Microsoft Integrates Social Networking Into Outlook
By Chris Weiss
Gmail users already have social networking built in (like it or not), and now Microsoft is releasing a beta version of its Outlook Social Connector. Initially, the new add-on will provide access to LinkedIn, but Facebook and MySpace connectors will also get added by early next year. The Connector delivers a social networking window–”the People Pane”–in Outlook’s reading area where users can view expanded information about their contacts. Including social networking into Outlook, an email server aimed at businesses, is a little odd since work is generally a place where social networking is off limits.
The Social Connector provides a number of useful bits of information about any given email contact. It shows a list of recent email conversations, meetings with the person, attachments and real-time social activity feeds. It is a one-way service, that allows users to see what’s going on in social networking circles but doesn’t enable them to post anything themselves within Outlook. Find it here. [Microsoft via DigitalTrends]
