The time for keeping names, addresses, phone numbers and other information in a paper format has passed – a long time ago. That old address book we used to keep with scratched out phone numbers or addresses just won’t cut it any longer. Enter the electronic address book.

But wait. A new problem arises when we finally drag ourselves into the 21st century and move our family and friend information to an electronic format. The challenge? Which electronic address book should we use? The list of possible candidates is often monumental. Additionally, there’s the basic question – a local address book or an online one?

Let me give you an example from my own office. I use American Greetings to send ecards. There’s an address book associated with that account which is on the AG server, aka in the cloud. I could use that one! However, I also use Hallmark cards to send ecards and that site has its own address book. Should I use that cloud-based address book instead?

Of course, I have email addresses – my business one (john at 4kcc.com) and a number (around six or seven) of personal email aliases, as well. Each of the email providers offers an address book, too. Then, there’s Microsoft Outlook – my email client which I use to handle all my business email. Outlook has its own address book. Believe it or not, those aren’t my only options. I also have a label maker which has its own address book; I use Stamps.com software and it has an address book. Additionally, we ship via UPS and, guess what, there’s one there, too. Finally, there’s the address book (Contacts) on my smartphone.

Even before I’ve had enough of my morning caffeine, I can easily think of twelve address books I have at my disposal. Which one should I use or should I use more than one? If you’re asking yourself the same questions, here is my take on what you should do:

• Use only one address book where you put all the information about family and/or friends.
• Before saving a single entry, decide if you want a local or a cloud-based address book. (Cloud-based advantages include: you’re not responsible for backing it up; it can be reached from anywhere you can get online and log in. Local advantages include: if you back up your book, you don’t have to worry about a cloud-based service losing your data or your data being stolen during a data breach.)
• Once you decide, put all your family and friend information in the address book and keep it up to date. That’s the major advantage of an electronic address book – it’s easy to make changes and save them!

While you might have to store basic information like first and last names, emails addresses, etc., in all of the address books available to you, I can’t emphasize enough the importance of the first bullet point above – use only one address book where you store all the information.

The vast array of address books available can be frustrating and confusing but you can handle it by following my suggestions. I promise!