In 1994, while working on her doctoral thesis at ITT, Judith Donath (1962 – ) came up with the first e-card. She called it The Electronic Postcard. The new take on an old form of keeping in touch caught on. It has since become a part of the way we now communicate with each other.
Now known as the e-card, it takes many forms. We send free musical Christmas ecards and click off Father’s and mother’s Day cards from online source. We call them all e-cards, but they actually fall into different categories or types.
Postcards
The first e-cards were actually postcards. These, like the originals they mimic were and are the most simplistic in nature. They consist of visual art with a space to add a personal comment or note. The images may be animated or static.
Greeting cards
Like the electronic postcards, e-greeting cards copy their prototype – the conventional card. They have a basic format – a greeting and graphic art. The greetings may be immutable or you can change it. The alternate greetings you can employ, however, usually come from a set menu. Changing them is easy.
Animated Cards
The technology now allows cards to be animated. You can now send an e-card that offers its recipient a performance in the shape of a small video. These frequently employ sounds – including voice and music, as well as movement to create a two dimensional e-card. This advancement in software and scripting allows you to send free musical Christmas cards, singing birthday cards and so much more.
Animated cards are entertainment that can be played again and again. The most common format is Flash animated. It is now commonly employed by most publishers of online ecard sites.
Self-Created E-Cards
There are many different ways an individual can create his or her own e-cards. Some web-based sites allow you to not simply pick a card but to design your own. You can sign up and begin the process. It involves a learning curve, but, depending upon the site, you can pick backgrounds, select images, then drag and drop them into the background, to this you can introduce animation of some type and add text. On some of the more complex sites, you can even introduce music and video.
Ecards are very popular. They are a modern social form of staying in touch. They come in more than one type, although all have the same purpose. Whether you want to make your own ecard or simply wish to browse through a selection of free musical ecards, there is an online site for you.