Membership data meets Outlook
This is my Outlook address book: 
This is my Outlook address book four minutes later:
Any Questions?
Couple of points of clarification:
- Yes, the time stamps are real. It took about a minute to sync, and three minutes for me to save the first capture and reload the snipping tool
- Columns are resized and whited out to protect the innocent
- Note the size of the slider bar. 1600 member names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses imported in about a minute
- Windows 7 compatible (XP and Vista as well).
- All the normal view options in Outlook are available
So, what is this? It’s an Outlook(2007) plug-in that goes to AccessACS, grabs your data, and imports it. It creates an additional contact folder much like hotmail.com does if you use the Outlook connector. The official post from ACS Technologies is here.
Notice the miniature icon in the tool bar? That is your sync button. Everything is “One-way” so no one can change records in their Outlook and mess up your data. You cannot (at least I could not) create a distribution list from this contact list. You can add categories and filter that way, but the next time you synch, they will be overwritten. To interact with a group, your best bet is still the web login. However, you now have your member database in Outlook. Which is where our people work. This makes it SO easy to look up a member address, email, telephone, etc.
AND it is linked to an indvidual’s AccessACS login. So, this can go out to the whole staff (technically your members too, but you will have to support them).
The beauty? A member changes their personal info, church office does an upload, you sync your Outlook. All addresses are the same. There is now no reason for staff to maintain email addresses of members in their Outlook “silo”. Beauty.
No logging into ACSW or even into AccessACS or your self-branded version of it. In our case www.pinkpres.me.
I as well as members of our staff have been using the beta “look-up only” version for about a year. In fact, it was that original beta version that finally got our technologically challenged Sr. Pastor to handle his own email. No more printing it out and him dictating a response. This tool alone probably saved a dozen trees and at least one secretary from a nervous breakdown.
Member data within Outlook really is that handy. I personally had three instances yesterday where I had to respond to an email but needed to include a third and fourth party in the conversation. This tool made everything possible from right where I was.
Too bad it doesn’t work on the calendar…
But wait, there’s more!
Shameless Plug Monday – 5-18-09
Yes, I know. It’s supposed to be Shameless Plug Friday.
1. Jason Powelland CITRT. Monday night I was in a Communications Committee meeting and one of the goals was to explore the idea of having the meetings via web conference. There are a lot of reasons to do this- less trips by car (greener), volunteers can save probably an hour by time they drive to church, drive back and the associated getting ready to go, etc. The next day I posted a tweet looking for “free or dirt cheap” solutions. Jason retweeted and later put a page up on the CITRT.org site. Thus demonstrating the power of community.
I could spend several weeks searching for different solutions, trying them out, etc. Or I could just check into the wiki page every so often and let the discussion hash it out. Hmmm….
2. My buddies Scott S. and Kevin A. who keep noodling me to get back on the bike. The spirit is willing, but the time clock is weak. Gotta find time for that. (you can and should follow @kevinabbate on twitter. You’ll feel like a fat, lazy, out of shape, middle aged tree slug, but Kevin is a great guy, so it’s all good. He’s definitely a motivator when it comes to being in shape.)
3. Michael Hyatt. CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. I just added him to my blog roll. His blog consistently has great information on time management, staying connected via technology, leadership, etc. There is a good one here about twitter and another good one hereabout managing email. Great resource and certainly worth following.
Ichthyological Study
Fifty bonus points if you know what Ichthyological means.
Sometimes, I can get so caught up in what I am doing that I don’t take a minute out to rest. Kind of why God instituted the Sabbath, I am sure. Those of us in “church work”, whatever form that may take, can be especially susceptible. Sunday is the “big work day” and the focus of our whole week. But for some reason, things need to be done on the other six days as well. And if we take a day off in the middle of the week, we may feel like we are “cheating”. I know for me, that was something that for years I needed to repent of. Working all day Saturday to get ready for Sunday. Working from six to two on Sunday, then feeling guilty for staying home Thursday.
Yesterday, Jason Reynolds and I stole away for a few hours and enjoyed some of what God created here in our backyard. We loaded up a couple kayaks and floated along the Loxahatchee river.
Here is a picture of the sun peeking through the trees: 
We launched a little after daybreak and floated down through the canopy for a while. Then turned around and headed back up.
With all this nature and God’s creation around us, what makes this a technology related post?
This: 
Two guys taking pictures of each other, taking pictures of each other, with the two most technologically advanced phones currently on the market.
Speaking of needing to repent…..
