Plaxo's Personal Card: The Plaxo "Contacts" Privacy Option

[09.13.05] The Plaxo "Contacts" Privacy Option

One way members share their information is by explicitly sending a contact their information as part of a Plaxo Update Request message. For example: when Alice sends Bob an Update Request message and includes her Plaxo Business Card, she has permissioned Bob to view and access her Plaxo Business Card. Should Alice change her Plaxo Business Card information in the future, Bob will be automatically updated (assuming Bob is also a Plaxo member, and maintains an entry for Alice in his own Plaxo managed address book).

The other way Plaxo members share their information is through the Privacy Options of their Plaxo cards (configured at installation time or by editing your Plaxo cards). Plaxo has always supported two Privacy options: Private and Members. We recently introduced a 3rd Privacy option: Contacts.

Here's a brief explanation of each:

Option 1: Members (formerly called Public)

Members

Option 2: Contacts

Contacts

Option 3: Private

Private

Many members prefer the Members privacy option for at least one of their Plaxo cards due to its ability to automatically update other Plaxo members who already know them. If these friends, family, or associates already maintain the member's email address within their own Plaxo-managed address book, Plaxo will automatically update these members. The member does not need to manually send these other Plaxo members his Plaxo card information.

For example:
Alice permissions her Plaxo Business Card for Members. Carl has Alice in his Plaxo address book and gets automatically updated each time Alice changes her Plaxo Business Card. Alice does not need to have Carl in her own address book, nor does she need to send Carl a message when she changes her business information.

Other members prefer to maintain complete control over their Plaxo card information by marking both Plaxo cards as Private. Under this configuration, no automated updating occurs until the Plaxo member establishes a connection with another Plaxo member by explicitly sending his Plaxo card to the other Plaxo member in an Update Request. Once a connection has been established, Plaxo automatically updates the other Plaxo member anytime the member's Private Plaxo card information changes.

For example:
Alice permissions her Plaxo Personal Card as Private. Alice sends her Plaxo Personal Card to Dan. Dan's Plaxo Address Book continues to be updated automatically each time Alice changes her Personal Card. Alice does NOT send her Personal Card to Carl, so Carl is not updated automatically when she changes her Personal Card.

The Contacts privacy option offers a nice middle ground between the Members and Private privacy options. This option allows the member to control which other Plaxo members they share their information with to the contacts they maintain within their own address book. If any of these contacts are also Plaxo members, Plaxo will automatically update the entry they maintain for the member.

For example:
Alice permissions her Plaxo Personal Card as Contacts. Edward is in Alice's address book and also a Plaxo member. Plaxo automatically updates the entry for Alice in Edward's address book each time Alice changes her Personal Card information.

Greg is also in Alice's address book and a Plaxo member, but does not have Alice in his own address book. Though he has permission to Alice's Personal Card, there is nothing for Plaxo to automatically update.

The Contacts privacy option is currently only configurable through Plaxo Online. It will also be available through the Plaxo Toolbar for Outlook and Outlook Express with an upcoming client release, but for people who wish to take advantage of this new Privacy Option today, they can do so by editing their cards through Plaxo Online.

Till next time.

Stacy Martin
Plaxo Privacy Officer
privacy @t plaxo.com

Posted by Stacy Martin at September 13, 2005 @ 07:22 PM | permalink

One of the most important aspects of Plaxo is how members share their own Plaxo card information with other Plaxo members. By sharing their Plaxo cards, Plaxo members are able to automatically update other Plaxo members each time they change their information. Plaxo provides a very robust and flexible permissioning scheme which allows the Plaxo member to determine how and with whom they wish to share their information. One way members share their information is by explicitly sending a contact their information as part of a Plaxo Update Request message. For example: when Alice sends Bob an Update Request message and includes her Plaxo Business Card, she has permissioned Bob to view and access her Plaxo Business Card. Should Alice change her Plaxo Business Card information in the future, Bob will be automatically updated (assuming Bob is also a Plaxo member, and maintains an entry for Alice in his own Plaxo managed address book). The other way Plaxo members share their information is through the Privacy Options of their Plaxo cards (configured at installation time or by editing your Plaxo cards). Plaxo has always supported two Privacy options: Private and Members. We recently introduced a 3rd Privacy option: Contacts. Here's a brief explanation of each: Option 1: Members (formerly called Public)

Members

Option 2: Contacts

Contacts

Option 3: Private

Private

Each Plaxo member has two Plaxo cards - a Plaxo Business Card and Plaxo Personal Card. By default, the Privacy Option is Members for the Plaxo Business Card, and Private for the Plaxo Personal Card. Many members prefer the Members privacy option for at least one of their Plaxo cards due to its ability to automatically update other Plaxo members who already know them. If these friends, family, or associates already maintain the member's email address within their own Plaxo-managed address book, Plaxo will automatically update these members. The member does not need to manually send these other Plaxo members his Plaxo card information.

For example: Alice permissions her Plaxo Business Card for Members. Carl has Alice in his Plaxo address book and gets automatically updated each time Alice changes her Plaxo Business Card. Alice does not need to have Carl in her own address book, nor does she need to send Carl a message when she changes her business information.

For example: Alice permissions her Plaxo Personal Card as Private. Alice sends her Plaxo Personal Card to Dan. Dan's Plaxo Address Book continues to be updated automatically each time Alice changes her Personal Card. Alice does NOT send her Personal Card to Carl, so Carl is not updated automatically when she changes her Personal Card.

For example: Alice permissions her Plaxo Personal Card as Contacts. Edward is in Alice's address book and also a Plaxo member. Plaxo automatically updates the entry for Alice in Edward's address book each time Alice changes her Personal Card information. Greg is also in Alice's address book and a Plaxo member, but does not have Alice in his own address book. Though he has permission to Alice's Personal Card, there is nothing for Plaxo to automatically update.