The crew that mobilized an entire industry to deal with its progeny… spam… apparently wants to make sure the antispam business makes it to the next millennium.

AOL is adding Plaxo’s contact management tricks to AOL Instant Messenger.

Surely you remember Plaxo. The address-book access anytime anywhere operation… the “I’m not a member so what are you doing with my email address?” group… the “Why do you keep spamming me with update requests?” people.

Some folks were fed up with Plaxo before this latest move. For instance, techdirt, a great tech blog, began blocking Plaxo mail over a year ago.

techdirt’s reaction to this AOL/Plaxo initiative: “I still find the claim that you only get spammed if you’re a “non-Plaxo member” to be a bit disingenuous. It’s telling me if I only signed up, I’d avoid these messages.”

A bit black-mailish, isn’t it?

Plaxo’s response and a spirited discussion follow. All in all, an enlightening read… especially for those still seriously considering Plaxo.

See for yourself at techdirt.