We’re writing to let you know that we will discontinue Gist for Google Apps on June 1, 2011. We’re sorry to inconvenience you in this way, but want you to know that you can still use Gist via our web app or through one of our other plugins (http://gist.com/corp/plug-ins) In fact, you can continue to use Gist with Gmail (http://gist.com/gmail).

What this means is that individual users may still install Gist to their single Gmail account, and it seems into Google Apps domains, if allowed.  I was an avid user of Gist inside of my Gmail and Google Apps accounts, until I came across Rapportive (another post is needed there).  The reason given in the email is better and continued support for Gist users.

I think much of this has to do with the purchase of Gist by Research In Motion (RIM/BlackBerry) back in December 2010.  RIM needs to strategically place and utilize the talent they bought with Gist.  I first liked the product when it was only web based and I did a screencast of the functionality and improvement it made to my contact management back in TheSocialNetworker Episode 6.

So where does this leave administrators of Google Apps domains that have deployed this?  You must follow this technote they issued to uninstall it from everyone and then allow individual users to reinstall.

As a business decision, I personally would not have chosen to remove this capability.  I think selling this limited usage into business from the Google Apps Marketplace makes perfect sense in moving them into a paid CRM solution.

BlackBerry/RIM has been on an interesting buying spree recently with Gist and Tungle, with either yet to make a true integrated appearance in any form.

If Research In Motion wants to capitalize on their recent Playbook launch, this would be the time to see native apps for both Tungle and Gist to appear on the devices and make a true business tablet platform.

This episode brought to you by Poken. How do you share you contact data in person?

Nomee is an Adobe Air application that allows you to consolidate your network profiles into a business card.  The benefit does not only reside in the consolidation, but the ability to specify groups of people and different parts of your profile that gets shown to those groups.

TheSocialNetworker is a Spiked Studio Production