Tag Archives: contacts

I’ve spent a good part of this month at various conferences, continuing through the end of next week. Because of my schedule, I have a collection of other people’s business cards – in my own business card holder, at the bottom of my briefcase, shoved into my change purse, and tucked into my moleskin. I have no idea, for the most part, who gave me what card and why.On top of that, I constantly forget to bring my own business cards. They just don’t always fit into whatever stylish little clutch I’m carrying … But now I’ve got a solution.

Contxts.com, currently in alpha and free, enables you to set up your contact information and provide it via SMS. All you need to do is provide your user name to someone, they text 50500, and your information is texted to their phone. In fact, my phone is where I need that information, so receiving someone’s information that way is a lot more convenient for me than traditional business cards.

So now that we’ve gotten your interest you want to know how it works. There are two ways to connect with a colleague. Regardless of whether they have a profile on contxts or not you can exchange your credentials.

From your phone, you txt “send 3034759204” to 50500 (where 3034759204 is your recipients 10 digit number)

Your recipient will receive all of your contact information.

Your contact txts “username” to 50500 on their phone

You will receive a request confirmation (unless you have it turned off). Upon accepting, your contact will receive your information

Contxts maintains a list of everyone who requests your info and notifies you whenever it happens. Since I plan on putting my information on the front of every presentation I give next week, I’m curious to see how many people – and who -  actually text the number to acquire my information.

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Cheers!
Tweet Michelle @writetechnology, send her technology news at michelle[at]writetech[dot]net, visit her wine blog when you’re thirsty, and drop by her day job.

by Michelle Lentz

Google has added a standalone contact manager for users who either don’t use Gmail or for those who want to access their contacts without dealing with their mail. For Outlook users who want to also manage their contacts in the cloud, this is a great option.

You can access this feature from http://www.google.com/contacts. There aren’t any new impressive features, but you can still import contacts from common email applications. (You need to use the free A to G app for Apple Mail.)  If you have a GMail account, your GMail contacts appear here. If you are a Google apps user, the Contacts Manager needs to be enabled by your administrator from the “Add more services” link at the Control Panel.

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Email: michelle[at]writetech[dot]net
Twitter: @writetechnology, Friendfeed: michellel
Sites: Write Technology, Wine-Girl.net

by Michelle Lentz

Whether it is because people are losing jobs (or preparing to do so), or because my visibility is increasing, I have started to get a lot more LinkedIn invites. In many cases, these folks feel they have a personal connection with me (through my blogging or speaking) and don’t realize that I have a memory like a sieve, particularly for names.

Would you send out an invitation to a party without thinking through the invitation and considering the wording? Probably not. I wish more people applied that same logic to LinkedIn invites.

Michelle:

I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

- Larry

Now, I probably do want to connect with imaginary Larry. He’s probably a great guy and might even have some great contacts. But because I need a memory jog sometimes, I’m not sure who he is. I also question how seriously he takes connecting because he didn’t bother to personalize his LinkedIn invite and just sent the default text.  Why couldn’t Larry have taken the time to write this?

Michelle:

I really enjoyed your presentation at our local AMA Non-profit group. I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

OR

I really enjoy following your Twitter feed. You can find me on Twitter @username. I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

– Larry

All our imaginary contact Larry would have to do is add one or two sentences to the default invite.  It makes him more human and shows a little bit of effort.

If you’re reaching out to someone you met via Twitter, briefly at a conference, or someone who you know because of their blog, go ahead and personalize your invite. Not only will it jog your connection’s memory, it will make you stand out a little more as well. And with the economy the way it is, standing out from the rest is important, no matter who you’re reaching out to.

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Contact Michelle with news, stories, events, and more.
Email: michelle[at]writetech[dot]net
Twitter: @writetechnology, Friendfeed: michellel
Sites: Write Technology, Wine-Girl.net

by Michelle Lentz

I speak at a lot of events. Consequently, there is a pile of business cards on my desk. Literally a pile. I dig through it now and then because I remember a contact I made, but by the time I’m back home, I’m too behind to put a lot of effort into the cards I’ve collected. I even have a business card scanner I never use because I hate the software. So I’m intrigued by Cloud Contacts, a new startup from Allen Stern (of Centernetworks).

It’s a startup with a business model. Even in their current beta state, it costs money. That’s smart, right off the starting block. It also solves a problem that I have, and I’m obviously not the only one. Cloud Contacts takes that pile of business cards and converts them into useful information.

Here’s what happens:
You grab that pile of cards and send them into Cloud Contacts. You can pay for the shipping yourself, or have them send you a mailer for $2.50.  For $30, you can have up to 100 business cards converted into contacts and stored “in the cloud.” It gets better. You can access these new contacts from anywhere, and they are easily imported into most address books. Additionally, it appears that Cloud Contacts will find social networking information for your new contacs, which is something I never have time to do.

Cloud Contacts offers several packages based on the number of business cards you need converted, up through $500. I have a huge conference coming up in November, so I may give this service a shot. What are your thoughts on this? Would you rather use a card scanner? Do you have other methods for inputting and following up on business card contacts?

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Contact Michelle with your news, apps, and events via email, Twitter, Pownce, or FriendFeed. Visit Michelle at Wine-Girl.net and Write Technology. You can also catch Michelle presenting on Twitter at the upcoming DevLearn ’08 in San Jose.