Every once in a while, I stumble onto a product that just makes life easier. Rapportive, defined as a social CRM tool for Gmail, is the most recent add-on to find it’s way onto my PC. Rapportive (available for Firefox and Chrome users) replaces the advertising space in individual emails with up-to-date social networking contact information on the people you correspond with.
My first thought was “this looks like XOBNI for Gmail” and, according to the comments and feedback I have read on this product, I am not alone. XOBNI is another fantastic tool, but unfortunately is only available for Outlook users, and a product that I have missed terribly since switching from Outlook to Gmail. Both of these products make it very easy to see what social networking services your friends, family and even customers are using.
Once installed, the social networking information on the person/company that emailed you appears out to the right of an open email. Icons (with links) are provided for services like Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, MySpace, Facebook, etc. Simply click on any of these to open the profile page of that individual in a new tab. Below the links you will find a comment area that you can use for keeping track of customers, but I am sure individuals will find some other creative and unique ideas for this space.
Installation
First of all, Rapportive is an add-on, so there isn’t the same commitment level that you might have with a full-blown program installation. If you don’t like it, it takes just a few button clicks to disable it. I had it up and running in less than 5 minutes, thanks to the well-thought out installation page from the Rapportive web site that includes step-by-step install instructions.
Link: http://rapportive.com/install
** One user did comment that any users of the Ad-Block Plus add-on (Firefox) might have to disable it to perform the installation of Rapportive.
After installing, you’ll just have to restart and then open an individual message (any one will do) to access the login button. Grant permission to Rapportive to access your Gmail account and you are on your way.
Login Screen for First Time Use
Concerns
Initial concerns from most seem to be the fear that Rapportive will have access to your login credentials and/or email content. Their FAQ page addresses this concern head-on:
“We never see your password. We use Gmail’s OpenID login system, which means only Google receives your password. All we get from Google is a token that proves you’re really you, and a few details (like your name and preferred language)… The contents of your email never leaves your browser, and we never store your emails anywhere. We’re finding peoples’ email addresses in the browser, and sending those back to our server to look them up.”
Verdict
I have only used Rapportive for a few minutes, but I am already a big fan. There are definitely some areas for improvement, but the makers of Rapportive have provided numerous areas within the sidebar and their website for you to provide feedback. I will be using their service and providing my ideas and concerns as time goes on and I encourage you to do the same.
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Tags: Add-on, contact information, email, Facebook, Firefox, Flickr, Gmail, LinkedIn, MySpace, Rapportive, Social, Social Networking, Twitter
