Social Trading Cards by Meet-Meme

my Meet-Meme social trading card order

Any convention-going geek parents in the house? I am super excited to share my experience with Meet-Meme’s Social Trading Cards, something you never knew you needed until now, and trust me… you won’t be able to live without once con season begins.

With a large part of our lives being online these days, especially if you’re someone like me who networks with her small geeky business(es) and attends conventions, the concept of social trading cards is genius. Meet-Meme not only pulls off this genius concept, but does so professionally. Last year my husband and I attended a couple of cons, (one to sell geeky soap and one to relax and bask in the geek awesome,) and social trading cards would have been fantastic to have had back then! By now you’re wondering… ok but what ARE social trading cards and why do I need them?! Allow me to blow your mind.

Imagine. You arrive at a convention and are eager to begin networking. You begin introducing yourself as you mingle or stand in line for panels, and present the people you meet with one of your Meet-Meme social trading cards. It’s colorful. It’s exciting. It’s got your name, your Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn details, and lists your email and website addresses. It gives a brief description of who you are and what you’re all about next to a picture of your smiling face. All in a glossy, full-color, double-sided format that attracts attention and is conveniently sized like a card straight out of any trading card game. And oh, wait, what’s that? A QR code that can be scanned to take visitors to a personalized online profile hub, where you can link visitors up to a digital version of your card, which displays ALL of your online social media accounts and personas in one place. Think it’s too good to be true? That’s Meet-Meme’s social trading cards in a nutshell.

Here’s the basic premise straight from the Meet-Meme site:

Meet – conversation starter, networking tool, personal branding
Meet-Meme is the ultimate icebreaker, providing a perfect introduction and instant basis of conversation in any situation. It’s all about YOU: Focusing on your unique individual personality, each customized trading card presents a means to connect on a deeper level than traditional business cards or newfangled high-tech devices.

Scan – QR codes on all cards, personalized URLS, access online profiles
Scan the QR code with your phone or webcam, or enter the personal URL to be instantly transported to a digital version of your Meet-Meme trading card, complete with links to connect across your preferred communication channels online and offline.

Connect – online profiles, link to any personal site, share on Twitter or Facebook
Connecting with people you meet has never been easier. Each Meet-Meme trading card is attached to an online profile with an optimize mobile site enabling people to immediately locate each other across various spaces online and offline such as Email, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, FourSquare, Blogs, personal websites, telephone, snail mail, and other places you add to your profile.

My Real Life Experience

front and back side-by-side

At Gen Con and Dragon Con, I was handed so many business cards. I’d meet “Joe” for example, who runs “XYZ business” and he’d hand me a business card. At the end of the day I’d have stacks of business cards and not remember anything about each individual person that I met from their card. Traditional business cards are typically plain, and without a face to go with the business or name, I quickly forgot who they were or what they were all about, which wasn’t cool, especially since I met so many cool people that I wanted to remember to connect with after the convention for business or personal reasons. I didn’t have time to scribble down more info on the back of every business card I was handed to help me remember in the hustle and bustle of a busy convention. (Let alone find a pen.) However, the social trading cards by Meet-Meme solve that problem completely. Your personal and/or business contact info is on the card like any business card, but there’s SO. MUCH. MORE. It’s colorful and fun, plus people can put a face to the name along with your bio, special power (also for fun!), and hobbies. By scanning the QR code or typing in the short, personalized profile URL at the bottom, people are directed to your online profile hub where you’re able to share even more – you can also show people who you are and where else you can be found all over the online social media realm by adding additional links; as many as you want. (Which is great for someone like me, who has real life Alt-itis and manages way too many blogs and accounts for any one person to keep track of.) From the digital profile, people can tweet that they met you or share on a wide variety of social networking sites. Too cool!

Check out my Meet-Meme digital card for an example of what people see when they scan your QR code or enter your personal URL from the trading card! You’ll see my card pictured out to the right, (with buttons to share me on your own Twitter or Facebook) and my bio, special power, and hobbies are listed. Notice the Twitter icon, which is a clickable link that will take you to my Twitter account, and then notice all of the links at the bottom; those are the additional links I’ve added that connect you to all of my online spaces and personas in one place. I can remove, edit, or add as many additional links there as I want, anytime! This digital version of my card updates instantly when I make changes to my account, so it’s always up-to-date, even if the printed details on my card change before I order new cards. That’s the power of Meet-Meme over traditional business cards.

Price

Meet-Meme’s social trading cards are very reasonably priced. 100 cards cost $27, and shipping is just a flat $1.99 anywhere in the U.S. (Or $3.99 to Canada.) You can also buy in packs of 20 or 50 if you need less. Once you receive your cards in person and feel how sturdy and professional they are, you will agree they are completely worth every penny and more. I didn’t know what to expect when placing my first order, but when they arrived I literally squee’d in excitement – the thick, glossy cards made me feel all official; the printing is vivid and crisp. I can’t use the word “professional” enough here, people. Really. The cards are GORGEOUS.

The Design and Order Process

color choices!

The Meet-Meme site is simple. You register, and go to place an order to access your card details and begin building your social trading cards. This is also how you edit info later, even when not placing an order. I loved that I had a wide variety of color choices during the design process to make my cards reflect my own personal style. (And the featured comic book theme is totally fun!) Because it was hard to choose just one color, I also liked that I had the freedom to choose as many different colors as I wanted and Meet-Meme would divide up my order between all of my color choices evenly. During the design and order process I listed a handful of additional links to put on my profile, and later on that evening thought of a few other links I wanted to include. Going back to my account and adding additional digital links in Step 2 of the “order process” (even though I wasn’t placing another order) was a snap. I didn’t have to “save” or place an order to make the changes – just add, edit, or delete links and away you go.

add, edit, or delete your additional profile links in step 3

Once I received my cards in the mail and scanned the QR code to see how my profile appeared to others, I thought of yet another link to add. (I told you I have too many online profiles!) I logged back in to Meet-Meme and went back to Step 2 and added the new link. I refreshed my profile/re-scanned my QR code and was happy to see that the new link I had literally just added was instantly reflected on my digital profile. Which means you can go in and edit your additional links anytime you want and know that your changes are immediately updated on your online profile. This makes Meet-Meme’s social trading cards dynamic; while the basic name and email address/website provided and printed on the card is static until I order new cards, if I give my cards out in August and then some of my info changes in September, I can easily go in and edit the additional digital links associated with my QR code/profile and people who have my cards from August will always be able to find me, even if things change. Like I said, genius.

Bonus points to Meet-Meme for fast shipping, too!

Final Thoughts

Meet-Meme’s social trading cards can and should be treated like a trading card game; as you mingle at conventions and meet others and exchange trading cards, you’re playing a game to build a collection of people that you will have no trouble forgetting long after the con is over. It truly is an “online you in an offline card” and the whole process from design to delivery and ongoing profile management is smooth and simple. Customer service was incredibly receptive and helpful, too! (Big plus.)

The letter from the Meet-Meme crew that came with my order hints at lots of cool stuff on the horizon, which gets me all excited, because I am looking forward to seeing this grow and evolve as social media becomes more and more a part of our everyday routine. The possibilities are endless and I can’t wait to see what else Meet-Meme will add to their social trading card functionality and where the product will go from here.  Now do you see why you can’t go to your next con without some? Con season is nearly upon us… what are you waiting for?