Microsoft adds Facebook to Outlook 2010

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Outlook 2010 will be able to pull in feeds and contacts from Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace using its Social Connector.

The Outlook Social Connector (OSC), announced at the end of last year, brings in content such as contacts and social networking into Microsoft's email client.

Microsoft said the LinkedIn beta was now available, and announced new deals that would see Facebook and MySpace follow suit. Microsoft's own Windows Live will also integrate with Outlook.

LinkedIn for Outlook lets users view details and photos of contacts from the site right in the email system, as well as pull in updates from the social networking site to keep contacts up to date.

The Facebook and MySpace systems will pull status updates and photos into Outlook, and let users add friends without leaving their email.

Microsoft said those connectors will be available "later this year" before the expected June arrival of Office 2010.

"The goal of the OSC is not to create another social network or set of privacy settings for you to manage, but rather to bring the networks you already value and use to the Outlook experience," Microsoft said in a blog post.

Privacy

With privacy a concern for many social networking users, Microsoft was quick to address the issue.

The post on the Outlook blog said that "privacy and permissions settings on each of the networks you use are represented and respected within this experience".

That means that your profile photo from Facebook will accompany your email to other OSC users who also use that site - something to keep in mind before posting a goofy picture of yourself.

"Similarly, if you choose to restrict profile access on a given network, the OSC will respect that privacy," it added.

The LinkedIn for Outlook system only works with 32-bit editions of the email client, and Microsoft advised Outlook beta users to uninstall previous versions of OSC before installing the new one.

Read on for our review of the Office 2010 beta.

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