Tech

Digital Business Cards: The Future of Eco-Friendly Networking

The advancement of technology brings numerous benefits, one of which is the innovation in the professional sector – digital business cards. The concept of digital business cards, although relatively new, has been steadily gaining attention.

They provide a refined way of networking, establishing contacts, and promoting businesses while straying from the traditional paper business cards. This development is not only advantageous from a convenience perspective, but it is also an eco-friendly alternative.

The relevance and need for eco-friendly products have never been more prominent than in today’s ever-changing climate status. With the rise in global warming and the increased awareness about the health of our planet, it is becoming increasingly important to make eco-conscious decisions.

The digitization of business cards presents an opportunity to make such a sustainable choice in the professional field. By choosing digital over paper, businesses can substantially reduce paper waste, contributing to better environmental health and sustainability.

What is a Digital Business Card?

A digital business card fundamentally represents the same functionality as its printed counterpart, albeit in a virtual format. These are sharable files that contain a person’s name, business affiliation, contact information, and often, links to their business website, social media accounts, or any other relevant digital platform.

They can be created using various software and apps, and they can be customized to reflect your brand’s style and identity. Rather than a physical object that can be lost or discarded, a digital business card is a file that can be sent electronically to anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Digital business cards rely heavily on internet connectivity and digital devices. These cards are shared through email, social media networks, or specialized apps designed specifically for this purpose.

The receiver can store these cards digitally, eliminating the need for physical storage, and access them whenever needed. This digital format also allows for easy updates or changes to the information on the card, making them an efficient and effective tool for modern day professional networking.

Traditional Business Cards and the Environment

Traditional business cards have long been an established part of corporate and entrepreneurial culture. They serve as a tangible representation of a business professional’s identity, credentials, and contact information. However, the environmental cost of perpetuating this tradition is often not considered.

Each year, millions of business cards are printed worldwide, leading to substantial paper waste. The process of manufacturing these cards contributes to deforestation and the consumption of large amounts of water.

Furthermore, the ink used in printing cards often contains harmful chemicals, some of which can leach into the soil and water sources, posing a threat to both wildlife and human health. This combines to create a detrimental ecological impact that we can no longer afford to overlook.

Benefits of Digital Business Cards

The primary environmental benefit of digital business cards is their potential to radically reduce paper waste. Millions of tons of paper are consumed annually for the production of traditional business cards, contributing significantly to deforestation and pollution. By choosing digital business cards, businesses can contribute to waste reduction and promote ecological sustainability.

Another noteworthy advantage of digital business cards lies in their flexibility and scalability. Unlike their physical counterparts, digital business cards can readily be updated or modified should you change jobs, relocate, or simply want to refresh your branding.

This adaptability does away with the need to continually reprint business cards, thus eliminating associated environmental damage and unnecessary expenditure.

Moreover, the digital nature of these cards allows for the incorporation of additional features such as links to portfolios, social media handles, or maps to office locations, offering more comprehensive information and improved user interaction.

Comparing Digital and Paper Business Cards

At first glance, traditional paper business cards may appear more cost-effective, especially for small-scale enterprises or individual professionals. The initial cost of creating a design and printing physical copies can seem relatively low.

However, this analysis often overlooks the recurring expense involved in updating and reprinting these cards whenever any information changes.

Over time, these costs can accumulate and exceed the one-time cost of creating a digital business card. Not to mention, the digital business card platforms offer a variety of templates and customization options, making the design process easier and more personalized.

Digital business cards also exceed traditional ones in terms of convenience and efficiency. They can be shared instantly and widely without any physical constraints. This not only eliminates the risk of running out of cards in an important event but also allows professionals to establish international contacts with just a click.

In an era where almost everyone has a smartphone, digital cards can be stored in lightweight digital formats that are easy to manage and retrieve.

When it comes to the environment, the comparison is clear. Traditional business cards contribute to deforestation and pollution during their production and disposal, while digital business cards cause no harm to the environment.

How to Transition from Paper to Digital Business Cards

Transitioning from traditional paper business cards to digital ones may seem daunting but it can be achieved smoothly with a clear plan and process. Begin by selecting a digital business card platform or software that suits your needs, budget and style.

These tools offer a range of templates and customizability options allowing for the creation of a one-of-a-kind digital business card. Once the design phase is complete, share your new card with colleagues, clients and contacts by email, text or via social media platforms to increase its reach.

As we consider our collective responsibility towards environmental sustainability, a shift to digital business cards is a step in the right direction. It facilitates a more eco-friendly, tech-savvy business world, where networking is a click away, and your ‘card’ can never be misplaced or run out.

Hence, it’s high time that businesses embraced this green technology, taking advantage of its benefits to the environment, cost-effectiveness, and utmost convenience. This fosters a culture that allows professional connectivity and planet preservation to sustain together.

Tech

US: A Judge Mandates that Google Allow Competing App Stores to Access Android

(VOR News) – The ruling is that Google, the greatest technology firm in the world, is required to make its Android smartphone operating system available to merchants that supply applications that are in direct rivalry with Google’s. This decision was reached by a judge in the United States of America.

The Android Play store, which is owned and operated by Google, was found to be an example of an illegal monopoly arrangement by a jury in the state of California on Monday. The finding was reached by a jury. Monday is the day that this decision was come to.

An earlier federal judge ruled Google’s search engine illegal.

This finding, which came after that decision, has forced the company to suffer yet another setback. As a result of the corporation having already encountered its initial obstacle, this decision has been established. This particular decision was made by the judge during the month of August, when the month was in progress.

In light of the fact that the decision was made, what exactly does it mean that the choice was accepted?

In accordance with the verdict, Google is obligated to make it possible for users to download Android app stores that are offered by third-party competitors. For a period of three years, the corporation is prohibited from imposing restrictions on the usage of payment mechanisms that are integrated into the application.

In addition, it is important to keep in mind that Google does not possess the right to impose restrictions on the utilization of ways to make payments online.

Additionally, the verdict makes it unlawful for Google to give money to manufacturers of smartphones in order to preinstall its app store. Smartphone manufacturers are prohibited from doing so.

Furthermore, it prevents Google from the possibility of sharing the revenue that is generated by the Play store with other companies that are in the industry of delivering mobile applications.

In addition to this, the court has mandated the establishment of a technical committee that will be made up of three different people chosen at random.

The committee will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of the reforms and finding solutions to any disagreements that may occur as a consequence of the implementation of the reforms while they are being implemented. This task will fall under the committee’s purview so that it may fulfill its duties.

However, certain components were allowed to be put into action until July 1st, despite the fact that the judge’s statement suggested that the ruling would take effect on November 1st. The statement was the basis for the ruling, which ultimately became effective.

Particularly, I wanted to know what Google’s reaction would be.

There is a fact that Google does not adhere to this directive, which has been brought to their attention. This document argued that the alterations that the judge had ordered to be made would “cause a range of unintended consequences that will harm American consumers, developers, and device makers.”

The judge had ordered the modifications to be implemented. The alterations were to be carried out as indicated by the judge’s ruling. The judge made it clear that he expected these revisions to be carried out in accordance with his guidance.

The company’s regulatory affairs vice president, Lee-Anne Mulholland, provided the following statement: “We look forward to continuing to make our case on appeal, and we will continue to advocate for what is best for developers, device manufacturers, and the billions of Android users around the world.”

On average, over seventy percent of the total market for smartphones and other mobile devices is comprised of mobile devices that are powered by the Android operating system. Both smartphones and other small mobile devices are included in this category.

In the event that the Play app store continues to be shown on the home page and that other Google applications are pre-installed prior to the installation of the Android application, smartphone manufacturers are entitled to install the Android application at no cost at their discretion.

Additionally, the Android application can be installed on devices that are manufactured for smartphones.

SOURCE: DWN

Tech

WhatsApp Now Features a “Mention” Tool for Status Updates and Stories.

(VOR News) – Those who use WhatsApp now have the ability to mention other people in their stories or status updates as a consequence of a feature that was only recently enabled on the platform.

Previous to this point, this capability was not available. It wasn’t until quite recently that this capability became available to the public.

According to the information that was provided by the company, users now have the opportunity to tag close friends in their stories, and the person who is mentioned will have the option to go back and re-share an earlier version of that story. This information was provided by the company. The corporation was kind enough to reveal this information to us.

Because of a new feature that has been added to the WhatsApp app, users now have the opportunity to like individual stories and status updates.

This capability was previously unavailable to WhatsApp users.

A significant amount of progress has been made in this context. Alternative readers now have the chance to “like” a work, which is comparable to liking a post on Facebook. This feature was introduced in recent years. When compared to the past, this is a tremendous shift.

At one point in time, viewers were only permitted to observe the total number of views that a particular story had gotten. These restrictions were eliminated in later versions of the software.

Additionally, it is essential that the likes and reactions to a story be kept anonymous during the entire process. One of the factors that contributes to the general mystery that surrounds this characteristic is the fact that this is one of the elements.

The person who brought it to the attention of others is the only person who will be able to judge who enjoyed it and who did not care about it. These individuals will be able to make this determination.

A notification will be issued to the individual who was referenced earlier in the sentence and who was named in the story or status update that was discussed. A notification of this nature will be sent to the individual via WhatsApp.

This message will be sent to the user in question whenever that person makes a reference to another person while they are in the process of elaborating on a narrative or updating their status. You will receive a notification alerting you that you have been tagged in the narrative.

This notification will be delivered to the person who receives this message. In addition, students will be provided with the opportunity to re-share the tale for themselves.

It is important to note that if the names of individuals who have been referenced in a narrative or a status update are included in any of these, then the names of those individuals will not be accessible to any third party through any of these. In light of the fact that the identities of those individuals will be concealed from public disclosure, this is the condition that will be required.

While WhatsApp recently made the announcement that it will be incorporating this functionality, it is highly likely that not all users will have access to it at the same time.

This is despite the fact that WhatsApp recently made this announcement.

Despite the fact that WhatsApp has only recently made a public announcement that it will move forward with the deployment, this is the situation that has presented itself.

As soon as a short period of time has elapsed, access will be made available to each and every person on the entire world.

Additionally, WhatsApp has hinted that new functionalities might be introduced to the status and updates tab in the future months.

The purpose of these capabilities is to provide users with assistance in maintaining healthy connections with the individuals who play a vital role in their living experiences. This is done in order to give users with support in maintaining close relationships with the folks who are the subject of the inquiry.

It is with the purpose of supporting users in successfully keeping close ties with the individuals in question that this step is taken.

SOURCE: DN

Tech

Over The Planned “Link Tax” Bill, Google Threatens to Remove NZ News Links.

(VOR News) – Google has sent a strong message to the New Zealand government, threatening to stop boosting local news content should the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill become law.

The law, put up by the Labour government and backed by the coalition in power at the moment, mandates that digital companies such as Google pay back news organizations for links to their material.

News publishers, on the other hand, charge the tech giant with “corporate bullying.”

Google says this measure may have unanticipated effects.

Google New Zealand’s country director, Caroline Rainsford, voiced her worries that the law, which is being referred to as a “link tax,” is not doing enough to support the media industry in New Zealand right now.

She underlined that Google would have to make major adjustments if the previously mentioned law were to pass, including cutting off links to news articles from its Search, News, and Discover platforms and cutting off financial ties with regional publications.

According to Rainsford, similar legislation has been proposed and approved in other nations including Australia and Canada, but it has not been proven to be effective there and breaches the principles of the open web.

She drew attention to the fact that smaller media outlets will be most negatively impacted, which will limit their capacity to reach prospective audiences.

Google says its alternative options will protect smaller, local media from negative effects.

Conversely, it conveys apprehension regarding the possible fiscal obligations and vagueness of the legislation, which it feels generates an intolerable level of ambiguity for enterprises functioning within New Zealand.

The New Zealand News Publishers Association (NPA) has reacted to Google’s warnings by alleging that the internet behemoth is using coercive tactics.

They specifically contend that the need for regulation stems from the market distortion that Google and other tech giants have created, which has fueled their expansion into some of the most significant corporations in global history.

The legislation aims to create a more equal framework that media businesses can use to negotiate commercial relationships with technological platforms that profit from their content.

New Zealand Media Editors CEO Michael Boggs stated that he was in favor of the bill, citing the fact that Google now makes a substantial profit from material created by regional publications.

He also emphasized that the use of artificial intelligence by Google—which frequently makes references to news articles without giving credit to the original sources—highlights the significance of enacting legislation.

Paul Goldsmith, the Minister of Media and Communications, has stated that the government is now evaluating various viewpoints and is still in the consultation phase.

He stated that the government and Google have been having continuous talks and will keep up these ongoing discussions.

However, not all political parties accept the validity of the Act.

The ACT Party’s leader, David Seymour, has voiced his displeasure of the proposal, saying that Google is a game the government is “playing chicken” with. He threatened the smaller media companies, saying that they would suffer from worse search engine rankings if the internet giant followed through on its promises.

Seymour contended that it is not the government’s responsibility to shield companies from shifts in the market brought about by consumer preferences.

The things that have happened in other nations are similar to what has happened in New Zealand.

Google has agreements with a number of Australian media firms that are in compliance with its News Media Bargaining Code. These agreements contain provisions that permit an annual cancellation of these agreements.

Due to the government’s decision to exempt Google from the Online News Act, the company has committed to supporting news dissemination by contributing annually to the Canadian journalistic community.

The New Zealand measure is consistent with global approaches aimed at regulating the relationships that exist between technology corporations and media organizations.

It’s hard to say what will happen with the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill as the discussion goes on. Google and the New Zealand media landscape are preparing for what might be a protracted legal battle.

SOURCE: TET