Hello, readers! I have been wanting to talk to you all about my latest and greatest hobby for some time, Postcrossing. I was introduced to it this past summer, by a few friends from college, and now, I am hooked! Quite the phenomenon, Postcrossing has been sweeping the globe since its start in the July of 2005. Now, there are hundreds of thousands of participants, and it just keeps on growing.
You might ask, “What exactly IS Postcrossing, anyway?” Well, I will tell you…
BUT, before I do, answer a few simple questions:
1) Do you like to receive mail? I mean REAL mail, not junk mail or bills…REAL, unadulterated, PERSON TO PERSON mail?
2) Are you interested in travel, other cultures, or other people?
If you answered yes to both questions, POSTCROSSING could be your new favorite hobby and obsession!
Postcrossing, as I said, was established in 2005, and is based on the website www.postcrossing.com. Postcrossers, as people who utilize Postcrossing are called, make free and easy accounts on the website. From there, the program is basically a postcard swap. You request an address, and send a card. For every card you send, you get one back from a random Postcrosser around the globe!
According to the website,
The goal of this project is to allow people to receive postcards from all over the world, for free. Well, almost free! The main idea is that: if you send a postcard, you will receive at least one back from a random Postcrosser from somewhere in the world.
Once again, thanks for reading, and HAPPY POSTCROSSING!
P.S. Current Postcrossers feel free to comment! What do you love best about Postcrossing???
Why? Because, like the author, there are lots of people who like to receive real mail.
The element of surprise of receiving postcards from different places in the world (many of which you probably have never heard of) can turn your mailbox into a box of surprises - and who wouldn't like that?
The element of surprise of receiving postcards from different places in the world (many of which you probably have never heard of) can turn your mailbox into a box of surprises - and who wouldn't like that?
I have found Postcrossing to be easy to do, affordable, and ultimately, extremely rewarding. Not only have I received dozens of great cards from around the world, complete with interesting messages and fantastic stamps, but I find myself getting excited about picking up postcards to send, and I love going to the Post Office to buy the cool stamps that come out!
The Basic Steps to Postcrossing according to the website:
- request an address from the website
- mail the postcard to the address
- wait to receive a postcard
- register the received postcard in the system
I love getting cards from interesting people of all ages and backgrounds, and I have been sent everything from poetry and doodles to journal entries and recipes. I also love when a card I get is registered online, and the thank-you notes they include with the registration are the best part of sending them! Who wouldn’t be like a five year old on Christmas to open the mailbox and see new postcards sitting there? Getting the mail is now one of the highlights of my everyday routine ^_^
I even made a schnazzy binder for my cards, with plastic protectors, so I can see the front and back of each one…It would be a shame to cover up the pretty pictures OR the handwritten messages, so my binder is the best thing for postcard organization.
To view my user profile, and get an idea of what your could look like, follow this link: http://www.postcrossing.com/user/pinkforsythia
My sisters and mom are now Postcrossers too, and they love it as much as I do! The thing to remember is, you have to SEND postcards to RECEIVE postcards, it can take a week or two for you to get your first one in the mail, but once they start coming, you will be glad that you signed up!
Once again, thanks for reading, and HAPPY POSTCROSSING!
P.S. Current Postcrossers feel free to comment! What do you love best about Postcrossing???
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