20th August 2001

Coming from the "Other Alter Ego" Department, Lockergnomaniac Steven Neil Groginsky bounces back with yet another sweet e-mail tip. The address book in Outlook (and Outlook Express) has several fields for each contact. You can fill in a first, middle, and last name for each one, but what happens when you have three friends with the name Ruben Kincaid? Time to put on your thinking cap. Let's say one Ruben likes Caesar salads, the other likes Greek, and the third enjoys Watercress. Believe me, I'm going somewhere with this. There's another infrequently-used field you can take advantage of in your address book: the Nickname! On either the Name or Details tab, you'll be able to add an appropriate alternative for your friend. Just think of how many times you've sent greetings to the wrong Ruben; it happens to me all the time. Instead of using a real name for the recipient of your message(s), you could use "Watercress," "Greek," or "Caesar." Your Outlookish mail client will be smart enough to fill in the right Slim Shady. Hey, this also comes in handy if you're a lousy speller, too. I remember faces more than I do names. And I eat salads more than I care to admit.