Google Phonebook Changes?
Saturday September 2, 2006
Google has a lot of undocumented features. One of the classic hacks is Google's hidden phonebook. It used to be that Google had three hidden phonebooks: the residential, the business, and both combined. Typing phonebook: would get both combined, and typing bphonebook: would get the business phonebook.
Not anymore. I tried looking up business phone numbers today, and I got no results. I could only access the residential phonebook I googled "bphonebook" and found plenty of other people writing tutorials to use the bphonebook: syntax, but I haven't found anyone else noticing that this feature just plain doesn't work anymore.
Since it's an undocumented feature, Google doesn't have to tell anyone that they've removed it. All Google Help says for finding business phone numbers is:
"To find listings for a US business, type the business name into the Google search box, along with the city and state. Or type the business name and zip code. Entering the phone number with area code will also return a complete business listing."
Try going to Google and typing in bphonebook: google mountain view. Leave a comment here to let me know if you find any business results. If not, we'll all just have to scratch that hack off of the current list of nifty things you can do with Google.
Yeah, this sucks. I’m not sure of their motive, but the bphonebook was a useful tool. Just goes to show that reliance on big business is always biz first people later. I’m sure there’s another way to get the same results though, but still looking. Google Maps still gives biz info, but a bit more cumbersome. bastards.
Yahoo yellow pages works just as well.
I used the to generate list of companies. Now I will need to get the check book out to buy list. I will miss this “hack”.
Yeah, I miss it too. I’d rather have both phone books more transparent and within Google. I guess it’s Yahoo! for now.
phonebook: the name. That works again now. It pulled search results for google residential.
Why doesn’t google tell users what they have done. I have wasted over two hours Tonight reading through a book on google and trying what I was doing wrong when the examples in the book for bphonebook didn’t work.
People like Mark are idiots allways wanting something for nothing… Google owes you nothing.. what do you pay them for the services they provide… what do you give away to people for free besides your loudmouth? Its a shame idiots like you get to vote.