h a l f b a k e r yI think, therefore I am thinking.
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I have an idea for a website/company that would take your e-mail messages, e-greeting cards, e-thank you notes and such, and mail them to people by regular snail-mail. For a small fee, of course.
Why would anyone want this?
1) Many people, especially in developing countries, have regular snail-mail,
but no e-mail.
2) Sometimes e-mail is just not appropriate, even if it is most convenient and fastest method. For example, most people prefer real paper greeting cards to their silly electronic counterparts. Having a physical card from a friend just feels better.
Last week I spend about 4h and $50 buying and sending about 20 Christmas/New year (paper) cards to my friends in Eastern Europe. The proces has many steps: drive to a mall/store (through Xmas traffic), find cards you want, buy them, write them out (think of a different witty message for everyone), find/ drive to a post office, buy stamps/envelopes, put them on... takes a HUGE amount of time, even for 1 card.
On the website, the process would be very streamlined:
1) Pick designs and messages for all the cards.
2) Enter snail-mail addresses of all the recepients
3) Enter your billing info and company will create/mail out all the cards for you.
- There could also be some fancy options, such as uploading a scan of your signature, handwritten message or a custom design.
Saves a huge amount of time.
www.amazingmail.com
http://www.amazingmail.com
will send post cards with any image you like [futurebird, Dec 27 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]
[link]
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Is the "handwritten message" part baked yet? The problem with ordering greeting cards online is that printed text doesn't seem terribly personal. |
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It wouldn't even have to be *your* handwriting, just a plausible facsimile of *someone's* handwriting. |
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Back in 1996 when the internet was still like-wow, I did
work for this guy who didn't want to use email. He'd give
me a hand written message and an email address and I'd
type it up for him. when email came to his account I'd
print it out and drop it off at his house. I made some good
money doing that ... those were the days! |
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Fantastic idea. Particularly with greeting cards, it would take much more than getting a really good set of cards and machinery that could print and address them. To deal with nosey in-laws that wonder why you've suddenly started mailing from Minnesota when your home and wife (or so they thought) live in California, multiple locations would be necessary so that envelopes would be postmarked from an appropriate location. |
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Would definitely be neat to make machines that hold supplies, operate on them, and spit finished mail into a mailbox. With low labor costs, and reproducibility, you really could place these all over the country. |
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To make thing even more personal, the system could allow the consumer to choose stamps individually. |
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Hell, you could even have your greetings cards arranged for the next decade. Every April 22, a card goes out to Uncle Dave from the WWII vets collection. And every year the system chooses the correct "Nephew, your turning [age here]" card for Elliot. |
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Or perhaps your post should be somewhat human. Each May you get an email reminding you to pick out a card and write a message for dear old mom (and would you like to send a package of chocolates too?). Yes people, this impersonal, wired, overstimulated world has even spread to personal relationships. I love it! |
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Though not as exotic as mentioned, the Indian postal service has something called e-post which is very similar in idea, for many years now. :-) |
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