Small rectangular pieces of cardstock with your name, phone number and company logo are going the way of the land line, compact disc, and yellow pages. You might still come away from meetings with a briefcase full of business cards, but most likely you're going to search the web for a company or contact before you do anything with a bleached remnant of a dead tree.
It's pretty simple: Google is the new business card. Professionals who want to remain contactable, even as they hop jobs, want to stay high up in web search results. Updating a personal blog is the labor-intensive way to do this; setting up a LinkedIn or even a Facebook page can also get someone with a unique name high up in search results.
For people with a common name — or a name similar to someone with a stronger Internet presence — Google Profiles comes to the rescue. Google Profiles is the easiest way to ensure you appear on the first page of Google search results. Your Google Profile is a simple web page that lists your contact details, a short bio, your location(s), and web sites. (Here's mine.) When someone runs a Google search for your name, a link to your profile shows up at the bottom of the page, regardless of what other web pages are listed on top. (The bottom–of–first–page placement isn't ideal, but it's better than having your personal web site appear six pages back.)
Give it a try: Google the name Jason Chen. At the bottom of the page, you'll see several Jason's listed with their company affiliations (from Mattel to Google itself to the University of Illinois) so it's easy for searchers to see more about the specific Jason they're looking for.
Sign into your Google account to set up your Google Profile. Add your name, profession, company, places you've lived, short bio, and even photos to create a quick at–a–glance contact page. All the information you post to your Google Profile is public and optional. You can even verify your identity via a phone call or credit card with your Google Profile (and it will be listed as "Verified" publicly).
Back in May, Google ran a promotion in which Google Profile users got 25 free business cards with the address of their profile listed on it. The image on the card? A Google search box with your name in it.
Like many professionals who have held jobs at several different companies in their careers, I've got a few boxes full of years–old business cards from past positions. Just like the ones I did actually hand out to people, they'll all probably wind up in the recycling bin.
Gina Trapani
Like many professionals who have held jobs at several different companies in their careers, I've got a few boxes full of years–old business cards from past positions. Just like the ones I did actually hand out to people, they'll all probably wind up in the recycling bin.
Gina Trapani