A user in our forum asked about Plaxo support for the Mac OS X (I'm assuming he was referring to Entourage, since Plaxo for Thunderbird (beta) is available for Mac OS, Windows, and Linux).
We receive numerous requests to support various email clients and services and it is our stated intention to support Plaxo across multiple platforms, applications and services. Support for clients and services such as Skype, Mac OS X, ACT!, Incredimail, Lotus Notes, Groupwise, Firefox, and gMail are a few of the ones people often ask about.
[UPDATE: add to the list Opera, Mac Mail, Gmail, Hotmail]
Unfortunately, it's difficult for us to answer questions about unavailable features or releases. With our good intention of underpromising and overdelivering, we've taken the policy of publicly discussing features and releases after they are available. I realize this probably is not very comforting for some of our members excited to see Plaxo expanded to their favorite application or service, but hopefully people understand.
I will say this: personally, one of the things I like most about working here is our willingness to listen and respond to feedback. We appreciate all of the feedback we receive and it really does help to shape the direction, features, and priorities of Plaxo.
Within just the last two years, member feedback has helped Plaxo to expand beyond support for just Outlook and Outlook Express. Plaxo is available as a toolbar for Internet Explorer and Thunderbird. Plaxo can sync address data with services such as Yahoo! and AOL, and people can access their Plaxo data through Web and Wireless.
And of course, there is more to come. As you might imagine, we are looking very closely at the list I mentioned above, and many others as well. I feel we have some very exciting things in the pipeline that we're happy to discuss... once they become available.
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Incredimailis my default e-mail service, and if it comes to changing it so that I can use Plaxo - - fugeddaboutit!
When can I use Plaxo with Incredimail in order to update my contacts?
It might be that there are people prefering applications such as Thunderbird or Incredimail but Plaxo is principally a business application. Therefore, support for Entourage on Max Os-x is a must have. When would that be available?
Wish I could give you an exact date, but as I mentioned, it's on the list...
finally, a plaxo solution for the mac! :) i featured the toolbar for thunderbird on b5media's cellphone9.com. check it out. good luck and hoping for a Mail plugin? :)
I work with multiple email clients across multiple platforms.... while it make me happy that there is a thunderbird extension, I agree with the bulk of people, without Macosx Mail (Apple's native client) you are going to have trouble making many apple users happy, also Apple iCal integration would be nice. Back to the thunderbird extension, what are the chances of Mozilla Sunbird/Calendar integration?
As stated above, if Plaxo gets incorporated into the native Mac OS X address book it will then work with the native Mail and iCal applications. It would be the smartest move as most people are using these applications. This will also allow .mac users to make their backups online as well share their contacts and calendar.
...Mikael
I'd say that's probably a logical assumption, but time and engineering will tell for sure.
Stacy, I have become a single-handed evangelist for Plaxo with a dozen to two dozen clients and friends signing up in the past month. The service is great!
If I may, I have a few suggestions for modifications as the system changes:
(1) I note programmers added fields for Skype with the new technology. Please consider adding a field for an FCC Amateur Radio Licensee call (12 A/N characters should do it) to the "Other Information" page under the TTY Phone field -- I use the Radio Phone field as a substitute -- the field name could be "Amateur Radio Call." Amateur Radio served big-time aid in Katrina and Rita communications.
(2) The "Link to Your Plaxo Cards" is a great concept but in my humble opinion is not a good idea in its current design. The most serious problem is the generated page is plain text that can be swept by mail spammers. On my Web sites I use algorithms to "hide" the plain text -- look at "Automatic Enkoder" (http://automaticlabs.com/products/enkoderform/) as one example and my favorite. I would ask that if the "Link..." service were to be redesigned add the capability for the user to choose the fields to display or hide by means of a checkbox per field. Some fields are obviously required, so there would be no need to offer the checkbox. An example of why this request: in Plaxo, displaying my cell number is OK, but on the Web page available to the world I'd like to hide it -- but show the rest of the data on the card. Right now it is all or none.
(3) And in the Plaxo compatibility discussions, please let me toss in the Apple OS X Mail app for consideration. I go out of my way to avoid buying Gates' products (a long story); and actually Mail has a high rating for handing spam e-mail -- higher than Thunderbird and the other names I see being tossed around.
(4) Does Plaxo have buttons and banners -- tiny to small to medium and large -- for Web site editors wishing to promote Plaxo?
--
If you or other Plaxo staff have questions on my suggestions, need clarification, etc., I would be happy to respond, help. I've been dealing with microcomputers since 1980 or so (an Apple II), ran an international telephone BBS in the mid-80's, and I've had trsc.com on the Web since 1994. Again, I appreciate the service, and I thank the collective you. Happy Halloween/Thanksgiving.
---
Regards,
Tom Sundstrom
trsc.com - sundstrom.org - w2xq.com
Tom - thanks for the comments. I actually did mean to include Apple OS X Mail app in the list, and not just Entourage. We are working on your other suggestions as well.
As for the "Link to Your Plaxo Cards" feature (we call this the "Add Me" page), I believe we have taken steps to obuscate the email address to ensure it can not be picked up by spam bots.
You might have noticed your email address in one of the links because you were logged into your Plaxo Online at the time, which of course a spambot would not be able to do. Try logging out of My Plaxo and return to your Add Me page. The page source should sufficiently obuscate your information.
Thanks again!
Stacy Martin
Plaxo Privacy Officer
privacy @t plaxo.com
Thanks, Stacy, for the quick reply to at least some parts of the items 1 through 4 posted earlier today (26 Oct). I tested your instructions on the spam bot avoidance. Well, Plaxo gets kudos for at least recognizing it is a problem. But with all due respect, what I found was that in essence, the page code drops out the "@" symbol. Your e-mail, where it would appear in the page would be javascript(blah blah privacy, plaxo.com blah blah) and the key elements of your address remain in full view. The Enkoder I mentioned totally obilerates the address; and I'm sure there are other software packages that do a somewhat similar job.
Again, I offer my services if someone wants to discuss my ideas in more detail. Thanks for reading.
Tom S.
I agree the text remains human readable while reviewing the source and it is in no way nearly as obuscated as the tool you mentioned. At the same time, I believe that it would require a very intelligent and targetted spambot to tie the underlying source elements together to figure out the correct email address so I do feel a member's information is safe. Nonetheless, I've asked our Engineering group to take a look at the issue and determine if there is anything more we should be doing. Thanks for raising the point.
Plaxo's address-systems etc. are superb, unfortunately am an Incredimail-user waiting for the day that your modifications allow me/us to make full profit of- and access to Plaxo. Yes indeed, that will be the day...........
Mac users like me are desperately waiting for Apple Mail/iCal integration with Plaxo
I'm a newbie with Plaxo and already enjoying features like address optimizing a great deal. I've begun promoting Plaxo among friends and colleagues. I'm also a mac user as are many of my colleagues and I will be promoting Plaxo all the more when you support Apple Mail/iCal or at minimum, Entourage.
Thanks for a great produce and service and looking forward to making more use of it and promoting it more when I can use it with Apple Mail/iCal.
Support for OS X Address Book is a no brainer, if you can make it work, I'm in, no matter the cost.
I'm a longtime Plaxo user who recently switched (back) to the Mac after years on Windows. I really miss the Outlook integration and have been monitoring these forums and blogs for awhile hoping for news on the MacOS X Entourage plug-in. FWIW, I'd take the plugin for Apple Mail/AddressBook/iCal too :)
Thanks for the great product...
Will we at least see a Plaxo for MacOS X Mail/Address Book/iCal within the first quarter of 2006? We've been waiting far too long for this. Thanks!
I have heard there is a Beta of a Mac version (I assume Mail) of Plaxo. There have also been news reports that Plaxo is using a select group of people to test Plaxo for Mac OS X 10.4, but again I have heard no official word or seen screen shots or anything. So for now it seems that Plaxo is ignoring the Mac Platform, Thunderbird doesn't count as there are so few Mac users who use thunderbird... Why use thurnderbird when Mac Mail is so much better. I too can live without Entourage support, there are tools to take care of that; although Entourage would be the best bet for corporate users.
I would also like to put in my vote for apple Address Book and iCal over entourage support
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I would also like to put in my vote for apple Address Book and iCal over entourage support.
I think more Mac users would prefer Apple Mail/iCal integration over Entourage.