We’ve all been there. You’re at an event and you run into someone you know… but you draw a blank on the person’s name. What do you do?

Today, we’re going to share a few of our favorite tips for avoiding the awkward moment that many of us know far too well. The best connectors remember your name, every time. At least, it makes you feel valued… right? Other people will always remember how you made them feel, and one of the best ways to make someone feel good is to simply remember their name! Oh, and use it:

“A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.“

It’s time for you to set the bar higher. Here’s some tips to start:

1)    I’ll begin with a personal example from my own life. If I forget someone’s name in the moment, one of my favorite tricks is to gamble on the chance that I might have saved their cell phone number in my phone. I’ll start the conversation by asking:

“Hey, I forget if we’ve exchanged numbers in the past. What’s your number again?“

After I type it into my phone, their name will pop up if I’ve saved their number before. If it does, problem solved! However, if nothing pops up and I haven’t saved their number before, I’ll usually extend my phone towards the person and ask if they would mind adding their info (including their email address). Even if it is a tiny bit awkward to start off a conversation like this, the person’s name almost always surfaces.

 2)    If you’re at a cocktail party and you run into someone whose name you forget, look to see if you have a friend nearby. Once you have selected your ‘intro target’, get their attention and motion for them to come over. Then, quickly pose the question:

“Hey, have you two met each other before?“

If they haven’t, try to use your body language to prompt them to give their own name. Naturally, they will introduce themselves to each other. Just like that, problem solved!

3)    If you blank on someone’s name and don’t feel comfortable trying either (1) or (2) above, stall the conversation and try not to let on that you’ve had a moment of forgetfulness. If appropriate, ask the person if they would fancy an exchange of business cards.

Or better yet, offer to hash ‘em up! Once you have their email address (or Twitter handle), you should be able to deduce the person’s name.

3.5)    Not working? Still drawing a blank? Look for a way to momentarily escape the conversation, promising your imminent return. Then, ask someone else (preferably, a friend nearby!) if they know the person’s name.

LAST RESORT:    If all else fails, ask the person directly. Be polite, don’t make a big deal of it, and don’t be embarrassed – it happens to everyone from time-to-time. For example:

“I’m terribly sorry but I’ve completely forgotten your name.“

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What do you think? What are some of your best tops for remembering names? Drop us a comment below!

At Hashable, we want to help you make connections easier than ever. Our notes and reminders features are fantastic tools to help you stay connected and remember important information about your contacts. This data is anchored to your contact pages, to save information for later or remind you to get in touch with people in the future. What’s more, in our newest release, you can add data to your contacts both on and offline, so you can update from anywhere. Paired together, notes and reminders offer powerful ways to help you better manage your new contacts.

Take Notes

Anchoring contacts with notes about the person, meeting or conversation can be very helpful for remembering details about an interaction.

Let’s say I just met Sam:

I can open the notes feature and jot down a private note I can reference in the future. It’s good to know he codes in Ruby, because I’d like to connect him with a friend of mine who’s looking for a developer.

At this point in the ‘social web’ era, we should all understand the value and potential that is inherent in meeting new people. In fact, we believe being a good connector carries even more weight.

However, we’re here to change the minds of those who think making an intro is as simple as hastily sending an email introducing two unsuspecting friends who seem like they ought to connect.

When you write an email to introduce two people who don’t know each other, you are effectively putting your trust to the test with each person. Your reputation is on the line. The less you adhere to Fred Wilson‘s ‘Double Opt-In Introduction‘ philosophy, the more you stand to lose.

EMAIL INTRODUCTION ETIQUETTE

Before you introduce two people who don’t know each other, ask each person for permission to intro the other person to him/her. This way, your email won’t blindside either person and put one (or both) of them on the spot. Doing this the wrong way even once can put you on icy waters.

It is very important to show your respect for others’ time.

HOW TO MAKE AN EMAIL INTRO  

We’re trying to simplify the introduction process as much as possible here at Hashable. As an example, let’s say Katie Felten asked me if I could intro her to my friend Rachel Sklar. After I get Rachel’s permission to intro Katie to her, I can open the app and get right to it. First, I go to my Contacts and tap on Katie’s name. Next, I tap the Introduce button at the top of the screen.

Since I want to make the introduction over email, I’ll choose email when prompted. Next, Hashable asks me who I want to introduce Katie to. So, I will type in Rachel’s name and tap her name from the contacts list.

We can then write a message to Katie and Rachel by tapping the optional note button. If you don’t write a note, Hashable will auto-generate a message for you here. While this makes it faster to introduce them, I think it is almost always best to include a note explaining the purpose of why you thought they should connect.

Then, all you have to do to make your introduction official is to press “Send” at the bottom of the screen. There you have it! Hashable will also save this intro for you.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

It is important to treat every introduction you make with care. Your attention to detail will say a lot about you to those whom you introduce. Treating each person’s time with respect and including a note about each person in your email (along with a clear statement of the purpose/nature of your introduction) will put you on the fast track to becoming a well-respected connector.

*What tips do you have for making better introductions?

Are you addicted to your email? Or, do you sometimes feel imprisoned by your inbox? Either way, we think we’ve got the answer for how anyone (smartphone user or otherwise!) can network better.

If you don’t have an iPhone or an Android phone, fret not – you can still use Hashable via email to keep track of your professional life. Hashable and email are like a match made in digital-Heaven!

The Trick To Using Hashable With Email

It’s easy to get started. First, enter the recipient’s email address. Next, you need to Cc Hashable on the email. You can send to post@hashable.com to hash a public connection, or dontpost@hashable.com to make it a private connection. Choose an appropriate tag to describe the interaction and place it in the subject line (don’t forget the hashtag ‘#‘!). Hashable then saves your email as an activity you can refer back to at anytime.

How To Save an Email Introduction With Hashable

If you want to make an intro via email and have Hashable remember it for you, just use the “introduction” tag (this time, you don’t need to include the hashtag ‘#’!) in the subject line of your email. Any time that you make an intro, we will follow up with the friends that you introduced 5 days later to see if they connected.

If you would prefer Hashable not send a follow-up email to see if your friends connected, simply Bcc dontpost@hashable.com!

Of course, you can send any message you wish in the body of the email. We are fully committed to ensuring your privacy: we never publish the content of an email on Hashable.

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Anything we didn’t cover on this topic that you wish we did? Drop us a question, idea, complaint (or anything!) etc. in the comments below!

People spend an average of $500 on business cards per year. Most everything from bills to mail has gone paperless, but business cards are late to the party. According to GigaOM, virtual business cards have the potential to “retire the business card.” Electronic business cards are a rising trend – so, here are five reasons why you need start riding the trend now:

1.     Access Anywhere – You can ‘carry’ your virtual business card anywhere you go because it’s always accessible from your phone. When you send your virtual business card from your mobile device, your contact info appears instantly in the recipient’s phone. No need to manually type in the info or find a paper business card later. No need to go back to your Rolodex on your desk because your contacts are with you everywhere you go.

2.     Searchable – Have you ever looked through your stacks of business cards to find someone? Virtual business cards enable you to use powerful search features that allow you to search for names, companies, dates, or even where you met.

3.     Update Information Automatically – Don’t you hate it when your email bounces back because someone switched companies? With virtual business cards this doesn’t happen. For example, when you update your contact information on Hashable, your information will be updated in each of your contacts’ address books instantly.

4.     Integrate with Social Graph – Virtual business cards often have links to LinkedIn and Twitter profiles. Connect with new contacts on LinkedIn, follow them on Twitter, and maybe even friend them on Facebook. Your contacts are no longer just names on paper, but instead people you can engage with through social media.

5.     Convenience – No more worrying about forgetting to bring business cards (or, Heaven forbid, running out!) No need to deal with the awkward exchange. Just email your virtual business card to anyone before, after, or during your meeting. And, you will never run out of business cards again.

As a savvy-sounding-futurist might say, join the digital revolution by creating your virtual business card today! Seriously, it’s effortless. For example, you can create your virtual business card in under a minute using Hashable. Check out our iPhone or Android app and let us know what you think.

Start sending your information to anyone – without using paper. It’s free and simple. See what mine looks like below!

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Do you want my business card? Share your comments below!

Today, we want to show you a really cool way that the Hashable app puts you on the fast track to maintaining your relationships. One of the robust features of our mobile address book is being able to contact your contacts instantly and in a number of ways, directly from the app.

 You see, the Hashable address book doesn’t just hold your contacts’ data – instead, you have a number of options at your fingertips for communicating with people quickly.

The Options: Email, Call, Text, or Tweet

When you are looking at a specific contact’s profile in your Hashable app, you can contact the person right there. You can email, call, text, or tweet the contact right from the app.

Now, you can maintain your relationships by staying in touch with your contacts simply and seamlessly.

The Example: Contacting Katie Felten From The Hashable App

To get started, select a contact from the Contacts list. Here, we’ll demonstrate using Katie Felten. Once we tap Katie Felten’s name, we can view her profile. This should show us the contact information she has chosen to put into her Hashable profile; including email address, phone number, and Twitter handle.

To communicate with Katie, we can choose any field from her listed information. Tapping on her email, phone, or Twitter will prompt us to contact Katie.

In this case, we’ll send Katie a text message. If we tap her phone number, we are prompted to either call her or send her a text message – right from the Hashable app! Just type your text message and then tap send.

This makes it easier to stay in touch with your contacts. Try it out and see how easy it is to quickly communicate with your contacts!

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Let us know – what do you think of this feature? Leave us your tips for staying in touch in the comments below!

We’ve taken note (pun intended ;-)) of a recent trend arising in our community: creating private notes about any of your contacts. A lot of our users have been referencing the private notes feature as one of the most useful features of the Hashable contact management platform.

What Does It Do?

It’s simple - Hashable’s notes feature allows you to save a note about any of your contacts. From recording personal interests to taking note of previous jobs, our users have been using the notes feature to save all sorts of information they want to remember later about specific contacts. The notes are saved to the individual contact’s profile – and are only visible to the creator of the note.

Get Started Using Hashable’s New Notes Feature

First, select a contact that you want to add a private note to from the contact list. Once the contact’s profile is open, just tap the “Note” icon at the top right of the screen.

This will bring us to the Create Note page. On this screen you can type the desired note and then tap the blue Save Note button. For example, I can add, “Likes thai food” for Katie Felten. The notes feature is a natural complement to Hashable’s reminders feature - after saving this note, I can set a reminder to order Katie Thai food for next week’s meeting.

After finishing the note, I will tap the blue Save Note button to close the note. In the future when I want to access the notes I’ve saved about Katie, I can just click on the contact again and then click on the notes icon. Once there, I can either view the notes I’ve created before about Katie, or I can create an additional note and save it to her contact.

Essentially, the notes feature makes it easier to remember any details for your contacts. We hope you enjoy it!

Have you used our reminders feature yet?  It’s a great way to stay connected to the people in your network.  Use it to remember to follow-up with them after a meeting, or to set up that next phone call or lunch meeting. Reminders integrate into your calendar, so you can get notified right on your phone. There’s also an email alert option.  We can also show you all the people you need to follow up with in one agenda – a quick way to organize your day.

Here’s a step-by-step screenshots to show you how to create a reminder.

• Set a reminder from the Dashboard, directly from a person’s profile, or right after Hashing them:

• Add the details of the follow up .  You can include the date, time, and a note for yourself.

• Then choose if you want to be reminded by email, and/or your calendar.

• Hit submit and the reminder’s set!  You can review and edit your reminder at any time, and you can even view all of your followup reminders in one list, organized by day:

That’s it!  Hashable’s reminders feature will help you stay connected to the people that matter to you.