Using a vCard Helps a Performing Artist or Model Manage the Various Ways to be Contacted

vCards can be used to automate exchange of contact information between a variety of devices with applications that support vCard. vCard has broad industry support. Numerous companies such as Yahoo.com, Microsoft, Netscape, Palm, and Nokia are shipping vCard enabled products. Usually, the identifying suffix tag for a vCard file is ".vcf" following the file name. Because vCard is a published industry specification, software application developers have created contact managers and personal information management (PIM) programs that process and recognize vCards (like Microsoft Outlook). When a vCard is received as part of an email, it takes little effort to add the contact information to the recipient's address book or contact manager. vCards can also include images and sound as well as text. Yahoo People Search supports vCards to contain or notate personal data in a standard form. After locating a person in the yahoo directory their information can be imported into address books that support vCards, such as Netscape Communicator, Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, as well as many others. The information included on the vCard is a subset of the information found in the Yahoo! People Search listings.

Normally, users will not be writing vCard files directly. Instead, they enter their contact information in some application, such as Microsoft's Outlook, which can then be used to generate a vCard file (appearing as a tiny gray card icon on the desktop). By following this link, we have provided you with access to a vCard text file set up on a webpage that can be downloaded to your computer's hard drive or desktop. When viewing the text file through your browser's window, do not be deceived by its simple appearance. In many instances you may never see the text file, but instead be presented with a download dialogue box popping up on this page. Simply do a "Save As" from your browser's "File" menu selection (or any key combination thereof); save it intact as "actorschecklistvcard.vcf" to your computer's desktop where it should appear as a gray card icon; launch it by double clicking the gray icon, or using your address book application, such as Microsoft Outlook or Palm Desktop; fill in the information slots providing your own personal information which is now held by space fillers. When you are done, if necessary, use the back button on your computer's browser to return to this page. View the vCard file now.

For the performing artist or model use of a vCard is a great way to give out vital contact information to agents, casting directors, producers, business managers or other networking associates (especially since the card can be embedded with photographic or audio files) they wish to have contact with. This information can then be stored easily in the recipient's electronic address book or other contact manager. The vCard (in theory at least) can also be used as a way to quickly fill in application forms found on the Web. Just drag-and-drop the vCard onto the form to help fill form blanks with corresponding information from the vCard. In addition to vCard, vCalendar is a similar exchange standard for personal time scheduling.

vCard was developed by a consortium founded by Apple, AT&T, IBM, and Siemens, which turned the specification over to an industry group, the Internet Mail Consortium (IMC) in 1996. The vCard specification makes use of the "person" object defined by the CCITT X.500 Series Recommendation for Directory Services and can be considered an extension of it. Basically, a vCard contains a name, address information, date and time, and optionally photographs, company logos, sound clips, and even geo-positioning information. To open (view) a vCard that someone has attached to an e-mail note, a program on the computer's hard drive needs to support the vCard standard and an increasing number do.

If you require more information on the vCard standard you can follow the links to these helpful sources:

Internet Mail Consortium - http://www.imc.org/pdi/
whatis?com - http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci213281,00.html
Silicon Press vCard (Electronic Business Card Standard) Technology Brief - http://www.silicon-press.com/briefs/brief.vcard/