The Evolution of the Business Card ...

Business cards are definitely a staple of the business world, but like the typewriter, the ditto machine and the telegram - maybe it's time to leave this business resource in the past. Most people take paper business cards and convert them to a digital format, usually in Microsoft Outlook or another type of contact management software. What if you could transfer business card information directly into your electronic address book? Technology has improved so many things, and it should come as no surprise that the business card would get a digital facelift. The digital business card is the next incarnation of the business card phenomena. Here are some great ways to share your contact information, using a digital format:

1. DubMeNow
2. BusinessCard2
3. CloudContacts
4. Bump

These examples show a different way to share your information, but will it truly replace the traditional paper business card? Many people use business cards in the following ways:

• As visual aids while interacting with new contacts.
• As memory aids to follow up with contacts.
• To send referrals to people within their networks

Based on the examples above, I don't think the business card is at death's door, but I do believe that more people will start to share their contact information in digital formats. "There's an App for it!" - so it has to catch on - right?