so, maybe not as a central repository for the address book, though the benefits of having my data on multiple, redundant, backed-up, databases & webservers (far less likely to go down than my one server) are big for me. there are still a couple of takeaways.

1 - the widget works with existing address books from a number of sites (e.g. google, yahoo, msn, etc.): http://www.plaxo.com/api/widget_demo

2 - they've spent a lot of time figuring out what field to include in an address book and how to organize it. steal that knowledge.

3 - check out their interface, far more than we need now, but still something to derive insights into functionality & presentation for.

4 - the api is just a hook (and one that could be optional) for easy access to their interface. how else will i sync my contacts with my treo, outlook, & roundcube? no need to wholesale switch over. but again, i don't have time to implement this, so i'm just tossing it into the conversation as something to think about (and dismiss if appropriate).

off topic: that zdnet review is done by an obviously paranoid and ill-informed author. from a business perspective, if they were to be pushy or use their data for unethical means, they would lose customers and trust, especially since the switching cost for us consumers is so low. now, if you think that your data is secure anywhere on the web, you don't have a good concept of how vulnerable you are, this includes your information on yahoo, google, msn, etc. i've been using the free version of plaxo and have never had a problem (nor have any of my 300+ contacts), and it's proven valuable as a one-stop service to update my info for others as well as keeping my data synchronized. it's a PITA to keep multiple sets of data updated on a consistent basis.

all of that aside, nothing to get upset about here. it's about learning from other people's efforts. they've exposed their view on organizing data and we can learn from it.

i'll be happy to continue this discussion off-list.

randy

Paul Carrasco wrote:

I agree with Chris. I would not like an API for plaxo in my webmail software.

Basically roundcube is a GPL-based-contribution software, whereas plaxo (and plaxo-like services) are everything but GPL or open-source minded. They have very special ways of licencing your data and your privacy which can have annoying effects.

See http://review.zdnet.com/4520-7297-5111563.html Or you can google 'plaxo is evil'

Paul

On 10/4/06, *Chris Hembrow* <chris.hembrow+mail-rc@pixelseventy2.net mailto:chris.hembrow+mail-rc@pixelseventy2.net> wrote:

Speaking personally, I would not want this. Part of the reason I
moved from using a gmail account as my primary account was so that I
had complete control of MY emails. I'm sure google would not do
anything bad with my data, but it's MY data, and I want it where
only I have access to it. Implementing an external address book
system would be opening that information up for abuse. Can you
really guarantee that plaxo aren't going to sell that data to
spammers or have it stolen by crackers?

Besides, what happens if their service goes down? You might lose
access to your address book, even temporarily this could be a royal
PITA.

Just by tuppence worth

pixel

On Wed, 04 Oct 2006 10:26:22 -0400, Randy Noval < randy@sermo.net
<mailto:randy@sermo.net>> wrote:
 > yay for addressbook management!
 >
 > as a thought though, rather than re-work stuff that's already been
 > created, why not use existing tools. in particular, plaxo. i've been
 > using it for a while as a sync tool between my treo, thunderbird, &
 > outlook and by-and-large, it's been great! and they have an API:
 > http://www.plaxo.com/api/ <http://www.plaxo.com/api/>
 >
 > and a really nifty widget demo (access address lists from other
apps):
 > http://www.plaxo.com/api/widget_demo
 >
 > but using their (already well-thought out) field set as a guideline
 > might be a good way to go.
 >
 > just a couple of thoughts. i love the enthusiasm in this community!
 >
 > thanks,
 > randy