Wheeee! give me an Eeeeeee (jacquielawson.com)

Member Name: goosey

Product:	jacquielawson.com
Date:	26/08/09 (344 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Entertaining animations. Paper-free greetings.Huge choice

Disadvantages: Can't stick em on yer mantle-piece

It is not often I get one of those 'senior moments,' and forget to post a birthday or Christmas card in time for it to arrive at its destination on the correct day. But when I do, or want to send a special message or greeting; I log on to the Jacquie Lawson website, choose a card, add my message and select the date I want it sent. Simple! Although browsing the enormous selection of animations may take some time - but it will be fun-time.
Not only have I been delighted to receive them , my friends and family also love being sent these cards, especially the youngsters.

~~~~What are E.cards?~~~~

I don't suppose there are many now, who don't know what an E. card is, but for those, like myself - a half a step behind the rest of the world. I will endeavour to explain.
Normally, greetings cards are sent through the post, where we rely heavily on the postal system to deliver them on time. E.cards, however, are sent directly to the intended recipient's email address.

I can only describe this superb collection of Jacquie Lawson E.cards as very clever and beautifully animated films, ( lasting about a minute) suitable for every conceivable occasion, which members can personalise with their own special message at the end. These entertaining, paper-free greetings are then sent to the recipient's email adress on the designated date by the JL website.

~~~~Membership~~~~

I came across this site after receiving one of these beauties on my birthday, and although I was able to browse the pages and range of cards available, had to register and become a member in order to be able to send one.
The registration process is very quick and easy. - I only do easy - All that is required is your email address, a password and small fee.

The membership fee for one year is £6.25. For two years, it is £9.50.
These fees then allow members to personalise and send as many E.cards as they wish, for the duration of their membership. There is no limit whatsoever.

Payments can be made by credit card, cheque, or through Pay Pal. Once the fee has been received, in a matter of seconds, (unless paying by cheque) E.cards can be sent.

~~~~The Jacquie Lawson Website~~~~

Members and non-memebrs logging on to this website, will find several pages which can be viewed, as well as the cards. There are some very interesting pages describing how the animations are made, how the music is added and facts about the team behind the whole concept. Then, of course, is the collection of cards to browse. Cards for EVERY occasion; sympathy, weddings, birthdays, Thank you , Get well and Thinking of you - to name but a few. Also to be found are cards for special days, such as Mother's and Father's day, Valentines, Halloween and Thanks-Giving, even. The list goes on.
In the current collection there are 135 cards, many of which are suitable for more than one purpose.

For members, there is a page for your own personal email address book; another where you can check which cards are waiting to be sent. A card history page, where the date of order, and date the card was, or is to be, sent; the name of the recipient; the name of the selected card and whether or not it has been opened.

Nineteen screensavers are also available to be downloaded, at no extra cost, I believe. These will only work, though, on PCs and NOT Apple Macs.

~~~~Card types~~~~

The Chudleigh cards are animations of a chocolate Labrador, called Chudleigh, and his friends. The Teddy cards are also amusing animations of teddy bears, playing musical instruments in an orchestra, or sometimes solo. The adorable, and sometimes funny, expressions on their faces are great.
There are many other cards with fish, cats, birds, floral scenes, nautical scenes and tropical beaches. All animated and musically accompanied. New cards are frequently added to the collection.

~~~~The process of sending the E.card~~~~

Once logged onto the site, you can scroll through a vast library of cards and select one to view. The card then appears and you are requested to click on a certain part of a picture to start the animation. At the end, it shows where the message you wish to be added, will appear.
(You can repeat this process as many times as you wish until you find the appropriate card.)
When you have decided which card you want sending. Click send , a page then appears for you to give the email address of the intended recipient and also the message you wish to send and, of course, the date you want it to be sent- which could be the same day or weeks later. Having filled this in, you can then view the card again with your message attached and if satisfied, you can then authorise it to be dispatched on the designated date.

A lovely bonus to all this, is that the sender is notified, initially when the card is sent and also when read by the recipient. Not only that, you will have a record of all the cards you send, to whom and dates sent. This is the 'history' page, which you can monitor and delete any information recorded if you wish.

I love receiving them and also sending these wonderful E.cards; especially to my great-nephews and nieces on their birthday mornings, for them to enjoy whilst they wait for the postie to deliver their 'paper' cards.

With postal services being less predictable these days, E.cards are a sure fire way of getting your wishes to loved ones and friends on time. Of course, they won't ever replace postal cards. Heaven forbid! But they certainly add a little something more to a special day.

Summary: An extra special way of saying "I'm thinking of you."