The Red Pages
Toronto Website Directory 2004
Publisher: www.redto.com, Toronto, Canada
Year Published: 2004
Pages: 563pp Price: $9.95 ISBN: 0-9735655-0-0
Resource Type: Serial Publication (Periodical)
Abstract:
This is a nice idea, being an A - Z subject listing like the yellow pages (with advertising) classified sections. However, it is mostly the yellow pages with an URL, i.e., it has the name, address, and phone number of a company plus its URL and (very rarely) an E-mail address. The book could have been a lot thinner, and perhaps more useful, if it just had the URLs. We all know where the addresses and phone numbers are: just give us the URLs. For URLs, we already have Google in the form of Froogle. Therefore, like the yellow pages, you can let your mouse do the walking for browsing at Froogle. To plump up the Red Pages, there are separate sections at the front: an events calendar, maps and bike trails, an Internet guide (omigod, another one!), reference Web sites, kids and family materials, and a green living guide. At the rear, there are government listings. But only the reference section has a list of direct URLs. For all of the other listings in the front and back sections, you'll be redirected to the www.redto.com site. This helps to generate some traffic for RedTO.
Audience or interest level: Internet consumers
Some interesting facts: Increasingly, Canadians research online before making purchases.
What I don't like about this resource: there is no real indication of how data was gathered. Also, I don't like the excessive use of redirections.
What I do like about this resource: my free, personal copy was dropped on my doorstep in my "exclusive" neighbourhood.
Quality-to-Price Ratio: useful if free, an 88. Paid-for copies: 72.
[Review by Dean Tudor]
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