How to Add Email Addresses to an Address Book

Address books now contain more personal information than ever before. From full names to mobile phone numbers to Twitter accounts, keeping track of friends and family requires a whole host of information. However, maintaining accurate e-mail addresses for loved ones and professional contacts are an easy way to maintain communication. Updating an electronic or paper address book with an e-mail address is easy to do and requires only a few minutes.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Compile current e-mail addresses. Reach out to friends, family and coworkers -- through postal mail, telephone calls or social networking sites like Facebook -- and ask for current, updated e-mail addresses. Visit the Web sites of previous employers, church groups, charity organizations and activity clubs to obtain e-mail addresses. Additionally, e-mail addresses can be found through online search engines such as Yahoo! People Search. Some people have two e-mail addresses, so keep a record of both. Take careful notes, as e-mail addresses are sometimes nicknames, numbers or common phrases, making it more difficult to remember the person with whom the electronic address is affiliated.

2. Check over each e-mail address to ensure accuracy. An electronic address will have a contact name (which may be a combination of letters and numbers), an @ symbol, a domain and host name (such as gmail.com or comcast.net). An example of an e=mail address might be: [e-mail]. It is read aloud as such: "Add my email three at yahoo dot com."

3. Add e-mail addresses to an electronic or paper address book. Ensure address book is searchable by the last name of the individual. Type the e-mail address into electronic version (such as Microsoft Outlook). If the individual has two e-mail addresses, list one as "primary" and the less-used one as "secondary." In a hard-copy version of an address book, write e-mail address in pencil, as electronic addresses are frequently changed when individuals get married, change jobs or switch network providers.

4. Organize groups of e-mail addresses into appropriate lists. Enable quick communication to individuals who share a common trait. For example, write or type a list of e-mail addresses that belong to your entire family, best friends, book club, soccer team, coworkers or in-laws. Save yourself the time of tracking down each e-mail address later. Instead, e-mail the general list -- "Family" or "Best Friends" for example -- for baby announcements, photo sharing, work updates and holiday planning.

Tips & Warnings

• Encourage all friends and family to have a current e-mail address. Many e-mail addresses are available for free through Web sites such as Google, Yahoo and Hotmail. Consider adding a photograph to correspond with the e-mail address, making it easy to recognize the person with whom you would like to communicate. Update your address book on a regular basis, and change information immediately as you learn new e-mail addresses. Electronic address books can often be synced with a phone (such as iPhone) for quick, on-the-go access.
• Dot not compile e-mail addresses to send mass forwards and mail advertisements, often called "spam," as these individuals may block you from future contact. Never sell or distribute e-mail addresses to other people, as this method of contact should be saved for personal and professional uses only (as is a reflection of personal identity). Back up your electronic address book information to prevent loss of information.

References

• Microsoft: The Address Book Help
• Yahoo! People Search
• Apple: Electronic Address Book Tips