eCards – Page 5

Personalize your Ecards, It only takes a minute!

Do you remember the last ecard you received? Probably not. If you do, then what specifically do you remember about it?

Chances are you remember it because it was personalized. With a note. Or the sender’s voice. Or picture. Or maybe all of those. Now, there’s no question that our free ecards are pretty cool by themselves. That’s why you send them! But what makes each of our ecards special is not what we put into it. It’s how you personalize it!

Follow these quick tips to personalize each and every ecard you send. It’s what makes the difference between another ecard and a message from your heart!

1. Add a personal note. Even if it’s just one line. Address the person you are sending the ecard to by name. Even something like ‘Have a wonderful year ahead’ or ‘I hope your birthday is as special as you are’, or ‘Lots of love and hugs from…’might suffice. Your personal note reflects your feelings or wishes and brings the ecard alive.

2. Add a picture. We all have hundreds, maybe thousands of them. Digital pictures. So, why not share one with your ecard? Adding a picture instantly personalizes your ecard. A picture of you with your family. Or just one that reminds the recipient of you, the good times you shared or something funny. Whatever it is, it will only take a few seconds to add one, but it will bring more joy than you may realize. So, the next time you send an ecard, be sure to click on Add a photo! This feature is available with most of our ecards.

3. Add voice. Remember the first time you were away from home or separated from a loved one? The first time you spoke over phone, you probably said to each other ‘It’s so good to hear your voice!’ The voice of a loved makes us feel better even when we’re across the globe. To use the Add voice feature available on many of our ecards, all you have to do is use your computer’s mic and sound recorder to record and store a short voice greeting, poem or song. Then simply attach it with your ecard to cheer up your loved one on his special day. Very few of you seem to be using this incredibly cool, yet simple feature. What’s keeping you? Let us know!

We assure you, these three simple personalization steps will be completely worth it!

Got Free Ecards make over

Do you like our new avatar?

If you visited gotfreecards.com recently you probably noticed that we have been hard at work! Yep! We’re working on creating a better, friendlier website that you will find easier to use than ever before.

We are really excited about these changes that will save you time and make sending ecards even more of a breeze.

If you have been visiting us for some time, then you know that in just a few short months, we added several new features to our site – including the event reminder, printable cards, post cards and famous quotes. On our blog we bring you tips and gift ideas for different occasions and updates about our latest features and ecards. And of course, we are constantly updating our large selection of free ecards and post cards with wonderful new themes. You can rate, bookmark or add our site to your myspace page – all of which will help us understand what you like about us and where we can improve.

So, go ahead, tell us. How do you like our new look? And what new features would you like to see gotfreecards.com bring you in the coming months?

Valentine Ecards

Valentine’s Day is all about hearts, hearts and more hearts. Hearts as in the shape of the candle my husband got for me two years ago, and hearts as in the shape of the small ice-cream cake my dad always gets for my mom on Valentine’s Day. When I was a kid, my dad would get each of us our very own ice-cream cake, our very own dessert that we could eat all at once, or a little bit each day. I was and still am an all-or-nothing kind of gall when it comes to dessert, so mine would be gone by February 16th at the latest. My sister, on the other hand, would torture me, unintentionally she says, by taking one bite a day so that her cake lasted well into March.

On Valentine’s Day, I still think back fondly to my childhood and the fun we had sharing the love, even if the sharing didn’t involve our ice-cream cakes. But we knew we were lucky to have one another, and this Valentine’s I want to make sure I don’t forget to send e-cards to my family. Because Valentine’s Day shouldn’t just be about your significant other, it should be about all of your special loved ones. I am glad I have GotFreeCards.com to help me spread the love, for even though there are many I want to send e-cards to, here at GotFreeCards every card is FREE! So this Valentine’s Day, spread the love and send valentine e-cards to everyone you care about!

Do you make New Year resolutions?

Do you make New Year resolutions? Do you keep them? I don’t.

If you’re like me, you do neither. Don’t get me wrong. I think making New Year resolutions is a great idea. I used to make them for many years. But then I realized that there was really no point, because my resolutions would go out the window by Jan 10th. Or sooner. So, like many others, I took the easy way out. Instead of stopping to analyze what was wrong and how I could correct it, I simply gave up on resolutions.

Revive your resolutions

But, this year, I have done some thinking and would like to get back to making resolutions. And start sticking with them. But, to do that effectively and to be able to keep my resolutions, there are some things I need to examine. Why did my earlier attempts fail? And what can I do differently?

Here are some of the common mistakes people make when it comes to New Year resolutions.

1. Setting goals too high – Lose 25 pounds in January? Not likely.

If you set impossible goals, it is easy to get discouraged soon. Set measurable goals that you can accomplish with some focused effort.

2. Resolutions that are vague – If you don’t know what you want to achieve, how will you know when you get there? Instead of “ I will be a better person”, how about, listing out top three qualities you want to work on this year – say, patience, being positive, being open-minded.

3. Not revisiting your resolutions – It’s not enough to make a resolution. For it to work, you need to stop and think about the progress you have made and the steps you need to take to improve. You need to set aside time every week or month to review your resolution. Writing it down and keeping a resolution journal may help. If you don’t revisit your resolution, you may find that it is Dec 31 once again, and you will probably wake up to another year when you did not keep your resolution.

After many years, I am back to making new year resolutions this year. I will be writing them down, reviewing them every now and then and I will take small steps towards bigger goals. How about you? Do you have any resolutions this year? Why/not?

Remember: If you want to make a New Year resolution, start today. You don’t have to wait until next New Year’s Eve.

New Year Remember the troops

2008 is almost here, and it’s nearly time for another round of sure-to-be-broken New Year’s resolutions.

I’ve had my share of foul-ups in that department in the past. I have not, to date, run a marathon. And I still eat more than my share of French Fries.

But there is one resolution I’m making this year, along with many people I know, that I will keep: this year, I resolve to do more to remind members of the military that we, back home, haven’t forgotten them.

I’ve written about this in the past, and so I know it might seem like I’m beating a dead horse, but it’s that important. It doesn’t matter what you think about their mission; the fact that these brave souls are in other countries, risking their lives on a daily basis under the American flag, is reason enough to hold them in the highest esteem, and to let not one opportunity to let them know pass by.

You can send e-cards, of course (this is, after all, an e-card website). You can also buy telephone cards for our servicepersons—there are countless websites out there collecting them, as well as those collecting care packages. It doesn’t matter what you do, really—just do something.

That’s my resolution this year—what’s yours?

Cost cutting tips for Christmas gifts

The plunging economy and job cuts have taken their toll on many families and parents are worried if they will be able to afford Christmas gifts for their children. Here are some money saving tips to bring you some holiday cheer without lightening your pocket book :

1. Makes gifts. Home made cookies, a scarf from an old silk shirt or bed linen, a bow tie from the sash of a dress, a bracelet from beads leftover from a craft project…can you see the possibilities? Chances are people will love these gifts because you took the time to make them. What’s more, since you are making them, you can personalize it too. Gifts do not have to be expensive. Just creative, thoughtful and useful.

2. Gifts don’t have to be things. They can be activities. When was the last time your family spent time together actually doing something? It could be as simple as a walk around your block, stopping to admire the decorations in each house. Or a picnic in a park. Or volunteering for your community. Or even organizing a Christmas play with the neighborhood kids. In today’s hectic lifestyle, TIME is the biggest gift.

3. Drawing names of family members written on pieces of paper. This way, each member of the family picks out one other member’s name and they only have to get one gift for that person. So everybody still receives a gift, and nobody has to blow his or her budget.

4. Kids could make coupons for services you can offer. They could be ‘Mow Lawn’, ‘Clean Dishes’, ‘Fold Laundry’ that could be redeemed at a later time. What better gift can a child give a parent?

5. Use old magazine covers, newspapers, paper grocery bags for wrapping. Encourage kids to personalize them with art or poems. These make unique, inexpensive and attractive gift wraps.

6. Send free ecards. No matter how far or near your loved ones live, there is one gift that everyone can afford and everyone appreciates – heartfelt wishes. Sending free ecards is a great way to wish your loved ones with a personal message. Adding a picture and voice to the ecard personalizes it further. Select free Christmas ecards from gotfreecards.com.

Get Well—Letting People Down

I’m one of those people who hates to admit being sick, even more than I hate actually getting sick. If I wake up feeling nauseous and light-headed with clogged sinuses, I’m much more likely to groan my way to the shower, and then grin-and-bear-it through another day at work, than I am to pick up the phone, call in sick and go back to sleep.

And so on those rare occasions when I actually do decide that I’m too sick to actually leave the house, my friends, family and co-workers know I must be feeling really, really crummy.

If you’re like me, you really feel like a failure on those days: you feel like you’ve let your coworkers down, forcing them to take a larger burden at work; you feel like you’ve let your friends down, having to give up on whatever obligations you may have had to them; and you feel like you’ve let everyone who lives with you down, potentially exposing them to whatever it was that got you sick in the first place.

Times like those, when feeling bad physically combines with feeling down in the dumps emotionally, nothing brings a smile to your face quite like a little reminder that the people you care about are thinking about you, and aren’t angry with you at all.

So how can you show that you care? Chicken soup’s a good standby, as if just picking up the phone, calling your sick friend or loved, and making sure they’re okay. Now, you can add to that list free e-cards from GotFreeCards.com. Our animated e-cards are quick, completely free, and a funny way to put a smile on an ailing friend’s face. Give it a try!

Ecards and etiquette

Informal offices and casual dressing may be in, but is etiquette on its way out?

Today’s office cubes mix fun with work seamlessly. You are on first name basis with your CEO. You wear shorts to work, surf the internet, watch TV and work out. At work. With today’s unrestricted casual settings, the mantra is – get the work done on time and have fun along the way. But are we getting carried away with casualness?

Take ecards for example. Sending and receiving ecards on special occasions is common practice. Most people check their emails at work. So ecards also get opened at work.

Ecards cheer you up, make you feel better. But, they could also be distracting. Especially to coworkers. Most offices have an open floor plan. What goes on in one cube is visible and audible in nearby cubes. So, while you are chuckling at a great ‘Knock Knock’ joke ecard or smiling at a funny musical birthday ecard, your colleague in the next cube is probably cringing as he tries to concentrate amidst the racket. The same goes for people talking loudly, using cell phones or playing loud music or video games. Yes, it’s your free time to spend as you please, but, we also need to be considerate of those around us.

We enjoy many perks at work that previous generations did not. But it is our responsibility to use those perks carefully. Why not use headphones, as you open the free ecard? Or use your lunch break to play music or games.

Work place restrictions may be ancient history, but etiquette is timeless. Do you agree?

Election Day—Finally!

No matter what happens on November 4th, the entire nation will be breathing a big sigh of relief, because it will finally, finally, finally all be over. After two years, thirty debates, hundreds of millions of dollars spent on advertisements, and just as many hours of television, print and radio media coverage, we will have a new president heading these United States.

I’ll be looking at November 4th as a holiday, regardless of who wins. Just as holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas are times for us to reflect and be thankful, so, too, is election day a time to reflect and be thankful: reflect on the crazy campaign season it has been, and be thankful that it’s over and done with (at least until next time).

To commemorate this election day, the very first thing you should do is vote. The second thing you should do is browse through the free e-cards at GotFreeCards.com, and check out our collection of election-related animated e-cards. Whether you support John McCain, Barack Obama, or none of the above, you’re sure to find election themed ecards that you like, and that you can send to a friend, who’s just as happy as you that it’s finally over.

Flying Pumpkins – Halloween Ecard

There are many things about Halloween that are frightful: scary costumes, spooky music, and haunted houses. But those things are to be expected, and therefore are not quite as scary in the long run. But what about the unexpected things of Halloween? As a child, and yes even as an adult, I tend to let my imagination go a little too far and found myself more scared about things I had yet to see but imagined to be truths.

For instance, we always hear about Witches flying on broomsticks. The idea of a little old lady with an eerie laugh and a tall pointy hat being able to elevate into the air on a broomstick just gives me the chills. If I were ever to see this, I would surely pass out from sheer fear. And then I take one step further and ask myself, “What do jack-o-lanterns do at night when everyone is sleeping?” While it may not sound scary right now, wait until nightfall and think of it then. Do they sprout arms and legs and walk around? Or do they grow magic wings and fly around, annoying Witches on their broomsticks?

To me, this is the essence of all things scary on Halloween, the possibility of the unknown. This is why I love the animated Halloween ecard, Flying Pumpkins; it gives me the chills every time! So share this ecard with someone you care about or maybe just someone you want to scare! Happy Halloween!