These days we all know more people, have less time – and thanks to social networks – feel compelled to keep up with everyone’s lives and careers more than ever. It’s one of the many dichotomies of the modern age: It’s easier to stay connected, but harder than ever to keep up.

Friends often ask me how I stay so up to speed with everyone in my life. The answer is all too obvious, I use technology! There are hundreds of helpful web-based and mobile apps out there. The following are my favorites.

Newsle

Everyone is happy when someone they know gets newsworthy acclaim, but no one wants to be the last to know or to not know at all. This is where Newsle comes in: It provides curated news, based on your social contacts.

Newsle syncs your social network contact lists and finds any and all related public news stories with mention of these people, presenting it in a format similar to a news stream. To answer a common question: No, it does not pull up every “John Smith.” Rather, by using a “disambiguation algorithm,” Newsle only shows you news about people in your network. Now you’ll never miss the opportunity to know when someone in your life does something newsworthy.

Click here to check out this app >>

Refresh

Refresh helps set you apart by providing a way to have more impactful conversations with any acquaintance.

By syncing to your calendar, email and social networks, Refresh is able to present useful tidbits about your contacts, allowing for a quick brush-up before any interaction. Use Refresh, because even when you live in Minnesota, talking about the weather gets old fast!

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Evernote Hello

Many consider this to be the lazy man’s CRM. But, you’d be mistaken in thinking this is just for sales professionals. We all have a variety of contacts. Whether they are business or social, it can be a struggle to keep up with them all.

Enter Evernote Hello. Evernote Hello allows for easy contact entry through its business card reader. It syncs with your existing contacts, sets contact reminders, and allows for personal contact notes.

Click here to check out this app >>

These apps help me to keep up with my network, and I hope they can help you keep up with yours! Being a well-connected friend, businessperson or family member doesn’t have to be painful or time consuming.  What apps help you stay connected?