March 29, 2024

Noticed: Business Cards Go Paperless, or Almost

A few cards conjure faces. As for the rest, who are all these people?

Since the advent of the digital address book, the pitfalls of the traditional business card have cluttered the path from handshake to hard drive. Several Web sites and smartphone applications try to solve that problem by replacing the card; in some circles, it is already becoming a relic.

Gina Trapani, founder of the influential blog Lifehacker, said the business card is already close to extinct in places like tech conventions. “I see people exchange Twitter handles, I see people scan each other’s badges,” and send one another quick e-mails from their phones, she said. “But I definitely don’t see people handing out cards anymore.”

An app for the business networking site LinkedIn.com makes it easier to share contacts in person using Bluetooth. Newer sites like Hashable.com, Contxts.com and About.me allow users to create and share virtual business cards.

Not everyone has given up tradition. FedEx Office, the office services chain, still sees a “steady growth” in business card sales, a spokeswoman said.

One explanation could be the status attached to the company card. “I think, culturally, you’re real and you have a real job if you have a business card,” Ms. Trapani said. “There’s something about that card that means you’re kind of official.”

Image notwithstanding, the business card has a logistical advantage: universal ease of exchange. Swapping information mid-conversation or in a noisy crowd can be more cumbersome than pressing paper to palm. And not everyone owns a smartphone, or has the same applications for sharing.

The paper business card is evolving to bridge those gaps. The modern card may contain only a name with a Twitter handle; so-called smart cards are emblazoned with quick response (or QR) codes that can be scanned with a smartphone using applications like CardMunch.

The Hashable site integrates social networking functions similar to some of those on Facebook and Twitter along with digital calendars and more versatile features for easier face-to-face sharing. Users can scan QR codes into the Hashable network or, with some phones, exchange contacts by holding phones together (much like the traditional handoff).

It may prove the closest thing to a business-card killer yet. Erick Schonfeld, an editor of TechCrunch, a popular blog, said the ideas behind Hashable seem to be resonating with its users, and that he had stopped using business cards.

“I have a drawer full of business cards, and I can never find the one I need when I need it,” he said. “They’re useless.”

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/fashion/paperless-business-cards-noticed.html?partner=rss&emc=rss