Met with the guys from Software Magic this week - I really like the concept of their solution as it builds on what you've already got in Outlook - and basically helps you visually represent your network. For someone who crams a lot in to the week and attends numerous and various meetings and networking events, it could transform my life. It prompts you to get in touch with people that are 'valuable' to you so you don't neglect the relationships.

Get yourself a trial copy. Good blog from Peter too. Here's an extract from their press release....

Social Networking Revolution Embraces Microsoft Outlook

The explosive growth in online social and business communities such as MySpace, Ryze and LinkedIn has brought the term “networking” into everyday use, not just with seasoned business executives, but graduates and teens as well. Now, vendor Software Magic is extending the concept to Microsoft’s best-selling Outlook desktop, giving their address book a networking “makeover”.

Peter Astley-Sparke, CEO of Software Magic, explains “Outlook is a great product, and remains the desktop of choice for millions of individuals and business users. But, Outlook’s Contacts are still based on a traditional address book. Today’s technologies provide so many different ways to network with people and build relationships, it’s far more natural – and productive – to visualise and manage your contacts as a network.”

Software Magic’s Cortege®   software runs along-side Microsoft Outlook, allowing users to create an interactive model of their business and personal networks. Users organize their contacts into “branches” - groups of people they generally think about together. Examples include family, friends, prospects, customers, business contacts or the clubs and societies to which they belong.

Every time a new contact is added in Outlook, it appears automatically in Cortege. Change the details for a contact in either Cortege or Outlook, and the changes will appear in both. Cortege works with Microsoft Outlook 97, 98, 2000, 2002, 2003 and Outlook 2007.  It can also be used with contact managers such as Plaxo and GoodContacts.

Cortege was the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators’ (ISTC) Class Winner 2006 for its Help system. It has a 5 star (excellent) rating on SnapFiles (www.snapfiles.com) and achieved 4/5 “cows” on Tucows (www.tucows.com).