Back in the days when it was simply door knocking, an enthusiastic new bro. said to me "lets go where the people actually are", so we went street witnessing in towns and villages,train stations, markets ,anywhere people were, often outside our own congregation's territory.
I continued as a lone (manic?) street preacher for many a year after this Bro. moved away.
We placed loads of mags, had long conversations,started "bible" studies, we were pioneers of these methods in our area, the methods had been used by some for years elsewhere, but as the WT had not talked of this kind of work for years ,they just knocked on the doors of mainly empty houses in our area.
I was amazed that they never approached someone sitting in a parked car, or walking on the street, it had to be a house, with a door.
We were joined in the street etc. work by others from time to time, and then the C.O's were told to foster this kind of work.
The C.O at the time told me he hated it, he didn't feel comfortable unless he was knocking on a door !