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| My current business card, front and back. |
In the previous post, I wrote about social media. Now it's time to talk about old-school media. Business cards.
Once upon a time, you could just "bump" your smartphone against someone else's to give them your contact information. Pretty neat, huh? Unfortunately, Google killed Bump—the app for this—several years ago. I couldn't find out if anything has replaced it. It's possible there's a similar feature lying hidden in my Android phone, but if so, I can't find it.
And that's why I carry business cards. That little piece of flimsy cardboard, with an eye-catching, colorful image, lists the two easiest ways to reach me: My web site and my e-mail address. It's got my phone number, too, but like most people, I rarely answer the phone these days. It's also got a few lines about what I do, as a memory jog for the recipient.
When I hand it to you, you don't have to deal with any technology. Just stick it in your wallet or pocket.
In my studio desk, I have a drawer full of other people's business cards, held together in tidy packets with rubber bands. Over time, a rubber band loses the property that makes it useful, or it breaks, and I have to replace it every few years. When someone hands me a business card, I first stick it in my wallet, and then when I get home, I stuff it into one of these packets.
Recently, it occurred to me that I haven't looked at any of these cards since I put them away. Ever. Maybe I'm not the right person to hand a business card to. But that doesn't mean I won't stop handing out mine. It may remind the person I gave it to that I'm here.
