I am looking for a good way to manage contact data.  I have been doing a 
few haphazard things over the years and they aren't quite working the way 
I want.  I have been putting data into Google Contacts because it syncs 
with my Android phone, but there is a lot not to like about Google 
Contacts.  One thing I do like about it is that I can download a CSV copy 
of all of my contact data whenever I want it.

A big problem with Google Contacts is the lack of reasonable 
documentation.  Look at their docs and see if you can find out which 
fields are allowed in imported CSV files:

https://support.google.com/mail/answer/14024?hl=en&ref_topic=1284986

I have no luck.  Searching the web reveals that everyone is stymied by 
this bizarre shortcoming, inventing the wheel over and over again, but 
they are different wheels because people make different discoveries, 
understand Contacts differently, and Contact fields seem to be changing 
over time.  Check it out:

http://www.google.com/search?q=google+csv+fields

Someone on another list recommended Gnome for contact management, but he 
said that it cannot export a nickname field.  That is not acceptable to 
me.  I need that field.  It would be nice to have a solution that allowed 
me to define fields.

Any ideas?

Mike