8 ms·
The slow death of the traditional business card
- adrr 4y agoUseful for dinner, networking events. Use them as source for their full name so i can find them on linkedin to connect and/or to put their info into my contacts. I never save them.
- helsinkiandrew 4y agohttps://archive.ph/yAj6C https://archive.ph/yAj6C
- riffic 4y agoLook at that subtle off-white coloring. The tasteful thickness of it. Oh my God... it even has a watermark.
- basementcat 4y agoSource https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T4UQf7zb3Pk https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=T4UQf7zb3Pk Notice that "acquisitions" is misspelled on each card!
- pcrh 4y agoAquisitions!
- ChuckNorris89 4y agoMan, now I really want a reservation at Dorsia. Gonna listen to some Huey Lewis on my way home.
- thejackgoode 4y agoCame here for that. Business cards are reduced to this scene now.
- walrus01 4y agoapplied to other white colored product: https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/624/593/ac4.jpg https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/624/593/ac4...
- space_ghost 4y agoThere's a great analysis of that scene on YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKc54z5SsEs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKc54z5SsEs
- at_a_remove 4y agoI ended up working in print, or I guess print-adjacent, right after the book came out. This scene nails the time period, business cards were experimented with in terms of weight (the thickness), being able to put watermarks on them more easily, and so on. Once that opened up, a period of competition happened and it was just as ... petty and fraught as that scene, as Bateman more or less holds himself together against forces of internal dissolution as both his taste goes unacknowledged and he is effortlessly one-upped by Paul Allen, again, who isn't even in the room.
- michelb 4y agoCan’t forget this classic: https://youtu.be/4YBxeDN4tbk https://youtu.be/4YBxeDN4tbk
- brk 4y agoI just had to order more cards now that I am doing more in-person events. I have not seen any health concerns around business cards. I have a QR Code on the back of my card to make it easier for people to import the data, but IMO the physical cards are still highly valuable. I use them as easy reminders about who to follow up with after an event, or to jot a couple of notes on while talking. The contactless alternatives are neat, but they are always a hassle, IME, as the article also outlines.
- NoOneNew 4y agoAgreed. When your job requires you to meet new people often or do trade shows, business cards with a qr code are the way to go. At one trade show I collected about 80 cards. About 10 people had special app vcards. Each with a totally different app. I'm not downloading an app for your information. Give me the fucking piece of paper. However, pro tip. Blank back cards. People want to write notes about you and vice versa. Stop over designing cards with a back. A typical card is not a flyer. You should only hand them out to people you've met and talked to. That same card will fail as that hybrid business card/flyer. You'll never have enough info to justify expecting someone to go "huh, I just found this card somewhere without context and suddenly I'm compelled to talk to them".
- toomuchtodo 4y ago+1 for blank back and QR code. I meet a bunch of folks for a hobby and this has served me well.
- eropple 4y agoMy last set of cards had the QR code on the back and the rest of the back was ruled lines for writing on. Folks seemed to get a kick out of it.
- brk 4y agoI probably need to change that. I have a logo on the back next to my QR code, should probably drop that for blank space.
- dhosek 4y agoI never really knew what to do with the business cards I ended up with at conferences and the like. There was one time, I had about twenty or so cards and I was out at a bar with a college friend during the conference so I started going up to random people, and saying to them things like, “Dave Burbach, eel trainer,” and handing them one of the cards I’d been given and walking away. They got some surrealism in their lives and I got rid of all the cards I’d accumulated.
- As_You_Wish 4y agoIf you're in sales, you always take them, put them into your CRM, and immediately contact them.
- bluedino 4y agoMy last job gave me a box of business cards that was the size of a brick. 500? 1000? I don't know. What was I supposed to do with them? We never met with anyone in person because of covid. I cut them into strips and used them to pick my teeth. When I left, the box was still in my desk and I had probably used 25 of them.
- iancmceachern 4y agoI have a whole box of boxes of 1000 business cards. I never use more than a handful.
- mitch3x3 4y agoSave them for your kids so you can tell them about the wacky things we did in the olden days.
- convolvatron 4y agoI used to have the opposite problem. supposed to carry around your cards everywhere? instant notecards. bored in a meeting? make a little maquette.
- Analemma_ 4y agoHa, I also once had a job which just gave me, without being asked, a box of business cards I never even opened. I just assumed that kickbacks from a printing company to a VP somewhere were responsible.
- Arrath 4y agoFor me my cards primary use is allowing me not to have to bother to memorize my work phone number. Either I give the card to someone so they have my number, or I always have a few at hand so I can read my number off to them.
- As_You_Wish 4y agoYeah....I've always had business cards for a long, long, long time ago. Always got 1,000 cards, but I'd work somewhere for 5 years and still have 995 cards left at the end. Meanwhile that huge brick took up valuable disk drawer real estate. Guess I could have thrown all of them but 50 cards away, but most people just don't for whatever reason.
- cryptoz 4y agoSlightly OT: I met Kevin Mitnick at The Last HOPE in 2008 in NYC and got his 'business card'. The card itself is a lockpick set - super cool! I nearly lost it to airport security because I used to carry it with me everywhere (ha, just in case I need it), but now I keep it at home since it's too cool to risk losing.
- Robotbeat 4y agoI still love traditional business cards. It’s so uncommon now, that Zoomers find it a novelty and I immediately come across as ancient (although I’m a Millennial). The cost is so minuscule, I use them almost like post-it notes, writing stuff down on the back for people I meet. I’m sure they mostly end up in the trash, but it does beat handing someone a post-it note with my email on it.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- chiefalchemist 4y agoTo your point, yes they are easy to dismiss. Until that one time you bump into someone of substance and don't have anything to hand them. Biz cards are now a differentiator. For the cost, they're a no brainer.
- Spivak 4y ago> but it does beat handing someone a post-it note with my email on it When does this ever come up? I have never once in my life ever felt the need to copy down a printed email, url, or phone number. If you're a company rep, you have a website I'll just Google, if you're a person you have social media or I just hand you my phone to enter your phone number.
- Robotbeat 4y agoSo if you’re good at remembering names, that’s good. If you want to pull your phone out and mess with it for half a minute (versus 3 seconds to pocket a card), then sure. For me, that’s usually a no on both, and I think others are similar.
- emptyparadise 4y agoI like silly artisan business cards. It would certainly be cool for them to survive if only for the demo scene aspect: https://dmitry.gr/?r=05.Projects&proj=33.%20LinuxCard https://dmitry.gr/?r=05.Projects&proj=33.%20LinuxCard https://mitxela.com/projects/stylocard https://mitxela.com/projects/stylocard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIZMiCK1-oM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIZMiCK1-oM
- apurtbapurt 4y agoI still prefer taking and giving traditional paper cards when meeting new business acqaintances. Need to order a new batch soon, actually. Any recomendations for high quality printing services? Preferably one that can do all the stuff they talk about in American Psyco!
- jonathankoren 4y agoBusiness cards are lame. Calling cards. Now that's something to bring back. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visiting_card https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visiting_card
- yamtaddle 4y agoReads like an introvert's dream: > The essential convention was that a first person would not expect to see a second person in the second's own home (unless invited or introduced) without having first left his visiting card at the second's home. Upon leaving the card, the first would not expect to be admitted initially but instead might receive a card at his own home in response from the second. This would serve as a signal that a personal visit and meeting at home would be welcome. On the other hand, if no card was forthcoming, or if a card was sent in an envelope, a personal visit was thereby discouraged. and also: > Sample lady's visiting card, specifying an "At Home" day > The "At Home" day was a social custom in Victorian Britain, where women of gentle status would receive visitors on a specific day of the week.
- pelagicAustral 4y agoI know where they're not going anywhere anytime soon. I was in Bogota a few years back and while walking on the street, even of some pretty nice, absolutely not dodgy areas at all, you will be handed this business cards reading "CHICAS", in some streets you could easily collect 5. Now, I dont want to be rude and just walk away and leave someone with his hand extended towards me so I generally just took them and carried on... By the time I came back to my appartment it'd look like I just came back from a meet and greet at a strip club.
- upupandup 4y agoman I'd be super careful being handed anything in Colombia. Scopolamine is a real danger down there.
- pelagicAustral 4y agoOh is it? Never heard of that. I was on a pretty nice area of the city for about 3 months, never had a problem. Not a single one. I used to stay around the 85th street and mostly spend my time in Polo, Chico, Castellana, Usaquen, but I was also keen on Chapinero and Candelaria. I felt even safer than at home.
- social_quotient 4y agoNever heard of this till today https://video.vice.com/en_nz/video/worlds-scariest-drug-colombian-devil39s-breath-part-1/55ef5be749b3d5591cf227c4 https://video.vice.com/en_nz/video/worlds-scariest-drug-colo...
- miloignis 4y agoWikipedia has a section on it's use in crime, but suggests that transdermal doses would be too small to be effective - ingesting it being the main attack method. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopolamine#Crime https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopolamine#Crime
- upupandup 4y agowhat they do is let you get close and blow the powder in your face and that is enough. usually a distraction like they will get you to open a card and doing so it sprays the powder as you get close to inspect it. super scary.
- ChrisMarshallNY 4y agoI carry around "Calling Cards." These are more akin to the old Victorian concept[0], than the modern business cards. They are quite nice, Moo.com cards. They have my "personal brand" on one side, and simple contact info, on the other. They are personal; not business (I also have business cards, but no one ever wants them). People seem to like them. [0] http://www.victoriana.com/Etiquette/victorianetiquette.html http://www.victoriana.com/Etiquette/victorianetiquette.html
- sidpatil 4y agoI do the same thing, and second the Moo.com recommendation. I splurged and got the tri-layer card for mine.
- ChrisMarshallNY 4y agoI have those (as business cards), but found people actually prefer the “velvet texture” ones (can’t remember what Moo calls them). Of course, since I write Apple software, the corners are rounded ;).
- brk 4y agoI use Moo as well. Did the tri-layer cards for my business cards, and did these velvety ones [0] for my other card, with spot-gloss on the back. [0]- https://imgur.com/3roJYWB https://imgur.com/3roJYWB
- wollsmoth 4y agoyep. They are perfect. Then if they decide not to contact it isn't weird, it's very easy to say they lost it. Then we can all skip the weird ritual of adding each other to our phones so we can not call each other.
- brtkdotse 4y agoDoes it say: sharing good books, good food and exotic music and dance tender embraces unusual sense of humor
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- softwaredoug 4y agoI gave up on business cards when I realized I can send you a message via LinkedIn in the same time it takes to fumble for a card you’ll probably lose.
- gav 4y agoI was at my first post-Covid sales conference a couple of months ago and this is the only way that contacts was shared. I've been thinking about getting a QR code sticker that I can stick to my phone that has my LinkedIn url for easy adding.
- eadmund 4y agoI never log into LinkedIn on my phone, and I would never in a million years install their app — OTOH it’s easy enough to type in a LinkedIn URL when I get to my home computer and an isolated browser instance.
- kornhole 4y agoI think I will opt out of the chip in my hand. I have a shortcut on my phone's homescreen to a QR code linking to my site with all my details including .vcf file.
- zumu 4y agoNo mention of Japan or Asia. Last I lived there (~10 years ago), business cards were an essential part of almost every business encounter. So, if you do business in Japan (and maybe other East Asian countries), you want business cards. There's all sorts of etiquette in how you hand them to one another, but so long as you keep them right side up facing your partner so they can read it, you're 80% of the way there.
- FabHK 4y agoWith both hands, of course.
- coldpie 4y agoAfter the meeting, what do you do with the ones you received?
- pjlegato 4y agoYou're supposed to carry around a purpose-built business card holder case. After the meeting, you carefully place the cards into your case and take them with you for later reference.
- As_You_Wish 4y agoSo you don't just put it in your back pocket and accidently blow out a fart as they're standing there?
- intothev01d 4y agoOh man. Patrick Bateman in shambles
- Hoasi 4y agoImplanting a chip in one's hand is overkill. An NFC is just basically a relay antenna... you could wear it or have it attached to your watch or ring. When you change your address or business title, it's easy to update all the information. If you hold a chip inside your hand, you'll have to get it replaced if your info changes. Not the best tech choice.
- prash_ant 4y agoYes, overkill. But it makes headlines.
- nucleardog 4y agoSome of them can be rewritten. If you can read it through the skin, you can rewrite the data through the skin. No idea how many times, but presumably enough to keep your name/title/email/phone up-to-date.
- elliekelly 4y agoAn implanted chip made by a company called "Dangerous Things" who's address is a box at a UPS Store disguised as a "suite" and whose website has no privacy policy or even TOS. Dangerous things, indeed.
- cafard 4y agoI have a box old enough that it gives my email address as "Internet"--slightly earlier cards printed by my employer would have given a Compuserve email address also. It looks as I used a hundred or so of them, but I have no idea how.
- greesil 4y agoI 3d print mine. Tons of fun.
- floren 4y agoIf somebody told me to scan their hand or their ring, I think I'd just refuse...
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- sgtnoodle 4y agoI ordered business cards once, mainly for the novelty. A week after they arrived the company changed its name!
- JohnFen 4y agoI've had business cards for decades. Still do, sitting in a drawer here. But I haven't actually found it useful to hand them out to anybody in about 10 years. If my current lifetime supply becomes obsolete, I doubt I'll bother getting more.
- subpixel 4y agoI briefly worked for a company in Atlanta that made big plans centered around the CD-ROM business card. It didn't work out as planned and I recall a storage area full of those oddly shaped things.
- vorpalhex 4y agoThose were neat. I remember getting some piece of little software that came on one (pretty sure it was a driver for something).
- standardUser 4y agoI exchange Instagram more than almost anything else these days. Second to that would be WhatsApp. Email or text would be the last resort. But please don't hand me an object, I have plenty and don't need any more.
- egberts1 4y agoI remember receiving a black PCB “business card” running Linux. Perhaps this https://hackaday.com/2019/12/24/now-even-your-business-card-can-run-linux/ https://hackaday.com/2019/12/24/now-even-your-business-card-...
- As_You_Wish 4y agoI like them for the same exact reason that you Gen Z's will like what you like right now, but in in 50 years, but some young 18-year-old whippersnapper in 2072 is going to make fun of you, but you won't care. Get off my grass.
- nicbou 4y agoI’m thinking of getting cards again because spelling my full name is awkward. It’s also part of my website and email address. Frankly I’d rather just put a piece of paper with my info on the reception desk and let them read it.
- GekkePrutser 4y agoI've never had a use for them and I've been working since 1999. :/ It's not a recent thing. The only people that need them are mass marketing vultures at tradeshows. And there they will scan your conference badge anyway (Usually you must provide a phone number so I always make a "typo" in it). Everyone else I meet will just look me up on LinkedIn. It helps that my name is not very common.
- tzs 4y agoFun fact: GDPR applies to data stored on paper records. Give someone at a company that is subject to GDPR your business card and if it contains your personal information they are supposed to apply all the GDPR protections and your are suppose to have all the GDPR data subject rights. I doubt any company is ever going to get fined, or even investigated, for improper handling of business cards, so this is more just amusing trivia than something you should be concerned about (probably).