Ever since Avant Card began doing business in the early 1990s, I’ve been collecting postcards, mostly of the promotional variety. I pick them up if they’re clever, or funny, or beautiful, or if they’re about something I’m interested in. I like them best when they have space to write on the back – somehow they feel more like the real thing.
But there came a point – it might have been when I was packing for the fourth long-distance move in my life – when several shoeboxes of postcards seemed excessive. And then, 1218 days ago, I discovered Postcrossing. The site explains it pretty well – basically it’s a fun way to get rid of spare postcards while actually using them for their stated purpose by sending them to random people in other countries. Of course, I receive postcards in return, so this isn’t really a way of banishing clutter. But at least the collecting seems less pointless.
My other enthusiasm is Shuttercal, the calendar-based daily photo project site. (You can check out my most recent photo over there on the right.)
And now the two enthusiasms are combined. Shuttercal is offering a postcard printing-and-postage service: select a photo from your own calendar, write a message, enter an address and the finished postcard is printed and mailed for you, anywhere in the world (USD2.90). It’s brand new, so I can’t report on the results yet, but the idea certainly appeals.
Oh, and no need to point out that this won’t help me get rid of my postcards either…