The Death of Business Cards

Being an Adventurer who loves Hiking and Backpacking, I'm always looking for ways to save weight to make more room for camera equipment which tends to be heavy and to just save my back and knees. More often than not, I come across fellow photographers or hikers interested in seeing my work, this is when I would whip out a business card and swap info. That's if I even had a business card or they didn't want to wait around until I found them.

The evolution of the business card on my adventures went from the normal paper ones which just ended up dissolving from sweat or rain to plastic business cards that could survive the elements but ended up being left at home because I was shaving off weight, but mostly because I forgot them. I even tried making half-sized business cards, that easily get lost.

I needed to find a better way to share my contact info, website, and portfolio in a quick and efficient way. Pretty much everyone has a cell phone on them at all times, even when hiking in remote areas for taking selfies of course. With a little research, I found Popl. Popl is a digital business card that not only links people to your contact info but also links to your social media, website, portfolio, and much more. You have many choices as to which Popl device you can use. For example a Popl Keychain, Popl Phonecard, or a Popl Card. What ended up working best for me was the Popl Keychain with a slight modification (see picture to left).

How does it work? First, you go to Popl and set up a two-week free account. Create your profile and add all your links and contact info, then purchase a Popl device that you think will work best for you. Once you get that device you link it to your account and you are good to go. All people would need to do now is place the backside of their cell phone over your Popl Device and your complete profile will appear on their device screen. They then have the option to click on your links or add your contact info to their address book. After the two-week free period, there is a monthly fee, but if you add up the annual cost of buying business cards, you end up saving money and trees. Even better if you use the promo code "Shutterbison" you will save 20%.