Ecard alternative?
August 31, 2015 8:15 AM Subscribe
How would you send a personal note that is more meaningful than an email, but not deep enough to warrant a hand written snail mail? Ecards seemed to fill this niche previously, but feel too dated and archaic for use now, especially for younger people. Are there any other alternatives?
That sounds like an email actually. Younger people are primarily communicating through text and messenger now so an email is basically snail mail now. The place for more formal, longer, meaningful sentiments.
posted by magnetsphere at 8:19 AM on August 31, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by magnetsphere at 8:19 AM on August 31, 2015 [7 favorites]
Hand write it and snail mail it. Unless this is a relationship where there's any danger at all that you'll come off as stalker-ish, going one level up in terms of formality and thoughtfulness can only be perceived as kind and thoughtful.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:20 AM on August 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 8:20 AM on August 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
How deep is "deep enough to warrant a handwritten snail mail"? I think you're placing the bar too high. Nobody's going to object to a small, arty blank card with a few handwritten lines inside.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 8:30 AM on August 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 8:30 AM on August 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
I use the moonpig card service!
posted by pairofshades at 8:36 AM on August 31, 2015
posted by pairofshades at 8:36 AM on August 31, 2015
Seriously don't send e-cards, ever. E-cards are the worst thing.
Some of them work by sending the victim a Windows-only .exe which, when run, supposedly will display a shiny interactive card. Windows boxen and places where I read email don't overlap, and even if they did, I'm not about to run some random program binary that just dropped out of the sky.
Even the less-pathological e-cards that work by sending you a link to some website are awful. They're usually obnoxiously browser-specific, and require you to load them in a severely security-lowering posture. (If it won't work with NoScript and Ghostery enabled, no way am I viewing it without knowing a whole lot more in advance.) Supposing it'll load, there's probably no good way to save it for posterity (which I routinely do with paper cards from people I love).
Write an email. Put all your effort into making the words 1) your own and 2) meaningful. A greeting card (even a physical one) that relies on some third party's words and images is way less personal than a couple paragraphs of unadorned text that tell me what's on your mind.
posted by sourcequench at 8:42 AM on August 31, 2015
Some of them work by sending the victim a Windows-only .exe which, when run, supposedly will display a shiny interactive card. Windows boxen and places where I read email don't overlap, and even if they did, I'm not about to run some random program binary that just dropped out of the sky.
Even the less-pathological e-cards that work by sending you a link to some website are awful. They're usually obnoxiously browser-specific, and require you to load them in a severely security-lowering posture. (If it won't work with NoScript and Ghostery enabled, no way am I viewing it without knowing a whole lot more in advance.) Supposing it'll load, there's probably no good way to save it for posterity (which I routinely do with paper cards from people I love).
Write an email. Put all your effort into making the words 1) your own and 2) meaningful. A greeting card (even a physical one) that relies on some third party's words and images is way less personal than a couple paragraphs of unadorned text that tell me what's on your mind.
posted by sourcequench at 8:42 AM on August 31, 2015
Maybe paperless post.
I've received everything from wedding invitations to birth notifications on it, from a wide range of people. I'm not really commenting on any of the objections people have raised above, just noting that in my circle it has replaced e-cards almost entirely.
posted by pretentious illiterate at 8:50 AM on August 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
I've received everything from wedding invitations to birth notifications on it, from a wide range of people. I'm not really commenting on any of the objections people have raised above, just noting that in my circle it has replaced e-cards almost entirely.
posted by pretentious illiterate at 8:50 AM on August 31, 2015 [4 favorites]
I sort of view the hierarchy like this
- like on social media
- comment on social media
- vague ecard
- online card service with personalized photo
- emailed link to website or emailed meme image from you
- email with actual text in it
- store bought card with a few sentences
- postcard with a few sentences
- home made card with a few sentences
- short letter
- long letter
And for synchronous communications
- one on one text chat room
- skype/hangout
- phone call
- in person visit
This is just me since I am not a big phone person but I think the print-and-send cards from websites have supplanted the ecards. I guess it depends if you want to be in touch virtually or in some sort of hard copy fashion.
posted by jessamyn at 9:16 AM on August 31, 2015 [6 favorites]
- like on social media
- comment on social media
- vague ecard
- online card service with personalized photo
- emailed link to website or emailed meme image from you
- email with actual text in it
- store bought card with a few sentences
- postcard with a few sentences
- home made card with a few sentences
- short letter
- long letter
And for synchronous communications
- one on one text chat room
- skype/hangout
- phone call
- in person visit
This is just me since I am not a big phone person but I think the print-and-send cards from websites have supplanted the ecards. I guess it depends if you want to be in touch virtually or in some sort of hard copy fashion.
posted by jessamyn at 9:16 AM on August 31, 2015 [6 favorites]
I would either send an e-mail or a short physical card. Never, ever an e-card under any circumstances. I do like the postcard idea, which wouldn't have occurred to me. If I wanted to do something snail-mail and time were not of the essence, I might go on Etsy and find a particularly cute or interesting handmade card.
If I were the one receiving your message, I'd prefer an e-mail. And I would keep your e-mail and read it again someday if it were that sort of message that would be meaningful to me in the future as well. Whereas however touching or meaningful or beautifully-designed a physical piece of paper, it would end up lost or recycled or shredded by cats in short order.
posted by Stacey at 9:30 AM on August 31, 2015
If I were the one receiving your message, I'd prefer an e-mail. And I would keep your e-mail and read it again someday if it were that sort of message that would be meaningful to me in the future as well. Whereas however touching or meaningful or beautifully-designed a physical piece of paper, it would end up lost or recycled or shredded by cats in short order.
posted by Stacey at 9:30 AM on August 31, 2015
Postcards do have the wonderful property of not requiring a whole lot of thought to fill the available space for writing in, and a nice one can be displayed by the recipient (I tend to stick them on the fridge for a while when I get them).
posted by brennen at 9:34 AM on August 31, 2015
posted by brennen at 9:34 AM on August 31, 2015
And I would keep your e-mail and read it again someday if it were that sort of message that would be meaningful to me in the future as well. Whereas however touching or meaningful or beautifully-designed a physical piece of paper, it would end up lost or recycled or shredded by cats in short order.
This will vary by person. If you sent me an email I would lose it in my giant million-gig-email-archive. But everything I get by snail mail goes into my file cabinet in a folder marked "Correspondence [YEAR]" which I do look through from time to time. So I guess it would help to know which correspondence-handling style your intended recipient has.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:34 AM on August 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
This will vary by person. If you sent me an email I would lose it in my giant million-gig-email-archive. But everything I get by snail mail goes into my file cabinet in a folder marked "Correspondence [YEAR]" which I do look through from time to time. So I guess it would help to know which correspondence-handling style your intended recipient has.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:34 AM on August 31, 2015 [2 favorites]
I agree with the postcard suggestion. Short, sweet, can be pretty or funny or interesting.
posted by JenMarie at 9:38 AM on August 31, 2015
posted by JenMarie at 9:38 AM on August 31, 2015
You could put it on a potato... But it's gotta be a pretty short message.
posted by hydra77 at 9:23 PM on August 31, 2015
posted by hydra77 at 9:23 PM on August 31, 2015
You could put it on a potato... But it's gotta be a pretty short message.
OMG. I will do secret quonsar this year just so I can send these. I will send two. One will say "Hardcore Tater" and the other will say "Softcore Tater."
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:51 PM on August 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
OMG. I will do secret quonsar this year just so I can send these. I will send two. One will say "Hardcore Tater" and the other will say "Softcore Tater."
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:51 PM on August 31, 2015 [1 favorite]
I know people who send mail a lot. Thank you card for dinner, birthday card, etc. It's really nice to get mail. Granted, I'm nearly old enough for Medicare, but if you want to do something a little special, send a card.
posted by theora55 at 6:24 AM on September 1, 2015
posted by theora55 at 6:24 AM on September 1, 2015
Send an email with extra stuff on it - nice fonts in nice colors and various sizes; a clipart or photo that perfectly evokes the tone of the message you want to send, use a background that is not just plain white, etc.
posted by CathyG at 10:12 AM on September 1, 2015
posted by CathyG at 10:12 AM on September 1, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by divined by radio at 8:19 AM on August 31, 2015