A long time ago, I spent a good part of a weekend thinking, planning and building my folder structure and automated rules so that it is easy to find information in my inbox. However I realized that to make this folder structure work I have to do several things on an ongoing basis to keep the structure sane and remain productive. I am wondering how many people really spend time organizing their email and find it really worthwhile. I know several times when someone requests for a file that I sent them a while ago, I have to go back into my structure to find it. At least I know where to look because I have a structure. How many of you really have a structure for the inbox? By far email is the number one business communication tool, and I wonder how many of us really pay attention to managing our inbox effectively. I, for one, try and keep up, but it is extremely challenging to be responsive and at the same time keep all that information tidy.
All this was true until I was introduced to XOBNI by a friend. Yes XOBNI spelled INBOX backwards is a wonder tool and truly lives up to its expectation of finding People, Email and Attachments instantly. I am not selling XOBNI here, it is a free download at www.xobni.com (at least until now) and the reason I want to share this is because it is really cool and will help you organize your email very quickly. XOBNI makes outlook email search and organization a cinch.
Bill Gates calls this application the “Next Generation of Social Networking” and the industry is truly raving about this application. If you want extended information about the people that send you mails then checkout Xobni, which snaps inside Outlook and displays many new details about senders and all of the emails and files that you’ve exchanged with them. The service now connects directly to users’ LinkedIn accounts if they own one, which opens a whole new world of possibilities. A few days ago, I had arranged a meeting with a business associate who I had never seen before, but XOBNI found it and attached it with his email communication I was exchanging, to arrange the meeting. Now I could put a face to a name, a personal touch indeed.
The brain behind XOBNI, a 21 year old MIT graduate Matt, and his little San Francisco startup, embodies what innovation in the tech world is all about. You don't have to develop the next passenger ship to Outer Space to be called an innovator. Innovation can be in the most simplest of forms with the most profound effect on your productivity. I found XOBNI to be one such tool, I trust it will be for you as well, especially if you use business email like the way I do.
Have we found our next FaceBook, I wonder…
