Quick Pitch: Card.ly lets users create easy to share mini virtual business cards that contain all their info.
Genius Idea: Business cards need to go the way of the dinosaur. They provide info that can easily be found on Facebook and Twitter, they aren't interactive, and they waste a lot of paper. A lot of companies seem to agree and have built products that function as virtual business cards - we even highlighted 8 Ways to Create Paperless Business Cards in June.
However, Card.ly goes in a different direction. Its goal isn't just to get you a phone number an an email address, but to create a beautiful, shareable social media card.
The virtual business card maker asks you to complete five steps to create your embeddable, shareable card. First is to add your social networks: Card.ly supports dozens of networks from Twitter to Last.fm. Next is to add your personal details - things like your name, your picture, and a quick bio.
The next part is the design, something that Card.ly implements beautifully. You have your choice of 27 different skins, though some are only available to premium users. The art and the interface are both clean and impressive in design.
The last two steps center around sharing your card. You can (but don't have to) send your card out via Twitter or embed a button with your contact details. We'd love to be able to embed the entire card, but can understand where that might not make business sense to Card.ly.
The end results is a simple, clean, and useful webpage that you can use as your virtual business card. While it's not as easy to share as Contxts, it is far more elegant of a design - something that isn't overlooked in the business world.
Card.ly's best features reside behind a premium account - including skins, ad removal, and analytics for your card. It comes at a price of $2.99 a month, which is reasonable compared to some of the other price plans we've seen. So if you want to build a beautiful social media card, Card.ly might be the way to go.
Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.