It was 2006, when I began pursuing a career in the Music and Entertainment Industry. I traveled frequently and met countless people through various networking opportunities. This was around the time that when you had a business card you were somebody; but what really happened to those business cards? I remember having a SideKick, a BlackBerry, even my first iPhone (which I kept forever). Unfortunately, through time and distance, I lost many of the contacts I made along the way. I truly wish I could reconnect. From changing different mobile devices, carriers, emails addresses, companies, and the ever-growing integration of social media; how can our phones be so smart yet our contact list is so dumb?
Maybe it’s just me, but I remember networking with different label reps, DJs, producers, writers, and saving their name in my phone would be something like this: Mike DJ Vegas, Mike DJ Orlando, Heather Writer LA, Warner Session. And things only got more complicated when it was time to update phone numbers. I dreaded the, “Here is my new number. Please save it,” texts. My contact list morphed: Jermayne NEW Number, NEW Jamie Marketing, Def Jam NEW. It seemed like every time my phone updated, my contact list updated – over and over again, losing contacts in the process. The device that was meant to keep me connected, somehow did the exact opposite.
Fast forward to today – I now talk to individuals on multiple platforms: texts, calls, emails, Instagram, Facebook (and don’t get me started – some people don’t even have their actual name on their social media accounts). Luckily, things are different now. Cleverly combines all of one’s contact information, emails, social media accounts in one easy to use and always up-to-date platform. Cleverly is a real-time contact list that encompasses all the ways we connect today in the 21st-century. Each user is provided a personal QR code. I think of it like this: As long as you update your own information, your QR code will always be updated with you. You can stick your QR code on a business card and someone can scan it. You can send your QR code to someone or put it in the signature block of your email. You can even go as far to put it on your truck. Marketing materials, websites, stickers – any way you choose, the power is in your hands. This is true connection.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: privacy. Of course, you don’t want everyone to have all of your information. Unlike Apple’s contact list, where your contact is shared including any and all applicable information that is listed, Cleverly allows you to control how much information you share and with whom. Users are given the ability to sort their list into two groups: contacts and connections. Contacts will have access to the basics : like your phone number and email address. Connections, however, will be able to access any additional information you’d like to share (social media, portfolio links, etc). Regardless, the choice is always yours. I could go on and on about the many ways Cleverly benefits individuals: from navigating every day life to more intricate business purposes but to sum it all up, Cleverly is the way we all should we connect and frankly, it’s the only way to truly stay connected.