Talk:Directory assistance

Comments
Why is the topic Open_Directory_Services_Interface linked to--210.50.172.21 13:31, 25 October 2005 (UTC)

Notes for future improvement:
 * the article should emphasize that 800-411-METRO is a product of InFreeDA, Inc.
 * another free DA provider is 800-FREE411 (Jingle Networks, Inc.)
 * however, this article should not become a directory of free DA providers; perhaps another article should be created for this purpose?
 * might want to add some comments on the cellular white pages project and Verizon's role in mostly blocking it from happening.

--Patrick McCormick 08:22, 31 December 2005 (UTC)

A web site can be a directory enquiry.
A directory enquiry is defined as "a telephone call one can make ..." whereas a web site can be a directory enquiry too.

Complete rewrite needed
My apologies to the contributors to this article, but as it presently stands, I consider it hideous. It seems to have a lot of irrelevant information, and doesn't "flow" like an article should. I can't see salvaging what's already there, but rather starting from scratch. Let's see if we can amass some references and write a new article from the ground up.

I was a DA operator for five years, and so I have some concept of what directory assistance is about from both sides of the line. SchuminWeb (Talk) 04:45, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

Seeking a consensus. On free directory providers.
I'm seeking to find a consensus. What do others think. Do providers of free Directory Assistance warrant the possible inclusion in Wikipedia? or should it only be fee based ones? I'm of the view that there is space to contain a short list of some of the free Directory Assistance providers out there that offer competing services. But it seems others may not see the relevancy of this, so I'm seeking a consensus since this is hitting the WP:3RR.

This discussion is also on Talk:4-1-1 | CaribDigita (talk) 04:46, 23 October 2008 (UTC)


 * For those going in, the fundamental question is whether the inclusion of a list of free directory assistance telephone numbers is spam or not. SchuminWeb (Talk) 15:13, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

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History
I don't know when this service started, but I speculate the 1960s when DDD was becoming more widely available.

The telephone directories I grew up with showed a list of states and provinces and the area codes (one code for the entire jurisdiction, or listed sample cities and the code for that city). A symbol would indicate if LDDA could be reached by dialing 1 plus area code plus 555-1212. Later, it switched so that a symbol indicated if LDDA could NOT be reached for that location. Not long after, every area code had the service. (The switch from specially-marking "yes" to specially-marking "no" is analogous to TV Guide ceasing to indicate "C" for programs in colour, to indicate "BW" for programs in black-and-white.)


 * Directory assistance, or information as it was known earlier, goes way back practically to the beginning of telephone service. Depending upon the local telephone company and the conditions prevailing at various times, information could be reached either by dialing 0 for operator and requesting information, or by dialing specific codes assigned to information operators.  The 411 code was in fairly common use by the 1930's, adopted mostly in places using panel or crossbar switching systems.  The SxS (step-by-step) systems common in smaller communities typically adopted a different code, often 113, but there were many variations.  The use of NPA + 555-1212 to reach information for a distant area does indeed go back to the early days of DDD, with the 555 prefix being reserved specifically for the purpose in all areas.   All of this is referring to the United States only.  72.204.13.203 (talk)

U.S. Toll-Free Directory Assistance
Whoever was responsible for operating the toll-free directory assistance service here in the U.S.A. (Was not AT&T) has thrown in the towel because when you dial 1-800-555-1212 it gives a recording stating "The number you have reached has been disconnected." then the line cuts off. I would like to update this in the toll-free section of this article BUT I don't have any verifiable references other than the disconnection recording. I would appreciate some advice on how to handle this. YborCityJohn (talk) 05:05, 23 February 2021 (UTC)


 * toll-free means that the one paying is the recipient, even if at a discounted/all-you-can-eat rate. When "The Phone Company" was paid more per call, toll-free directory assistance was to their benefit. Today/2021, you can pay for your "free" info with your time (listening to an ad). 800-free-411 is an example. You can also search via Google. Pi314m (talk) 21:13, 8 July 2021 (UTC)

Pggy
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