Plaxo helps you organize far-flung Web contacts
I have a problem. One that many of you have, too. We are switchers. We have said yes to Mac and to Windows — even Linux at times. We have more than one e-mail address: Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL. Like keeping two sets of books, it can be hard to keep contacts from those multiple accounts straight and not get caught.
Recently, I have been using the beta of Plaxo 3.0, a service that helps keep online service contacts and calendar information synchronized.
The Plaxo 3.0 ( http://www.plaxo.com/) address book can synchronize between numerous platforms including Microsoft Outlook, Hotmail, Google Calendar, Yahoo Mail and Calendar, AOL AIM, Mac OSX Sync Services, Mozilla Thunderbird, mobile phones and the LinkedIn network.
One Plaxo feature that makes using it a must for me is its ability to automatically update one’s address books whenever a fellow Plaxo user changes his or her information.
What Plaxo does is aggregate the contact and calendar information from whatever online services you use. Plaxo then compares that information with contact information provided by other users to see if there are updates. If so, Plaxo sends updated information back to the user so all your address books and calendars are up to date and in sync.
Your customers and friends can always have your most current contact information without having to manually update it each time it changes. Plus, you have control of who gets your personal or work contact information. This is a useful feature for the few of us that only have one computer and e-mail address.
Plaxo has also made it easier to use the connectors, small applications you download to make Outlook and Mac Mail into “sync points.”
The best update Plaxo has added is eliminating the annoying spam-like e-mail feature which stopped many from testing the service and its features. Plaxo now sends a useful e-mail that lets you know who has updated their contact information in the last week.
Plaxo 3.0 is also becoming more social with the new Web 2.0 style site, which lets you integrate with Flickr photos and Amazon.com Wish Lists for example, on top of letting you access your contacts and calendar.
Most of Plaxo’s service will still be provided for free, with a few select sync points – LinkedIn for example, and services such as e-cards, storing more than 1,000 contacts and 24/7 support – available for paid accounts only.
I am pleased with the results so far. The new Plaxo has solved the management and synchronization pains I have as a user of multiple PIM (Personal Information Managers) on multiple computer systems.