Shared Mailbox vs Public Mailbox

[Mark]

SBS2K, MS Exchange, POP3 connector, Outlook2K.

We're trying to come up with plan to store shared
contacts. I set up shared mailboxes instead of public
mailboxes to fill a couple of functions. There's a
"(e-mail address removed)" mailbox to handle general email.
Everyone can see it; some can edit. There are also
shared mailboxes for our commercial, residential, and
service areas(We're a heating and cooling company.) that
are monitored and shared by a small group of people.

We'll want to maintain contact lists for certain
functions: a general list, a list of contractors to whom
we make bids, vendors, etc. My current plan is to set
these up under the shared "Mailbox@" mailbox. I read
about using a public folder instead. I haven't been able
to locate a discussion that compares the advantages and
disadvantages of using public folders vs shared folders
for various functions. Can anyone give me a summary of
their differences or point me toward such information?
Also, there is the issue of duplication. It seems that
for setting up email and fax lists for Outlook sends, I
need to set up subfolders that contain duplicates of
contacts. Does anyone have any tips for simplifying this
process and avoiding duplications in the same folder and
updating them in all folders. Also, any tips on how to
deal with people having those same contacts in their own
personal contact lists.

Thanks for any direction.

Mark

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP]]

Advantages of using public folders:

* Easy central administration
* Users can easily add to address book
* Offline access

You might consider using a single public folder but distinguishing contacts for different service areas with categories.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Outlook and Exchange solutions at http://www.slipstick.com
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming: Jumpstart
for Administrators, Power Users, and Developers