Card

It is an interesting industry to introduce yourself through a small piece of stiff paper with your name on it.

It is a ritual for announcements and networking.

I think at the end of high school I started having personal cards printed. I do remember people handing out yearbook snapshots as method of recognition but the printed card came later.

The first cards only had your name on it. These were left after a party to remind the host you had come. Young ladies would hand you a card and hopefully had written their phone number on the back. If you had a title, the card would announce your profile to impress the receiver.

Once at work, your card became a member of a Rolodex item for reference.  The more eye-catching graphics might get a call back.

When all this paper become too much to fill the desk drawers, the ‘Day Planner’ started. It had a day-by-day scheduler (now a Calendar on your electronic device to remind you when to brush your teeth) and a ‘Contacts’ section. You had to copy each business card’s information into an alphabetized contact listing. Many cards did not make the cut.

There are debit cards, credit cards, ID cards, driver license cards but they are fading to the cell phone. My silver cardholder is empty.

There are some you should keep.