A Get Solo Star Wars Card

May the force be with you. And you. And you. And if you ever need anything, call me. Today, George Lucas and his company, Lucasfilm Ltd. announced that they will be peddling another Star Wars franchise-related item that is sure to be a hit with the die-hard Star Wars enthusiasts: a social networking card. Fans will be able to go on line, choose one of 75 pictures and personalize their own social networking card that resembles a business card. On the back of each card, Star Wars fans can list their phone numbers, e-mail addresses, items they collect, websites…virtually anything related to communicating with others like them. And since you can buy them by the hundreds, there is no doubt that Jedis all over the world can go beyond mind tricks to reach each other. Orders for these specialized cards can be made through the Get Solo LLC, a company that specializes in marketing tools and tactics designed to keep customers loyal to a brand. Instead of producing key chains and wallets, Get Solo makes cards, much like the ones you would get at your local sandwich or coffee shop where on your tenth purchase you get a free item. With this product, Get Solo branches into strange, ironic territory: getting social networking to work offline. Ashesh Shah, the founder of Get Solo, had this to say in the press release about meeting the challenge

:” Online, there are many ways to promote, build and join a social network. However, people told us that when they meet, they want a more convenient way to drive people to their favorite web destinations, and to invite others to join their social networks. The desire to bridge that gap is what drove us to create Star Wars Social Networking Cards. Fans are incredibly excited.

Although some Star Wars fans are excited about this new product, others are skeptical. Brian Heater, a writer for appscout.com, posed an interesting question after learning about the cards. “

Didn't social networking exist offline first? I think they used to call it, you know, "meeting people."

Regardless, Lucasfilm Ltd. and George Lucas will continue to extend the history and popularity of the Star Wars franchise that began some 30 years ago. 6 movies, several cartoons, hundreds of toys and one horrible holiday special later, Star Wars continues to fascinate young and old fans. Lucasfilm was created in 1971 and has produced all Star Wars movies as well as the Indiana Jones franchise.