DID YOU GET ONE ? (jacquielawson.com)

Member Name: thingywhatsit

Product:	jacquielawson.com
Date:	11/12/06 (5267 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb range of cards for all occasions.

Disadvantages: Small fee.

Do you remember days when people sent Christmas cards for the sake of sending Christmas cards ? You know, the type that had flimsy cardboard, and words that meant very little indeed. Poems that were poorly put together never seemed sincere enough to send to my friends. Perhaps I am fussy, or perhaps I just care very much for the people that I would think sufficiently of to send a greeting.

Since the birth of the Internet, we all find that we make friends online, and some, like me, have relatives in different countries across the world, and the Ecard was born. What an ecard is can best be described as a greeting that comes to the recipient in an email, which they open to see the card you have sent.

There are many greetings card sites all over the internet, but one thing that I noticed and was not keen on was how Americanised our lives have become. There are cards out there for Christmas, although they say Special Holidays. Whatever happened to old ideals ? I refuse to go along the lines of sending Holiday greetings. My friends are worth more than that.

In my search for the perfect Christmas card to send to my online friends, I went to Greetings.com, and FunSilly.com, and all the popular sites, but I really could not find what I was looking for. I wanted something that said how much they mean to me, not something silly and loud, singing Christmas songs in an American accent. It just didn't do it for me.

I decided that Google may be able to help me and typed in Exclusive Christmas cards, and the search took me to a site where I found what I was looking for, cards that matter. The site started after Jacquie Lawson made an animated card and sent it to her friends. They liked it so much that she decided to start a website, and by goodness I am glad that she did.

The cards use macromedia flash but if you can see them, then you already have it installed. If you can't the site shows you how to download it.

In order to have unlimited access to the cards available, you have to pay a once a year fee and I really do believe that the price is a small one. Think before you criticise and say that there are many free cards out there. How much do you think a greeting to a friend is worth ? Think of how much you spend on traditional cards in the shops, and then look at what you are being offered for your money. I paid 4.50 for a one year membership, and this entitles me to send the cards whenever I want and in whatever quantity I want. Problem solved. The cards are beautiful, original, and when I get replies from people that have received them, it makes that search for the perfect site well worthy of the effort it took. You can actually save money if you want to by paying for two years cards in one hit, but one year was sufficient for me. The website is secure. You do receive an acknowledgement and what I like about this site is that I was able to pay by Paypal and not release my credit card information. The transaction was swift and immediately, I was able to start my experience of sending the cards.

I have sent over 400 cards this year from this site, and you are able to fill in multiple addresses, being sure that your recipients don't get all the addresses bunched up on the top of an email. I respect each of my friends privacy and certainly would not use one of the free sites to send cards because many of them give away all the email addresses that you used, and that to my mind is not a very good way of sending greetings.

Personalisation.

Every greeting card can be personalised and you can type a small message before you send, and can also chose the date that you want it to arrive, which is much like the other sites that send cards.

Selection.

There is not a huge selection on the site. They are, after all, exclusive, and what this site have done is cut out the rubbish and just have good quality cards for all occasions. These cards really are classy cards and fully interactive, which means that the person receiving them will get a huge amount of pleasure from them. They are not silly. These are super cards, and the exclusive selection means that your friends will know you thought enough about them to find the best there is on the net.

The reason for writing this review now is that this is the best time of year to join up, with Christmas coming, although they do cater for all occasions, from the birth of a new baby, valentines day, or just cards that send your friends a simple message of thanks. These are beautiful cards, and my friends are well worth it. Even the cards provided for things such as bereavement have been well thought out, are tasteful and the music to compliment them chosen with a skill that other sites lack. The get well soon cards are fun as well, and can be a good way to spread a bit of happiness even from a distance.

My experience of the site has been all positive. The greetings are quick to send, and you can also have the option of receiving an email when your friend picks up the card, and I like this because it means I know they got it, can imagine their smiles and the joy of getting such a super card, and it somehow makes relationships on the Internet seem closer.

My friends count. Do yours ? Try this site, because it really does make a difference:

http://www.jacquielawson.com

Summary: My friends are worth it.