Speaking Sensis

One of Australia’s most widely available publications has just rolled off the presses and hit the streets in Adelaide and Brisbane.

In Adelaide, it’s 2,208 pages crammed with the sort of information that is used every day. And it’s 2,912 pages in Brisbane.

It plays an important role in keeping both economies ticking over through its role in bringing buyers and sellers together.

And, these days, you can not only access these the content from these publications in print, but on the web, over the phone, on your mobile, via a search engine and even, in many cases, on the sat-nav system in your car.

Any ideas?

Yup – the 2008/09 Adelaide and Brisbane Yellow Pages® directories have arrived. If you’re anywhere between McLaren Vale, Mount Torrens or Virginia in South Australia or Woongoolba, Dayboro or Riverview in Queensland, they will be landing on your doorstop any day now.

Just as it has been for decades, it’s big and yellow but this year the Yellow Pages® Directory features a number of innovative new additions including:

• a great new section of city and regional maps from UBD
• a page with handy hints for people moving house and office.
• a new section called Your Adelaide and Your Brisbane, which includes a CBD map with public transport routes as well as city attractions and top tourist destinations. It even includes a page for people who want to plan day trips or visits to sites beyond the CBD.

All the improvements we make to the Yellow Pages® Directory each year are the result of a lot of research, testing and analysis: working with the people who use and advertise in the directory so we can make it better for them.

So we hope you find this year’s Yellow Pages® Directory just as valuable as the last. And don’t forget to put your old directory out for recycling with your regular kerbside collection.

Did you know Sensis has a partnership with a journalist who interviewed Che Guevara and covered the JFK election back in ‘61? And that we’re connected with another journalist who received the UN Media Peace Award in 1997?

Well, we are. Introducing Garry Barker and Leon Gettler, the voices behind Sensis’ new weekly small business podcast, ‘Talking Shop’.

Every Thursday, small businesses can benefit from Leon and Garry’s collective 80 year experience when ‘Talking Shop‘ is uploaded to the www.smallbusiness.sensis.com.au website.

The podcasts, which are just one of many of the small business resources available at www.smallbusiness.sensis.com.au, will consist of three sections:

• an overview of the latest happenings around the globe and drilling down into exactly what it means for small and medium business operators in Australia;
• an interview with a prominent business person, and;
• a discussion with Sensis’ Senior Economist Christena Singh on the latest ABS statistics.

So, why not head to the www.smallbusiness.sensis.com.au website and check out the ‘Talking Shop‘ podcasts with Leon and Garry every Thursday.

And, while you’re there, download this weeks interview with ACCC Chairman Graeme Samuel who takes a look at how small businesses are holding up in such a competitive market, or last weeks discussion with ANZ’s Chief Economist Saul Eslake on how the current economic situation is impacting small businesses.

Gen Y asks why… and the new partnership between Sensis Search and Yahoo!7 provides the answer.

Living and working in Melbourne’s inner city means I’m always on the move. Thanks to life’s fast pace, I’m not gifted with time to sit down and leisurely surf the net, or put the finishing  touches on my 2004 European holiday photo album. These days I am always in need of answers … quickly!

“To what?” I hear you say.

Well, that depends on the question. I’m not sure if it’s simply a common (and annoying) trait of the infamous Generation ‘Y’ crew, but I simply don’t have the patience to wait around and learn the answer to my questions (let alone write a blog about it). If I don’t have the answers yesterday, I’m not interested.

I guess I’m what the techno-sociologists call a ‘snacker’, which is why my mobile phone is my new best friend. It gives me fast access to all the information I need (and then some) within seconds – almost anytime, anywhere.

Of course, this world of information in my pocket isn’t much good without a decent search engine to find it.

Which is why the new Sensis Search mobile search engine – powered by Yahoo!7 – is a big deal for me.

When I recently pulled out my phone and typed ‘Luke Jacobz’ into Sensis Search on the BigPond portal (my sister and I were discussing the various TV shows the Aussie actor had appeared in), I was suitably impressed with the results it produced. Now powered by the Yahoo oneSearch, Sensis Mobile goes that one step further when providing people with relevant results on their mobile. Not only did I find a video of a Q&A session with Luke but I was presented with images, his bio via yahoo TV, the Luke Jacobz mobile fan site, Wikipedia information and links to both the Home and Away and Mcleod’s Daughters websites – not bad for one tiny little mobile phone!

Of course, there’s much more to life than appeasing my sister’s need to know everything about Luke Jacobz. These days I find myself turning to my mobile for almost everything – from reading the morning news on the tram to locating the newest bars around town.

Makes me wonder how I ever got by without it.

To view the new Sensis Search mobile application powered by Yahoo! oneSearch visit: http://m.sensis.com.au on your mobile phone, text the word sensis to 0415 268 766, scan the Telstra Mobile Code below (if you have a compatible mobile phone), or if you’re a Telstra customer visit the Bigpond portal.