Back in November 2009, we introduced the Outlook Social Connector and announced our first partnership with LinkedIn. The Outlook Social Connector is a set of new features that bring together communications history, contact information, and professional and social networking information into the Outlook experience. Most importantly, it brings all of your friends, family and colleagues into one place, making it easier than ever to stay in touch with the people you care about.

Today we’re expanding that reach in two ways:

1. The LinkedIn download for the Outlook Social Connector is available today at www.LinkedIn.com/outlook.
2. We’re announcing new Outlook integrations with Facebook, the leading social website in the world, and MySpace.

The Outlook Social Connector allows users to see e-mail and social activities for a contact in their network across multiple social networks, including Facebook and LinkedIn.

The LinkedIn download for the Outlook Social Connector brings together the most popular professional network with the world’s leading professional inbox. Here are some of the things users will be able to do with LinkedIn:

• Connect to your LinkedIn account to view your colleagues’ status updates and photos right next to an e-mail they just sent you.
  
• Get your colleagues’ latest contact info from LinkedIn updated into their contact card in Outlook. Whenever someone changes a phone number, e-mail address, or other contact details, you’ll have it synced with Outlook so you’re always up to date.
  
• Grow your professional network directly from within your inbox.

What we think users will appreciate is that the Outlook Social Connector doesn’t add another professional or social network into the mix. The Outlook Social Connector does offer busy people, who are already a part of one or several networks, convenience – not confusion.

Here's a video from Channel 9 that shows you some of the new features:

And here’s what users can do today:

1. Download the Office 2010 beta at www.Office.com/beta
   
2. Download the latest version of the Outlook Social Connector from the Microsoft Download Center.  Please be sure to read the detailed instructions and if necessary remove the earlier Outlook Social Connector Beta.  (More details are here) 
   
3. Get the LinkedIn download for the Outlook Social Connector at www.LinkedIn.com/outlook
   
4. Stay tuned to the Outlook team blog for availability of the Facebook and MySpace download for the Outlook Social Connector at http://blogs.msdn.com/outlook/