Monday, September 13, 2010

Meet Meme - The Next Step In Personal Trading Cards


Bright and Shiny Will Always Catch My Eye!

It all started by reading one of my favorite tech blogs - Mashable - and looking at photos from their 2010 Mashable Summer Tour here in Chicago.  One photo caught my eye - an attendee was showing off a personalized trading card created by Meet Meme.

There was no link for Meet Meme but a simple Google search located their website. I signed up for their next beta group but with the ever-spinning wheels of my mind, I wanted more information. I was curious if these cards - sort of like business cards on social media steroids - could be used by genealogists at events such as genealogy conferences.

After a few emails and a phone call with the staff at Meet-Meme, Inc. (who seemed so much younger than me but they politely laughed at all my jokes), they agreed to let me build my own set of Meet Meme cards.

The Meet Meme Cards

The process was quite easy and in fact they have all the social media hooks including OAuth sign in with Twitter or Facebook and more. And after a few days, here's what came in the mail:


I received 40 cards in eight packs of five cards each. I also swear I smelled bubble gum but it was just my imagination. Once I opened up a packet, I could see that this were s-o-o-o-o neat!


Each card is two-sided with your Twitter name, the number of Twitter followers as well as how many tweets you've sent on one side.  On this same side you list a brief bio, your special powers as well as a quote.  Oh yeah, you can also put up your ugly mug like I did. Remember kids - like your mother said, your face is your fortune.  Too bad mine is already spent!

On the reverse side is your email address and website URL plus a QR code that can be scanned (the QR code takes you to a Meet Meme hosted site).  Also, neatly embedded in the background on each side is the date "2010"

What This Means

So what does this mean for me and the genealogy community - especially those genealogists who are leveraging social media to expand their genealogical experience? Well, I've posted more about this over at GeneaBloggers here.  Take a look and leave your feedback in the comments.

I could so see these being used at the national genealogical conferences and especially those that embrace social media like the Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree and Family History Expos.   Over at GeneaBloggers I discuss the different types of cards and their potential uses.

Join In The Fun

Visit the Meet Meme site and sign up for the next beta of their Personal Edition Cards.

Disclaimer: I contacted Meet Meme about receiving a complimentary set of 40 Personal Edition Cards at no cost to me. This material connection had no effect on the outcome of the above product review and the review was performed based on the merits of the product. See Disclosure Statements for more information on the material connections I have with various genealogy and non-genealogy vendors.

© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

4 comments:

Sheri Fenley said...

I already have my trading cards. I made them last year.

http://sherifenley.blogspot.com/2009/09/trading-cards-get-your-trading-cards.html

http://sherifenley.blogspot.com/2009/09/simply-brilliant-idea.html

Thomas MacEntee said...

Sheri - I remember those trading cards - loved the idea! I wasn't trying in any way to detract from them - I just didn't know if you were able to get them printed. Meet Meme allows you to print a two sided glossy trading card and can be customized with many social media components.

Sheri Fenley said...

No never did get them printed. So this Meet Meme would take my card that I have already designed and print them up for me?

Thomas MacEntee said...

Sheri

You would need to use the Meet Meme interface to upload your photo and information in order to print the cards.