Mick wrote:
Ah, may have missed it in the original post that you want multi-client access.
Probably my fault... my post was mainly wild hand-waving hoping that
someone would guess what I meant. :)
http://www.simplecustomer.com/
No idea if it's any good, though.
This is definitely looking as if it is heading in the right direction.
Features I hoped I would find, but seem to be missing are:
* Tagging of contacts - something a bit like a taxonomy in Drupal....
So, for example, I could tag Fred Bloggs as having UK residency;
Occupation: Plumber - etc. and so that I could, at a later date search
my contacts for a UK resident Plumber. (OK, it's a contrived example,
but, hopefully, it illustrates the idea.)
* Flexible search for contacts... perhaps by name, perhaps by email
address; perhaps just search notes.
* Good support for multiple communications technologies... including
non-US addresses; skype - etc. :)
* Good support for ageing data on a field-by-field basis... by this I
mean that it is relevant, for example, when addresses were established,
because people move home...
Many thanks for the suggestions so far - they've, at the very least,
helped me refine my ideas about what I want...
Have you looked at egroupware/phpgroupware and even open-exchange products?
As long as you are happy to run a server at home and store your
social/professional networking contacts into either mysql or LDAP, one of
these front ends should do what you want.
No, I hadn't looked that these. I've messed about with Outlook on a
corporate exchange server - and it definitely wasn't what I want... it's
got a working address book - and it integrates (sort-of) with email -
but falls far short of what I require as an aide memoir about people
I've met... many of whom will have been introduced in person - not
online, by phone or email.
I think I'm going to dismiss open-exchange as pursuing the same
objectives as MS exchange (that's my current perception of it...)
leaving the other two systems - neither of which I'd discovered
previously. Both E-Groupware and PHPgroupware look like fantastic tools
- and E-Groupware looks especially slick. On the down-side, they both
seem to have relatively steep learning curves relative to my primary
objective... i.e. keeping notes about communications with infrequent
contracts... so, for example, if I were about to meet someone from Acme
Corp next week, and I remembered having met an Acme Corp director last
year (but had forgotten the date; where we met; and his name...) then
I'd want to be able to find this information from my contracts
management system. SimpleCustomer is heading in the right direction -
but I think its interface falls short of my requirements.
I suspect I need to play with those groupware systems... perhaps read a
book about them - if one has been written. I'm very happy to run my own
server at home - in fact, I'd be worried about doing it any other way...
I wouldn't want to risk contributing to a massive centralised database
of personal information... :)
Thanks, and - of course - I'm still interested in anecdotal hints/tips
from anyone who has attempted something similar.
Steve
