Comments on: Never find yourself without your business card

By: jaime

jaime — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:08:11 +0000

Another site where you can create a vcard that people can download is here: http://card.ly/. I made one for myself as an example: http://card.ly/jaimebott.

There are also several iPhone apps that allow you to easily exchange contact info with other folks such as Bump.

Jaime

By: Dr Wright

Dr Wright — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 10:11:46 +0000

I dont get it either
Why dont you add your contact info to your website?

This does not make any sense to me
How about making a check list to make sure you have your business cards with your or just take the other person’s if you run out.

I often give someone my book ( which also has all my contact info) – they never lose a book!

Dr. Wright

By: Tania

Tania — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:44:24 +0000

I thought this was a dope idea at first and then I started thinking about all the spam potential and I was like hmmmm….

I like Drop Card a lot and then also too, I’m a visual artist so it’s nice if cards have a sample of my work on them, so it took me about 5 mins to make a jpg business card that I can keep on my phone and send to people that way…

By: Ann

Ann — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:36:21 +0000

It’s not an either/or proposition: you could tell people about IMetSoandso.com AND hand out business cards AND send emails with a special signature.

It could also make a good marketing technique. I’m envisioning T-shirts that say, “IMetSo-and-so.com” on them, to wear to informal trainings or meetings or whatever. Instant fame! (or what passes for it these days)

You don’t have to list all your personal info on the site — maybe just your email address and links to your other website(s), social networking accounts, etc.

By: Luv2Host

Luv2Host — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:22:28 +0000

This idea seems kind of lame. Expecting someone to remember to visit a website, even one with a catchy URL, is risky at best. Many people will not remember it correctly, if they remember it at all.

Besides, I don’t think this idea scales very well. There are thousands of Matts that are being met each day, but only one IMetMatt.com URL. Some smart Matt will say, “I know! I’ll use IMetMat-DOT_NET instead! w00t! I hope people remember it’s .net and not .com!” Then when .net, .org, .biz, .info, and whatever are taken, there will still be thousands of Matts. Oh, they’ll start adding their last names I imagine. There’s this one guy I know, Matt McCool…or was it MacCool? Uh-oh….

By: timgray

timgray — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:51:37 +0000

I simply carry a smartphone and either beam it via a bluetooth contact to their phone (most phones actually work with this) or say, “what’s your email?” and send out my info in an email right there from my phone.

relying on them to go to a website rarely works. Stuffing it into their mailbox is better.

By: Ryan K from Going Carless

Ryan K from Going Carless — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:09:47 +0000

I use evernote. I also take pictures of business cards that people give me. This way I can file it online. With evernote you can even search your images. Good stuff!

http://www.goingCarless.com

By: Mikey

Mikey — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 16:29:04 +0000

@Erin

Even less cluttered solution: put contact info on your website. To prevent form spam, just add a hidden form field, call it something like “doNotFillThisOut”, and if it is filled out, well it’s form spam and it doesn’t get sent. Fini.

And I’m with Dorothy, I might perhaps not lose your card, but I sure would not remember a url for a business card. And I am pretty sure I would think, well, if you can’t be bothered to carry a card to hand out, I can’t be bothered to remember you. I guess that is a generational thing.

By: Silke

Silke — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:12:26 +0000

I think this is a great idea, but one of the reasons for the business card is to help people remember. After a meeting they’ll go through their cards and make notes, actions, etc. If you give someone a website, it’ll get lost among the hundreds or thousands of other things he or she picked up mentally that day.

Another problem, let’s say he says check out Imetjohnnyboy, but the contact thought he said imetjohnboy. Then this person will always think you’re someone else. You always need a picture on the web card, jic.

I like the cellphone scanning or dropcard (you can send the card image or data to their cellphone or email address on the spot) and the simple I’ll-email-you-my-info ideas mentioned above.

By: Michael Moncur

Michael Moncur — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:40:21 +0000

I’ve told people “Google my name” or whatever when I didn’t have a card handy, but I think that completely fails to do the job of a real business card.

When I come back from a conference I have a pile of business cards, and I go through them to stay in touch with people. When I’ll do this, I’ll have a vague thought: “Oh yea, there was that guy who said to look it up at IMetSomething.com.” Oh well.

Also, there’s nothing “hidden” about these business cards…

By: Mrs. G

Mrs. G — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 04:36:34 +0000

I like Kevin’s idea. I’m planning on making a jpeg calling card so I can send it through MMS anytime.

By: Dorothy

Dorothy — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:40:07 +0000

You young whippersnappers may remember a catchy URL like IMetMatt.com or StoweBoyd.com. But I wouldn’t.

So if you plan to meet me and expect me to take the initiative to contact you later, bring a card, OK? And then hope I don’t lose the card . . .

And I have used a variation of the “send a blank e-mail with contact info in the sig” idea once or twice.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:21:19 +0000

Just a suggestion: establish an email “signature” w/ your contact information in your Blackberry or cell phone. When you find yourself w/o a card, simply ask for the person’s email address and send them a message on the spot. They’ll then have your info. No hosting, no extra website, no major hassle….

By: infmom

infmom — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:03:09 +0000

Having all your information out in public like that is asking for all kinds of people you don’t know to, um, take advantage of it.

By: ellis

ellis — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:35:40 +0000

with most cellphones having a camera and the use of bluetooth why not scan your card and keepit as a jpeg on your cell? I tend to take photos of interesting articles etc with my phone- coupled with the use of a programme like evernote it becomes a catch all, send all if information is needed urgently