Are Business Cards Becoming Obsolete?

At a recent Third Tuesday Toronto, speaker Mitch Joel concluded his presentation by inviting the audience to get in touch. How? Simply meet his friend Google - the info is all there.

While this speaks to the larger message of the importance of maintaining a personalized digital footprint, it also suggests that our ultra-connected society’s dependence on the Internet is potentially eradicating the traditional calling cards of previous generations. Remember the Yellow Pages? The Rolodex? Business cards?

Google may wipe them out.

Marrying the old with the new now seems to be the way to go, however. A contractor told me about his friend who prints ScanLife images on the backs of his cards. His traditional coordinates are all there - but for his digital meat and potatoes, simply scan your smartphone over the image. 

As our  digital and physical worlds continue to merge, a business card may soon become a barometre of one’s digital-savvy. Perhaps it already has.