A recent move to a new computer was a cause for me to review my list of contacts and do some pruning. As a Mac user, I prefer Google’s price and flexibility when compared to Apple’s Mobile Me. Using Google’s free email, calendar and contact management was always preferable, and with Apple’s support of those services within their own desktop applications, I’ve been more than happy to stick with this setup over the years.

But syncing is always a tricky business — and Address Book in OS X is no different. Although it was set to sync with my Google Contacts, I’ve found good number of duplicates time and again.

This may sound like a a Mac fanboy’s story of some Mac software, but it’s not. Rather, I want to share my experience with syncing contacts and some tips on what I think are the best practice for keeping your blackbook in order.

Backup, Backup, Backup

Do you have a solid backup plan?

You do backup your data, don’t you? If you’re considering a serious prune — of any sort — the first step is to backup your data. It might be messy, but at least it’s still there.

So before you read any further, go make sure those contacts are saved somewhere.

The Cloud is the Master

I’ve read advice from others that recommend the following: when cleaning your cluttered contacts list, do it on the desktop. Then simply delete them on the service you sync with – in this case, Google Contacts.

That’s bad advice in my mind. For one, you’ve got control over the desktop and can easily backup the data contained therein. If you encounter any issues, simply restore from your backups and start again.

Secondly, your Google Contacts are accessed by many of Google’s services that you may use (GTalk, Google Docs etc.). If you delete your data from your Google Contacts account, it will affect these other services as well.

Use the cloud copy as your master.

Remove Duplicates First, Sync Second

No conflicts is a good thing.

This one’s a no brainer. Do your clean up in the master, then move the changes down to the local copies. It’s also best to delete the local copies so there are no conflicts to resolve.

As long as your backup plan is solid, this is a risk free step in the process.

Choose a Consistent Format

The fields and settings of an individual entry in Google Contacts is different from that of OS X’s Address Book. And they’re both different than Outlook. And Highrise.

Unfortunately, in the year 2009, it seems that there can be no agreement on the best format for contact management. So until a standardized solution comes along, you are on your own.

Try to choose information that is vital for each contact and stick with that. If abnormal items such as Facebook URL’s are a necessity for you, stick to a consistent format and do your best to choose the best fields available in your various applications and services.

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times

There are a lot of ways to manage your contacts at this point in computing. We’re lucky in that way.

But there is a lack of consistency with how the options available handle contact data. A good plan is to stick to the basics and capture extra information in your master copy.

Or maybe paper is the best option …