12 Days of Apps: CAMCARD

Are business cards still relevant? It depends who you ask, of course.  I believe they are still very much relevant for today's professional.  It's critical to consider the digital side of what business cards are traditionally used for and not rely only on paper cards to exchange contact information.  That said, I am still amazed at how many business cards I have on my desk at the end of a week or month.  For those of us that are meeting new people at least somewhat regularly, having a system for dealing with all those cards and contacts is critical. 

An important business skill is to create a simple system for translating business cards into data that can be mined when needed.  Having an app with you so you can scan a card and make notes right away is definitely a 5 star option with today's technology.


I used to have someone take my monthly stack of cards and enter them into a spreadsheet and upload into a system for me, and while that was great, I realized a few flaws with that process.  For one thing, the information wasn't entered right away so obviously if one were to wait a month, opportunities would be lost. The other thing I discovered is that I am "visual" and sometimes I would remember colors or details about a person's card but not their name. The current business card apps are great and solve both these issues, along with others.

I like CamCard.  I know many others who like CardMunch.  As with other apps we're reviewing here, it's not necessarily about the specific app, but about finding one that does what you need it to do.  

The point is to be able to 'scan' a business card (use the camera on your mobile device), and have the app read it accurately, store and categorize it, and sync to other contacts as needed, as well as back up your cards online.  CamCard does all these.  You can also export, and create your own multi-media business card for exchanging with others.  Cool!

Now, what to do with all those paper cards?  Easy: shoebox!  Just kidding, although that seriously isn't a bad idea for a back-up.

To your continued success, 
Heather A Legge
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