I just want to point out how much I abhor people that use Plaxo.
In general, Plaxo users don’t enter complete contact information into their contact records stored inside of Plaxo. This sucks because after a person adds me to their Plaxo database, Plaxo then sends me an email asking me to confirm the details that were entered.
When I see that they didn’t input my phone number, my job title, company, etc… I realize how truly lazy the person I’m dealing with is.
So, then I’m guilt-ridden about not wanting to update my contact record for this lazy fuck that didn’t enter all of my contact information in the first place…
I’ll eventually update their Plaxo record, but forevermore, I’ll remember how lazy this person was/is.
I realize that this person is generally busy, and that they don’t have time to enter all of that information by hand, but damn… All of my contact information is generally in every email I send out. Is it that hard to copy/paste?
My advice to Plaxo users? Take the time to enter all of my contact information before you have Plaxo ask me if it’s up to date. Otherwise, I’ll think you’re terribly vain and lazy.
I’m an engineer at Plaxo, and I’d say if you want people to have your information but you don’t want to enter it every time and you don’t want to get e-mails from other Plaxo members, you should join Plaxo and fill out your information once. Then you can just share that info with people without typing it in each time. That’s the whole idea of Plaxo–the e-mails are just a way for non-members to also participate, but ideally everyone is just in sync and you never need that. Note that you don’t have to download Plaxo for outlook/oe in order to fill out your cards, you can just sign up online (www.plaxo.com/register). If you really don’t want to join and you don’t want to keep getting e-mails, you can also just opt-out (www.plaxo.com/opt_out). But there’s no point in just sitting there getting e-mail requests you don’t want to answer and being upset.
Also note that if you give your physical business card to people, they often don’t take the time to type in all the details, and instead just have your name and e-mail address from e-mailing with you. So that’s why it’s better to have your business card filled out on Plaxo, so anyone that e-mails with you will automatically get the information on your business card. You can keep your personal information private and just give it out to people that you choose.
Hope this helps! js
This is an awesome rant. Obviously sometimes the person may truly not have your current information besides your name and email address. This may be indeed the reason they are sending you the update request in the first place. But I completely agree that people should always practice proper Plaxo etiquitte when sending out update request messages. More on Plaxo etiquitte can be found here: http://blog.plaxo.com/archives/000033.html
The purpose of Plaxo is not to offload the “data entry” portion of maintaining contact information onto one’s contacts. Plaxo is about getting in touch and staying in touch Obviously, having someone’s latest contact info in your address book is one very good way to stay in touch, but it’s a fine line between making your contacts do the work vs. sincerely asking them to make sure the information you currently maintain is accurate. We encourage people to make sure it is the later else they simply won’t benefit from Plaxo as much as they could.
It’s worth noting though that the true power behind Plaxo is where no one actually has to manually update anyone else. People simply become responsible for maintaining their own copy of their own information. Plaxo can then automatically update corresponding entries in the address books of everyone the person wants to have their updated information.
This is how Plaxo works if everyone in your address book is also a Plaxo member. With proper permissions, everyone can maintain a 100% always accurate, 100% self-updating address book that automatically updates anytime one of their contacts changes their information and automatically updates others when you change own.
Thanks for the opportunity to comment.
Stacy Martin
Plaxo Privacy Officer
privacy @t plaxo.com
I think it is truly amazing that Plaxo actually take the time and trouble to post to these kind of messages.
I think it demonstrates how much Plaxo actually care about their image and their customers!
I am going to investigate plaxos paid services as I need a contacts manager and have heard about plaxo before but after seeing the care and attention they take and what they have written I’m most definitely going to sign up!!
Good work Plaxo!
This is a truly pathetic rant. The whole point in plaxo is it saves you having to enter other people’s data. It’s like you totally missed the point!
My problem is that I was persuaded to join Plaxos and when I did I suddenly realized that in the process I was downloading my entire address book. In effect I was giving all of the addresses of people I did business with to a third party with out their permission. I pysically pulled the plug on the internet to stop it. I feel that I was compromising the privacy of all of my contacts without permission and against their will.
MY second problem is that no system is hack proof. Plaxos may be the most honest set up anywhere. However, there appears to be a vast amount of information going through their system. What a perfect set up for some neffarious persons (or unhappy employeers) to aquire vast amounts of information for identity theft excetera.
Privacy is difficult enough as it is these days and I refuse to give in to laziness just to keep my address book uptodate.
I resent that others who know me may have passed my information through a third party without my knowledge.
I cannot and will not support any system like it.
Plaxo SUCKS
I have tried 4 times to create a profile and each time I get as far as creating a password and then when I log in it tells me my user name or password is incorrect. Then I reset my password and it accepts and then I try and log in and gues what? My user name or password is incorrect. It is the completely the worst tool I have ever seen.
Meanwhile I keep getting emails that folks wish to connect and I cannot see them when I log in.
It is the most UN-USER FRIENDLY UI – I have ever seen. It is horrible and I would not recommend it to anyone.
Why plaxo want my gmail accout password during sign up? With the quote (we will not sent email from your account without your permission) is a ststement like that supposed to guarantee total privacy and safety? Or are those Plaxo invitations I get are fake?