It's obviously very important to back up your data periodically to an external source. There are lots of options for this including external hardrives, cd/dvd roms, or even buying into an online resource that allows you to save your files on their system. Each of these have their pros and cons... Regardless of which version you choose, I have found the one thing everyone forgets to back up is their "Address Book".
Everyone spends years and years compiling the contact information for all of the people they correspond with, but then forget completely to save that data on an external source. Most backups that people do don't actually include the data files of something like Outlook, Eudora, or whatever email program you are using. Most people only back up things like My Documents, and rarely get everything on their hardrives because it's just too much stuff to constantly keep.
So, what's the solution? Do a specific backup of your Address Book!!!!!
Almost every email program has an "Export" function that allows you to turn your Address Book content into a "file" that can then easily be included in your normal backup process. In Outlook, this is under [File] [Import and Export]. Almost all email programs have this somewhere.
When you find it within your program, simply follow the Export process. It is highly recommended that once you get to choose the "file type" that you choose to back it up as a CSV (Comma Delimited File). The reason is that this is a fairly universal file format that can be uploaded back into most email programs and also can be opened in Excel. This way you can pull it into whatever program you choose, or even make edits or preview it in a chart format.
As you are saving it as a "file", I also recommend you consider naming that file by the "date" first and then whatever you want to call it. For example, if I were to do it today I would call my file "2009-04-25 My Address Book". By doing this, your file system will then "alphabetize it" by the date. Thus, when you do it next month it will put them in order. This way you always know when you saved it last, and can jump back in time easily if you need to.
After all is said and done, and you've begun to back up your contacts. Make sure to simply add it into the back up process you've regularly chosen to save all of your data. This way, you can always recover if your computer crashes, your email software stops working, or whatever strange computer blurp happens to you.
Don't forget to back up your Address book! It's important!!!!
