Business Cards

Business cards first appeared in France during the reign of Louis XIV, between 1643 and 1715. At that time, they were almost the size of playing cards, and people used them to write messages, promissory notes and greetings. They were particularly used as visiting cards by the footmen of aristocrats, who delivered them to the servants of their hosts to announce the guest’s arrival.

Business cards today are an intrinsic part of business communication, apart from being a convenience and a memory aid. No meeting begins without their exchange. One reason for this is that companies have expanded to become global entities with employees and clients of different nationalities. The need to introduce oneself correctly to foreigners has, as a result, increased the need for and importance of business cards.

While companies make great efforts to design unique cards that evoke positive emotions in the receiver, all business cards have the following common details. They must clearly state the holder’s full name, and his position. Also, they should have the name of his organization, its logo, the organization’s postal address and his home and office telephone numbers.

Developments in technology have today made it possible for companies to have CD ROM business cards, which can hold anywhere between 35 to 100 MB of data. These cards can be square, round or even oblong, but of more or less the same size as a traditional business card. They are designed such that they can fit into the 80mm tray of a computer’s CD ROM drive. While most modern computers have the required technology to beam these electronic cards, thus eliminating the need to re-enter information, they are not commonly used yet. Perhaps man is not able to keep pace with his inventions!

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