Best Device  
Robert Andrew
2 March 2011

                Somewhere in one of my many storage closets, is a box that has 2 inch binder. It’s a soft bound expandable binder full of clear specially made sheet protectors (document protectors).  For several years I kept this special binder on my dresser where I had access to it any time I needed
it. I don’t need it anymore. Yet it’s still full and I remember that I have it.

In a demonstration of a powerful curiosity you ask what is it full of? And in a momentary flash of pride I respond; business cards.  Now your curiosity has diminished and my pride has subsided to something of embarrassment I will humble share the fact that when I traveled around the world I collected business cards. Unfortunately I don’t have business cards from foreigners but I have thousands of business cards from people in the United States. Gathering business cards takes up a lot of room and pretty soon lost its glamor.

Recently I learned of an electronic device that will record and store business cards. I found that there are many devices that are applications that will record, store information which can be manipulated, all from a hand held device called your iPhone.  

I realized that If I could digitize my collection of business cards I would take up a lot less space, but they wouldn’t do me any good. I have no reason to contact the people associated with those cards, particularly since many of them are almost two decades old. I could start a new collection of useful information from contact information using business cards. Which
sounds like a great idea to me; all my contacts at the touch of my phone.

In learning about electronic business cards I gained some new vocabulary terms which I had to come to understand. I’ll share them with you; deets or details, in this case the details of a business acquaintance or the information on a business card, vCard or virtual card, this is an electronic format of a business card, I gained a new definition of the word beam, which is to transfer deets (information) from one device to another.

There are several companies who offer applications for creating, storing, and beaming your deets to other people who devices that can pick up your beam. According to Aliza Sherman in her article 5 Ways to Beam Your Business Card at http://222.gigaom.com/collaboration she list DropCard, Rmbrme, BeamMe, ShareCard ($1.99), and SnapDat, as applications that can easily be used to beam deets about business information. I choose two to look at and compare; DropCard and SnapDat.

DropCard advertises that :
You can send your contact details to any email
with a short very short text message.
        You can edit your contact information online.
        You can create multiple contact profiles (business, personal etc.).
        DropCard is free, but fees may apply for texting.
        iPhone has an optimized version available.
        The service is only available within the United States.

When DropCard app from http://www.makeuseof.com is used the information that shows up on the receivers end consist of Contact information (e-mail, primary and/or secondary, phone number(s), work address , Chat number, networks that the individual is associated with (linkedin, twitter, facebook), and any sites used/operated by the individual. Once an account has been set up (it’s free), the customer will register with MakeUseOf.com. Virtual business cards (vCard) can then be created
(fonts, styles photos etc.). The transfer takes place by texting the number 41411 to drop someone’s@email and DropCard will forward the contact details (deets) to that e-mail address. MakeUseOf.com states that the information can be edited but it’s plain. I didn’t find anywhere on their site that the card could be customized with color or have a picture added. However there is an app called  The app seems simple to use: If I want to send my contact information to a potential client or customer I would text the line mentioned above to the number listed above creating a request for my information to be e-mailed to the person listed in the e-mail. The way I would get that person’s information in my contact folder is for them to add a space then a p in the text message they received from me and reply back.

SnapDat from SnapDat.com advertises that: “Take your business cards "digital" with SnapDat™ - the only mobile contact sharing application with the familiar look and form of a traditional business card. You're more than a number, so why settle for just giving out your digits. Convey what you want in the style you want.” (http://www.snapdat.com/#). SnapDat works this way: launch the application, select snapdat and send the card. That sounds easy. an image of your SnapCard is included. (Your picture).
SnapDat is has more than just information, they provide over 40 of their own different designs each design has a “unique style, layout & font”. It sound like I could design my own vCard, or more than one. It will allow the insertion of a logo on the vCard. As they state on their site, “SnapDat™ is mobile contact sharing done right.”

            All of these applications are easily accessible, easy to use and provide great value when it’s necessary to use them, (most of the apps were free).
I found a plethora of choices for selecting an app for business cards. Anywhere from card readers that scan cards with associated software to list your contacts to taking pictures of the business card with
your phone, to reading a bar code of the business card or just creating your own vCard and sending it to the contact. However, the information on the vCard is for all cards, except for background, logos or fonts and should be a moot point.  Performance is about the same, it’s all fast, what I found to be different was the look of the finished product the new contact receives.

It won’t work on my StraightTalk phone, which means there is an iPhone of some type in my future. (Heaven helps us all). When I do get  my new phone the app can be personalized to fit what information I want to send to different  contacts. I can have more than one vCard if I thought that would make a difference in presentation and visibility. I am in control of the information sent out from my phone. Because it’s over a network it’s just as secure as any other type of transmission. As far as business cards are concerned security is moot also.

When I have my dream occupation of helping people get over past and current emotional trauma (maybe even future emotional trauma), I want to be able to share my business card with the clients
who visit me and ask them to share my business information with their contacts. I believe the phone (texting, e-mail) is the next best thing to word of mouth, and texting and/or beaming vCards is right there next to word of mouth when it’s done by people who know each other and have report with each other.

The next thing after this will be scanable vCards by phones, or wrist bands, or eyewear.

When I get my next phone, I will get the app from SnapDat. It sounded easier to use, had more options in creating a vCard and my suspect the mode of texting from my phone will not last as long as
just selecting and sending.

There is one drawback to this app: Unless I purchase the scanning hardware ($299 +) I’ll still have a two inch thick binder of business cards.

http://222.gigaom.com/collaboration

http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/dropcard-virtual-business-card/

http://www.snapdat.com/#