We have written to encourage our student readers to purchase business cards. But wait! Read this post before you purchase any. Business cards may be old news.
According to “Why Your Next Business Card May be Virtual,” an article on mashable.com, people may be forgoing paper business cards for trading numbers. Even though the business card may not be completely dead, its popularity is being threatened by the use of smart phones and their apps.
According to Josh Catone, author of the article, he still collects stacks of business cards at networking events. But once he collects them, they sit on his desk in a pile until he collects others, throwing the old ones away. Catone questions what the point of them is if they sit on a desk in a pile never getting used.
Networkers are using their smart phones more than ever to exchange contact information. There are even apps that allow for the easy exchange of information. With the expansion of what technology can accomplish for us, the business card may not last long.
What do you think? Is the business card dying or will it always be a social ritual?
Read the full article here.
This guest blog was written by staff member Evan Nicholson.
I don't think they'll ever fully go away. Many traditional companies will continue to use them. The point of a business card is to get the information off of them and then to use it. It doesn't matter if the card sits in a pile; the point was to get that person's information and if you choose to store it somewhere else, like on a phone or computer after, so be it.
ReplyDeleteI still like the idea of passing out business cards because I think it's sort of rude to be at a networking event and pulling out your phone to exchange numbers or e-mails or whatever.
I was surprised when reading this article that there are those who think the business card is dead. I agree that it seems a little rude to pull out a phone to exchange contact information.
ReplyDeleteThere is also the advantage of making a statement with your business card. The design and information presented on the card leaves an impression about yourself with those you exchange it with.
As Catone says in the article, the act of exchanging business cards is a social ritual. I am in agreement that this ritual will remain in the business world for years to come.