eCards taking over the sentiment industry

For decades, people looked forward to their daily stop at the mailbox when their birthdays approached, anticipating greetings from far-off places. But the advent of email and social media has drastically reduced the volume of paper mail, and now the thrill of a bundle of letters has been replaced by the "ding" of an email notification on a smartphone.

While some lament the decline of stamped and sealed greetings, the transition to electronic sentiments like thank you ecards or emailed birthday wishes has had several positive impacts for both the sender and the receiver.

Salutations Without Limitations

While the cost of postage is usually not a big barrier to the number of missives going out, the availability of it can be. Catching up on thank-yous from a beach chair is impeded when 30 recipients must be handled with 24 stamps--especially after post office hours or in the absence of a printer for e-postage. Throw in the complexity of international mail--heads up, Mr. and Mrs. George Clooney--and you can immediately see the value of sending regards with an email address.

Electronic greetings can be sent in unlimited numbers to the recipient's location regardless of latitude, longitude, or altitude. And that will help your attitude.

Lists and Calendars Streamlined

The use of electronic greetings will send your old dog-eared, scratched-out, re-scribbled address book to the recycling bin, and you can cancel your after-Christmas tradition of transcribing last year's birthdays onto your new calendar for next year. Maybe that will help head off the holiday hangover.

eCards permit you to organize recipients, dates, and events easily without having to scramble through the phone book seeking mailing addresses. And you'll be able to track and add dates when items need to go out.

No Longer Berated For Belated

Let's face it. We travel. We get busy with kids, jobs, clubs, and the various emergencies of life. We miss a birthday here and there and we have to dig through the (very limited) selection of "geez, I'm sorry" belated cards to try to salvage your dignity. Sure, you could avoid this problem by sending very early, but what Capricorn wants to get a birthday card on a Sagittarius date?

eCards permit scheduling of transmission well in advance, and you don't have to estimate delivery time. That means that your hectic calendar still has enough space to schedule the year's birthday greetings for timely delivery. (But if you forget even with eCards, you might be in real trouble.)

It's So Very Green

eCards are environmentally friendly, too. Consider the paper used in creating cards, the fuel used in transporting them, and the likely destination of a landfill for them. Now note the minuscule electrical requirements of transmitting an eCard. Feel better about becoming a more generous sender? You should.

So Much More Personality

We've all stood at the card display in a store, trying desperately to find a card that matches the person and the event. Unfortunately, there is a real shortage of cards for "Gam-Gam" and "Pappy", a consumer issue that's tough to explain to a determined 5-year-old.

eCards can be tailored for a perfect fit to the who and when of the event, making sure that there are smiles from both the sender and the recipient.