Plaxo’s New Pulse

Yesterday Plaxo has launched an updated version of its Pulse feature which I have mentioned earlier when Plaxo 3.0 was rolled out.

Pulse is a simple lifestreaming tool. The early version just let users add their Amazon wish lists, Flickr accounts, and blogs; while it was possible to add any other RSS feed it was not very comfortable for a lot of people.

As you can see on the left there are many more options available now (and more to come) to add content directly to Pulse, your lifestream. It is also possible to view just your own content, the content of your business network, your friends’ or familly’s content and of course everyone’s. It is up to you. Unfortunately there is no RSS feed available at the moment but according to the Plaxo blog it will be added later on.

This feature is certainly not revolutionary by any means – there are countless other applications which offer a similar service – but it helps open Plaxo a little bit more to the outside world. While it looks rather similar to Facebook’s mini feed Plaxo should not be compared to it. Plaxo is not a social network and it won’t become one, I guess. It is still an address book and also has a strong business focus.

More features:

• Direct messaging between Plaxo members. You can send messages, links, and videos to just a single contact or to friends, family or business contacts. This should sound familiar to Pownce users; no user defined groups, though.
• A public profile and a public calendar are also available now.
• Establish connections between Plaxo members. Add them as friends, business contacts or as family members.

I think Plaxo is heading in the right direction; just don’t expect a new Facebook.