The current trend is Virtual Business Cards.

For over four years the pundits have proclaimed that business cards are dying. While they are very much still around, it’s very clear their value is deteriorating.

For most people, the ritual of exchanging cards is more a social one than a useful one. Too often, one returns from a networking function or a meeting with a stack of cards and that stack continues to sit on your desk.

With the advent of Smartphones, virtual cards are now readily available.

They have the following 6 advantages over physical cards:

1. they are usually free (thus cheaper)

2. they are greener

3. they are weightless

4. they never run out

5. they automatically update (no more bounced e-mails)

6. they can instantly connect to an increasing number of platforms.

Main disadvantage:

- they are not yet aesthetically competitive to physical cards.

Bump is probably the most popular choice for sharing virtual business cards. It is a FREE app compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch, or Android. It “makes sharing information with other iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android owners who have Bump installed quick and easy. You can select what you want to share, hold your device, and then gently bump hands with the other Bump user. The app may be used to share photos, contacts, or to become Facebook friends.”