When I was down at Startup Riot in Atlanta, someone handed me their business card. I didn’t even have any on me. He asked, “So, are you guys over business cards in New York?”
Funny thing is, we kind of are. It’s rare when anyone hands me a business card these days. Nine times out of ten, I’m meeting someone in person because we already got each other’s contact info somehow. Handing someone a piece of paper just seems kind of archaic at that point. I didn’t even bother getting new cards made up when I made Principal. Seemed like a waste of money.
That’s why I was excited when my friend Emily, co-founder at Hashable, point out one of their most overlooked use cases—sending someone your business card via e-mail. Hashable got a fair bit of traction in the last few months as an introduction tool, but not everyone spends as much as I do making intros. We all, however, come home from various networking events and business meetings with pocketfuls of business cards that rarely find their way into our digital contact databases. It’s a poor way to get into someone’s social graph and a great way to wind up as clumpy dryer lint.
So, regardless as to whether or not you’re into making intros, if you meet me at SXSW, the best way to reach me is to ask me for my e-mail. I’ll just say charlie@firstround.com and will fully expect you to drop it into your hashable app so I can get a neatly formatted e-mail with your info. It’s a slick, efficient way to save a tree while in Austin. Plus, it solves a real pain point, and does it in a way that makes you seem like you’re doing business in 2011, not 1986. Paul Allen would approve.
Please wish Emily a Happy Birthday today because she’s awesome. :)