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GlossarySharing and scanning

What a Digital Card Can Actually Count

Card analytics are the counts a digital business card keeps of how often it has been opened. For a linked card this is possible at all because every scan passes through a server before reaching the card, which a printed card or a code holding raw contact details cannot do.

What Gets Counted

Every time the link is opened, whether from a scanned QR code, a tap or a link pasted into a message, the request passes through a server on its way to the card. That is the moment there is something to count. A VCardForever card records views over time, roughly where they came from, and the kind of device that opened it.

Why the Number Is Approximate

Treat it as a direction, not a measurement, and here is why. Link previews in messaging apps open the page without a person looking at it. Security scanners in corporate email do the same. Someone who opens your card three times to find your number counts three times. Caching means a repeat visit may never reach the server at all. Anyone quoting scan figures to a decimal place is quoting noise.

What It Cannot Tell You

It cannot tell you who opened your card. There is no name attached to a view, and any product implying otherwise about a plain QR scan is overstating what a web request contains. The only way a name arrives is if the person chooses to send it, which is what the contact form on the card is for. That distinction, anonymous counts versus details somebody deliberately gave you, is worth keeping clear in your head.

Using It Properly

The useful comparison is between your own batches rather than against anyone else. Put a different card on a conference badge and on an email signature and the relative counts tell you where handing it over actually works. A single absolute number, by itself, means very little.

Frequently asked questions

Can I see who scanned my card?

No. A view is anonymous. You learn someone opened the card, not who they are. A name only arrives if they fill in the contact form.

Why is my scan count higher than the number of people I met?

Link previews, email security scanners and repeat visits all register. The count measures openings, not people.

Do analytics work on a printed QR code?

Yes, as long as the code holds a link. A code holding raw contact details never touches a server, so there is nothing to count.

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Related terms

Dynamic QR CodeA dynamic QR code encodes a short, fixed redirect link rather than the destination itself, so the destination can be changed at any time without altering or reprinting the code. Because the printed pattern never changes, a dynamic code can be edited after printing and can count its scans.QR Code ScanningQR code scanning is the act of pointing a phone camera at a QR code so the phone reads the pattern and acts on what it holds, usually by offering to open a web address. Modern iPhones and Android phones do this in the built-in camera app, with no separate scanner required.Short LinkA short link is a brief web address that redirects to a longer one. For a contact card it is what the QR code actually contains, so the code stays sparse and quick to scan, and it is what lets the destination change without the printed code changing.Lead CaptureLead capture is the act of collecting a prospect’s contact details in a form you can follow up on. On a digital business card it means the visitor can send their own name and details back to you, so a conversation that ends in a scan becomes a contact you actually have.

Put this into practice with your own card

Put your details on one card page, share it by link or QR code, and change them whenever they change. The printed code keeps working. No credit card required to start.

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