Since the launch of Google Buzz last Tuesday, we’ve been hearing more analyses from professionals and bloggers warning of a possible showdown of sorts between Google and Microsoft in the social space. Buzz is Google’s social connection with its Gmail; but Microsoft already announced last year its own social connection with its mail platform: the forthcoming Social Connector plug-in for Outlook 2010, due for release with the rest of Microsoft Office 2010 this June. The latest release candidate for Office 2010 was distributed to private testers earlier this month.
Social Connector promises to transform Outlook 2010 into a live network teeming with contacts who share not just e-mail, but chats and texts through Windows Live and documents through SharePoint. Messages received from a "live" contact will be adorned with that person’s availability, location, and a record of recent activities. Though LinkedIn has already signed on as Microsoft’s first third-party partner, connectivity with Facebook — probably distributed by Facebook, not Microsoft — appears likely. So much of the same kind of functionality folks are seeing with Buzz, will likely appear in Outlook as well, although slanted more toward professional tasks rather than personal friends and acquaintances.
![A snippet from the activities list that appears beside a contact or a contact's e-mail message, in Outlook 2010 with Social Connector attached. [Courtesy Microsoft]](http://images.betanews.com/media/4525.jpg "A snippet from the activities list that appears beside a contact or a contact's e-mail message, in Outlook 2010 with Social Connector attached. [Courtesy Microsoft]")
Kilde: Scott M. Fulton, III @ Betanews
Outlook Social Connector har været kendt i et stykke tid, men efter vores venner fra Gooogle har sendt Buzz på markedet, ser det ud som sociale opdateringer baseret på mail funtionalitet hår fået endnu 15 minutters berømmelse.
Som jeg skrev tidligere, så har Windows Live haft denne funktionalitet i et stykke tid, men nu hvor både Outlook og Gmail hopper på vognen ser det ud til at have nået en eller anden kritidk masse i den allestednærværende IT presse.
Persnæigt ved jeg ikke helt om denne funktionalitet vil gøre mig mere effektiv på mit arbejde. Når jeg bruger Exchange, så er det for at sende/modtage mails, mødeaktivitet eller noter. Jeg er ret ligeglad med om en partner eller end kunde har opdateret Facebook eller Twitter. I virkeligheden tror jeg at det ville ende med t jeg bare spildte en pokkers mase tid på kigge på satus opdateringer. 90% af de ting, der kommer fra Google har til hensigt at få os til at spilde mere tid på netttet, men det undrer mig at Microsoft begynder på det pjat, og så i Outlook.
Der er imidlertid ingen tvivl om at jeg synes det er god ide, men jeg vil aldrig bruge Buzz og Outlook Social til andet end privat brug. Er jeg iøvrigt den eneste der synes at det ovenstående screendump ser ret Mac-agtigt ud?