't they amazing?

While it is true that we really love Yellow, you might not know that you can make your Classification Headings any color you want & even apply it to only a certain set of headings. Take a look at his:

Isn't that a pretty sight! Yellow and Green, just like the flowers! To learn more about how to do this, simply log in to the TSR System on the Yellow Magic site, click the "Visual Cookbooks" link, scroll down to "Custom Colors for Headings" and enjoy the show! We'll show you step-by-step how to do it.

To inspire you even more to get creative with wonderful multi-colored headings, here are some more desert wildflower pictures, enjoy! Photos from: http://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/ca.html

Phonebook Bulletproofing

2010-04-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

If you've ever wondered if Phonebooks could be used to bulletproof your car, I might just have the answer you've been waiting for.

At the recent ADP Annual Convention and Partners Trade Show, we spoke to a lot of Directory Publishers that told us just how many Yellow Pages and Phonebooks their sales reps carry around on a daily basis. Now, we're not sure if they're trying to bulletproof their cars for some or other reason or whether it is purely for business reasons, we just think there must be a better way.

The "MythBusters" team from Discovery.com, famous for "busting myths" of all sorts, did an experiment to see if it is true that you can bulletproof your car by sticking Phonebooks in the doors - http://bit.ly/bOiBtK. In all, it took 400 Phonebooks to completely cover the car & make it virtually impervious to all but the most high-powered rifles.

We're not sure if a lot of reps carry 400 Phonebooks in their car every day, but I've seen the trunks & back seats of a couple of Yellow Pages reps and for some it might not be that far off...

There is a better way though, you might even want to call it a "silver bullet", go take a look at our iPad solution for Yellow Pages, Phonebooks & Sales Reps at http://yellotouch.com and http://bit.ly/dfJCIA .

We cannot guarantee that it will bulletproof your reps' cars, but it's a lot easier to carry around!

YelloTouch Released Today!

2010-03-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

YelloTouch utilizes a realistic page-turning display environment in which entire directories can be downloaded, searched, and viewed on an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.
Publishers can e-distribute their directories using the Apple Apps Store and users can download the directories for free. Not only does this create a new distribution channel, but maybe more importantly, it gives them an alternative to offer when someone says they would like to opt-out. They could say “If you do not want to receive a printed directory, how would you like to receive one on your iPhone?”.
It provides new sales opportunities and creates a competitive advantage.
It saves money for there are no printing costs, no books to distribute, and no recycling concerns.
Users can see the whole book, including the covers, inside covers, community pages, tabs, all white pages sections, and of course, the yellow pages.
The system is independent of the publishing system used to create the directory. Simply send us your PDF files.
See a video of the Hagadone Directories North Idaho May 2009 - 2010 directory by going to http://www.yellotouch.com where you will find the YouTube video.

Magic Club Has Been Scheduled!

2010-02-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendar! We have tentatively scheduled our next Magic Club meeting for October 6-9, 2010 in beautiful San Diego.

As always, we will have a welcome reception on Wednesday evening where all Magic Club members can see old friends and meet new members. The meetings will start the next morning and will continue until mid-afternoon on both Thursday and Friday. Saturday will be a half-day so that everyone will have an opportunity to enjoy San Diego or to catch a plane home.

Yellow Magic Incorporated will host the welcome reception, continental breakfasts on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as well as lunch on Thursday and Friday. All Magic Club members in good standing can have up to two attendees at no charge, but there will be a small charge for more than two.

Be prepared to learn a lot as we demonstrate all of the new features of Yellow Magic version 2.2 along with a host of exciting companion products. Learn how your customers can view and approve their ads and listings online and how your sales reps can have paperless contracts!

Paula will be confirming the date and venue soon, so watch this blog and your mail for more details.

See you in San Diego!

Is Yellow Pages Publishing An Art Form?

2010-02-19T14:16:00.000-08:00

I think anyone that has gone through the process of creating a Yellow Pages Directory or even a regular Phone Book, would agree that there is a degree of art involved.

For some people far more so than for others. For some Yellow Pages Publishers it's all about speed & getting 500 pages paginated in a morning. Some others prefer (and insist) on rather spending an hour on a single page, discussing the layout & tweaking the settings until it is truly a work of art with the signature of the publisher proudly on every page.

Here at Yellow Magic, we understand that, which is why you as the artist & Publisher, are completely in control of what your book is going to look like. We have close to 500 different commands that you can tweak until you have exactly what you had in mind. If you have a change of mind, you can go right back, change it & see the result immediately. You don't have to call us or send any files to us in order to make those changes, it's all in your hands and in your control.

Of course if you just want to get the job done, we'll help you set it all up so that you get a beautiful book without all the fuss. We call it Sleight-of-Hand, you might call it magic.

Although not a Publisher, Alex Queral is a Yellow Pages artist, but he has chosen a very unusual canvas for his art, he carves faces out of old Telephone Directories.
http://www.projectsgallery.com/Queral.htm

Alex looks past the pages & sees the people inside and although we here at Yellow Magic might not all be artists, we also look past the pages and we see you.

Contact us if you need any help with creating your next piece of Yellow Pages art, we'd love to help.

Save Time, Save Money, and Save Trees

2010-02-12T16:16:00.000-08:00

You may have received an e-mail from Grace titled “Save Time, Save Money, and Save Trees”. As some of you know, Yellow Magic has been in the process of implementing totally paperless business processes for yellow pages publishers.

It started out with our Document Imaging feature where all contracts, verifications, confirmations, copy sheets, proofs, customer correspondence, invoices, late letters, customer service notes, marketing material, and more could be created, e-mailed, and/or maintained electronically so that paper did not have to flow around the office. Many Yellow Magic users are already using this.

Last year when we introduced Mobile SalesMagic, we went a step further by distributing sales leads to sales reps on their mobile phones and allowing them to report sales call results electronically, thereby eliminating the time-consuming sales call reports. Now, at the upcoming ADP and YPA conventions we will be showing the last two pieces of the puzzle that will complete our quest to offer totally paperless yellow pages business processes.

The first piece is what we call ProofMagic. ProofMagic allows publishers to post their proofs (yellow page listings, white page listings, display ads, white page banners, internet banners, etc.) to a web site and the advertiser receives an e-mail with a link where they can approve (or not) these proofs.

And the grand finale is the ability to write contracts without paper! If you want to learn how this works, plan to come by our booth at ADP or schedule a Strategic Exchange Session at YPA.

Out-of-the-Hat Newsletter

2010-02-05T17:24:00.000-08:00

On February 3rd we mailed out the latest edition of Out-of-the-Hat, the Yellow Magic newsletter. If you didn’t get one, you can go here to see it. http://www.yellowmagic.com/newsletter/

If you would like to subscribe, go here: http://www.yellowmagic.com/newsletter/signup.html

And if you have any suggestions for future topics for the newsletter, please let us know.

The Birth of Wolley Segap

2010-02-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

The first Telephone Book had no numbers, just names & consisted of only one sheet of paper!

The image to the left shows the first Telephone Directory, printed just two years after Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent on his telephone in 1876.

From the records available, it would seem that the first Yellow Pages directory was published on May 15, 1886 for the Chicago Telephone Company. There is however another story that says that the first classified listings with ads were produced by the Cheyenne Wyoming Telephone Company, in 1883 on Yellow paper, because the printer had run out of White stock.

Whichever it is, the process of creating Telephone Directories & Yellow Pages have come a long way!

In 1960 the Michigan telephone book featured the cartoon character Wolley Segap ("yelloW pageS") that promoted Yellow Page ads & now Wolley Segap's ads amount to a world wide $30 Billion+ industry.

We're not quite as old as Wolley, but we've been around since 1989 & we love the Yellow Pages. We love to create products that make it easier for you to run your Directory Publishing company and get your slice of that $30 Billion!

Speak to us about anything from print directory and pagination systems, internet directory publishing, mobile directory publishing, CD Rom directory publishing to sales force automation & social media!

Our software has been licensed to more than 150 directory-publishing companies worldwide. In addition to many sites in the United States, Yellow Magic’s software is installed in Canada, Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. It has been used to create directories for 54 countries and in 23 languages. No mean feat!

Images & information from:
http://www.oldtelephonebooks.com

Yellow Pages or Junk

2010-01-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

Raise your hand if you have a Yellow Pages book in your home, okay, almost all of you. Now raise your hand if you receive "junk mail", yeah, thought so.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you kept all that junk mail (a.k.a. Direct Mail), you received for a year?

I was at a Yellow Pages conference towards the end of last year & that exact thought flashed across my mind. What I was interested in finding out was what would weigh more, the four Yellow Pages Directories I've got in my home, or all the junkmail I collect over the period of 12 months?

I didn't have to wait very long to find out. Just four months after I'd started with my little experiment, I've got some interesting numbers for you. Now of course these may not be valid for everyone, but I couldn't find anyone else that was crazy enough to have kept their junk mail for four months, which already tells you something...

So, here are the numbers. The junk mail weighed in at 12 pounds & all four of my Yellow Pages Directories together amounted to 9.4 pounds!

It means I collected 3 pounds of junk mail per month. If you do the math & extrapolate, that amounts to 36 pounds of junk mail per year! I'm pretty confident that after a year, those Yellow Pages Directories would still be 9.4 pounds & unlike the junk mail, each of those Yellow Pages are still useful.

I'd really like to continue my experiment to collect a full 12 months worth of junk mail, but what I've got already looks like a pile of trash. At first I tried organizing or at least stacking them, but it just didn't work, you can't keep that in your house (I eventually had to keep it in a corner of my garage).

Where's my Yellow Pages? Next to my phone :-)

Visual Tutorials

2010-01-22T22:35:00.000-08:00

Yellow Magic offers step by step visual tutorials available online. The areas covered range from common day to day procedures to areas you may only have to perform once a year. These tutorials have been very helpful to new users and even good refreshers for long time users. Follow the link to get an overview tutorial on one of our latest Mobile Applications, http://www.yellowmagic.com/mcm/MCM-Application-Overview.html.

Yellow Magic customers can access the Visual Cookbooks by logging into the TSR system. Upon login follow the Visual Cookbooks link. You will find several tutorials that have recently been added. We are currently working on a list of tutorials, which will be released soon. If you have any suggestions on what you feel would be helpful for other Yellow Magic users, please let us know.

Search your directory with Twitter!

2010-01-22T13:23:00.000-08:00

Now it is possible to search your mobile directory with a Tweet! Go to www.yellowmagic.com/MCM-TT.pdf to learn more.

To Google or not to Google

2010-01-21T17:24:00.000-08:00

Given a choice between going for a printed book vs electronic, I'm the type of guy that would go for the electronic version, every time! Well, that's what I thought until I arrived home & found the water heater had stopped working on a cold winter day! The first thing I did was go online (of course) & do a search on Google for plumbers in Temecula. I got results, the issue is that I got just over 440,000 results. Now, Temecula has just a tad over 110,000 residents and I'm pretty sure they aren't all plumbers and even if they were, it still doesn't explain away the other 330,000!

Trying to deal with the overload, I resolved to stick to page 1 of Google & started clicking links, waiting for pages to load & reading through reviews, following links and reading pages and pages of information. After about 10 minutes of that, I stopped & did a sanity check. Right then, my wife walked into the room & asked if I'd phoned the plumber yet. My terse response was that I'm still looking for one, to which she replied "Why don't you just use the Yellow Pages?". I was about to launch into a whole oral dissertation on the merits of local online search, saving the trees from certain paper-death, but looking at her face, thought it best to just go get the book.

Needless to say, about 1 minute later I was on the phone with a plumber that worked after hours, was accredited, accepted credit cards, in business for over 25 years & already on his way to my house.

Trying to use Google vs Yellow Pages when searching for something like a plumber, or other service that you need, there's just no comparison. Seriously, think about it, you can't instantly compare companies on Google like you can with the Yellow Pages. I'm not just talking about the physical book, you can get a 100% Yellow Pages book look & feel online (of course Yellow Magic developed the software)! Just go here & take a look: http://www.completephonebook.com/ You literally get the best of both worlds, if only one of my local directory publishers had an online directory like this, it would have solved my problem immediately.

If you prefer the Google-look, but want to avoid wading through 440,000+ results for a plumber, check out an example of our "MagicCarpet Lite" pages on http://www.yellowmagic.com/guia You get all the relevant results, maps, comparisons, plus links to all the display ads at the click of a button. For Firefox & IE browsers, you can even replace the default search bar to go directly to your site! For those of us that are more inclined to use their mobile phones, the answer is "MagicCarpet Mobile". Go to http://www.yellowmobimagic.com/tem09 using your phone's browser & type 'yellow' as the name search term to see the full range of listing features.

Oh, by the way, even if your users do go to Google, our search-engine-optimized online directories can give you first-page results on Google & then pull them straight back into your online directory.

2010 YM Newsletters

2010-01-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to Everyone!
Yellow Magic has so many new Yellow Pages Industry Publishing and business products and features to introduce this year that we have decided to devote 2 mini-newsletters each month, one for will focus on new Print directory publishing news, tools and features and the second one dedicated to Electronic publishing news, tools, features and widgets. We hope to keep them short, sweet and packed with good info for you! You will begin receiving one on the 1st and the second one about the 15th of each month. We look forward to your contributions and suggestions. Have a Successful January!

2010-01-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to introduce our new Sales Manager, Grace Salumbides to the Yellow Magic Team! Grace has more than 22 years of experience at GTE and brings both production and sales experience to Yellow Magic and our customers. Welcome Grace!

2010-01-12T18:35:00.001-08:00

Another New Year for exciting new changes with Yellow Magic!!!