I bet you are wondering what on earth I’m on and are wondering how I could even ask such a silly question. Well of course they aren’t dead yet! Not by a long way… I mean how often do you go to an event or a meeting with outsiders and give/ swap business cards. A few years back people thought v-cards and bluetooth would be the answer but even now that’s not the case. Others thought you should only need one business card and just use the camera on your phone to get the details…. That too didn’t catch on… they just weren’t as simple and practical as the business card.
So why am I bringing it up now? Well it came to light at a recent girl geek dinner that the girls weren’t set for networking, they didn’t have their business cards with them…
“It was a little difficult networking because no one seemed prepared for it. No one had business cards handy. The women speakers in the panel all kept saying that their business cards were in their backpacks in the back. (Apparently hardcore geek girls carry backpacks instead of purses.)” LauraLovesArt
So I thought about this and being an organizer get asked for my card quite a lot. I even used to have some myself. Then I had this problem of them going out of date and some weirdo getting hold of my number and prank calling so I decided to stop using them… after all out of date details and old numbers aren’t exactly useful to anyone. Now I do see the uses of them, and I don’t suggest people not to use them but I will say two things that I think are important. Firstly business cards should have a function…. They should give enough information for someone to get hold of you in some way shape or form. This doesn’t have to include a phone number. Secondly they should portray you in a way that is appropriate, so if you are in a professional setting then they should be professional. Casual then they can be more fun. However be careful that you don’t end up giving out images that you wouldn’t want to be a lasting memory of you!
One thing that I usually do with business cards is do a search for the person on the card and find them on LinkedIn. I then add them to my contacts and sync that with outlook so that my contact list is up to date.
What are your hints and tips for effective networking?
Images Courtesy of Flickr CC – nc454/ and gjc_it_guy
I also have multiple sets of Moo cards, three: one with my mobile number, another with email & Skype and another for an event.
The white Moo card holder is tiny, fits easily into a pocket and you can dish out cards one-handed.
I have 2 sets of moo cards – one set have full information (email address, mobile number etc), the second set are just flickr account related. Depending on the reason for the conversation I give an appropriate card – sometimes people just want to know where I’ll post any photos, sometimes I’m just not comfortable giving out personal details, and flickr details are just one step removed.
I do the same as you re Linked In – that’s what I tend to do when “processing” business cards.
Business cards I’m not a fan of. But the creativity behind my Moo’s means that 1. i always have them to hand, and 2. am delighted to play the game of ‘trade the Moo’s’ when networking. Seems less business card ‘boring’ and formal. Plus what’s on someone’s Moo’s says a lot about them…
Or it could all be in my head! either way the ‘cuteness’ of the product compels me to share and network!
Reminds me must get some more Moo\s …