Getting the 'Gist' of Social Media

Getting the gist of something usually means understanding the main point. In this case, Gist is a new service that shows you how people fit into the social media landscape.

You can use Gist through their site, as a plugin for Outlook (very cool) or as part of SalesForce (a CRM software package). It also allows you to connect your Golden Trio profiles (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook), Gmail accounts, or almost any other email provider.

I've installed the Outlook plugin. Now when I look at an e-mail from you, I can click on the Gist button in the top right corner and see:

• all your contact information
• online news articles that mention you
• your RSS feeds
• all the emails we've exchanged
• every attachment we've exchanged
• any links we've given each other
• your Twitter feed

Just think how valuable this is when you're talking with a client and they ask if you received an attachment. No more playing in your inbox! Just look in Gist, click on the Attachments tab, and you have a complete list of every attachment you've sent to, or received from, that client.

Using Gist through their site is easy too. It gives you all the same information only it's arranged a little differently. It's more like a spreadsheet on the site, and the Outlook plugin uses a cool pop-up interface.

Go ahead and give Gist a try.

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