Address Book is just a list of names, addresses and phone numbers, right? Well, yes... but it's a very cool little application. Yes, cool! Especially with the updated version that came with Tiger. There are some nifty new features (printing, for one). This Mac Tip, however, is taking us back to the basics.

Having groups set up in Address Book is a good idea for a couple reasons.

1) They help you keep your various contacts organized into meaningful groups, such as Family, Friends, Co-Workers, etc.

2) It makes it easy to send e-mail to groups that you frequently send to (I will let you in on a little secret... I use groups in Address Book to send out my Mac Tips!).

Setting up groups couldn't be easier with Address Book. Just click on the plus [+] under the Groups section, and give it a name (let's say "Family"). Now, from the "All" group (which shows all of your contacts), simply drag people into the new group. Note: at this point, the contacts still reside in the "All" group. By dragging into the new group, you are simply making a pointer (or alias) to the original. Not a secondary copy. There is a big difference.

Now that you have populated the new group, you can send that group an e-mail. In Mail, just put the name of your new group in the To: field... I called mine "Family", so I will enter "Family". Viola! When I send my e-mail, it will be sent to everyone in my "Family" group.

Don't worry if you need to update your contact's information. Just update their information in either of the groups (All or Family), and it will be in sync with one another. Remember, it's just a pointer, not really a copy!

Can you have one person in more than one group? Absolutely! Put them in whatever makes organizational sense to you. After all, it's not just a Mac, it's YOUR Mac! Customize it the way you want it.