A system for requesting data from another includes means for automatically appending a request for certain information to an outgoing message. In one embodiment, an e-mail editor includes an on-screen “radio button” for causing a request for missing contact information to be appended to the message being composed. The system may automatically parse incoming messages for the requested information which may be extracted and stored automatically. Information may be associated with a date which triggers an automatic request for updated information. Certain embodiments of the invention may be one-sided—implemented on a single programmed system. Other embodiments are implemented on multiple systems such that the process may be automated on both the requesting and replying systems. In yet other embodiments, a website or file server is employed to upload and download requested information.