Hi!
I don’t really have a ritual when it comes to registering the postcards either.
I check my P.O. Box daily (except my day off, Sunday and vacation [inactive status!]). As other members have mentioned, I always register my cards the day I receive them! I read the message and look at the cards.
I also carefully peel off the stamps from the postcards. For privacy reasons I do not scan the received cards. I then write a short thank you message when registering and then I draw the next address(es)…
I collect my mail from the mailbox generally around lunchtime. I try to go every day but don’t always. My dog and I usually walk down there together, he enjoys the walk and I almost always have ebay orders to drop in the mail as well as PC cards and whatever other correspondence. I admit I’m usually guilty of not registering cards right when I get them, but they go onto my desk and I usually register a few days’ worth at a time.
Before registering, I visit the place on the postcard on Google Maps Street-View and wander around to see more beyond the card and find inspiration for drafting a thank-you note.
Then I register the postcards starting from the bottom one as it reaches the mailbox first.
I never thought of registering cards as a “ritual” but I suppose it is! Not sure if anyone else does this, but I always register them in the order I took them out of the mailbox. Typing it out, it does seem a bit weird that I do that, but it’s certainly accurate!
Hello, I have a different question that might be a bit related. But I’m not sure if this is the right place to post it. But each time I enter something in the search field of the forum I get “error 502”.
I’m new to Postcrossing and am wondering where the “thank you comments” of members who received your cards are to be found?
I generally check the mail when I get home from work or later in the afternoon if I’m home (ours comes late usually). If I have any postcards I try to register them that day. I like to read all the cards first, then register and write a Hurray message.
Before registering a card I like to carefully read the text, discover what is depicted on the card and know something more about it (maybe with a google reseach). This way I can write a propter thank you message.
So I use to register the cards at evening, after I have finished work and houseworks and I have some time for myself.
I have a few questions about registering postcards. When do you register cardst? Have there been situations where you registered cards later or not at all? And questions about expired cards.
Postcards can of course expire for all kinds of reasons. That’s the way it is and that’s not so bad. But sometimes it happens that (relatively) many cards expire and that can sometimes be disappointing and/or demotivating. By looking at (possible) causes that cards expire, we can also think about (possible) solutions.
Please read the questions carefully. Sometimes the differences in questions are very small.
Sometimes it’s about cards you send or cards you receive. Or about what you think or what you know for sure.
1. When do you register your official PC cards?
Daily, as soon as they arrive.
When I have the time
When I feel like it
At a fixed time (e.g. once a week/month)
I wait until I have a stack of cards
0voters
2. Have you ever registered cards later or not at all? If so, what was the reason?
I forgot to register the card.
I had no time, that’s why I registered it later.
I lost the postcard, but later found it again.
I thought it was a postcard from the forum, not an official PC card.
There was a problem with the ID, it was missing or not correct/complete.
Due to personal circumstances (e.g. illness) no time/opportunity to register it immediately.
I thought I registered it, but it wasn’t.
I didn’t like the postcard.
I had no internet, I could not register the card.
I struggle with the “hurray message”. I don’t know what to write, I’m not good at English, I’m dreading registering it.
It had a very unique reason (e.g. fire, mail stolen, etc)
Another reason
0voters
3. Are there any cards you’ve sent that have expired that you’re --sure-- of the reason? What was the reason the cards expired?
The mailbox in which I put the cards to send was not emptied.
The recipient has moved and therefore registered the card later
Due to personal/family circumstances, the card was registered later.
The recipient had no internet
I never sent the card.
I didn’t send the card right away, but I sent it days/weeks later.
It was (temporarily) not possible to send mail to that country.
Something went wrong while sending. The Address/ID has been forgotten/incorrect or wrong stamp used.
It had a very unique reason (e.g. fire, mail stolen, etc)
Other reason
0voters
4. Are there any cards that others have sent to you that have expired, that you’re --sure-- of the reason? What was the reason the cards expired?
It hasn’t arrived (yet).
The postcard had a long travel time.
I lost the card
I forgot to register the card.
I didn’t have internet, so I couldn’t register the card.
I didn’t like the postcard
Due to personal circumstances (eg illness) I was unable to register the card (earlier).
The address or ID was incorrect/incomplete/missing.
I struggle with the “hurray message”. I don’t know what to write, I’m not good at English, I’m dreading registering it.
It had a very unique reason (e.g. fire, mail stolen, etc)
Other reason
0voters
5. Sometimes when postcards expire, Postcrossers who sent the cards will send a message to the recipient, asking, just to be sure, if you really didn’t receive the card. Have you ever sent or received an email like this and did it help? Are one or more cards registered after that?
I sent such an email. - Yes it helped.
I sent such an email. - No, it didn’t help.
I got an email like this. - Yes it helped.
I got an email like this. - No, it didn’t help.
I have never sent or received such an email.
0voters
6. What do you think is/are the reason(s) cards expire?
The card gets lost in the mail
The card has not been sent.
The card has arrived at the recipient, but has been forgotten/lost.
Errors/mistake/problems/strikes at the postal company
ID is forgotten/incomplete/missing.
Errors in the address, postman unable to read the address.
The recipient did not like the card.
Unclear handwriting (address)
The card may have arrived, but the recipient lost interest in Postcrossing
Personal circumstances of the recipient as a result of which he/she did not have the time/opportunity to register the card (earlier).
The post has problems related to the political situation / climate problems / accidents / war in the country.
In general, sending/receiving mail is not so well organized in the country concerned.
The destination is far away, with automatically long travel times and many things that can go wrong.
Postcrossers struggle with the “hurray message”. They don’t know what to write, are not good in English, etc.
I have a lot of steps since I track quite a few information…
I start by scanning the cards and uploading to Flickr.
Then I mark all forum cards as received in my spreadsheet of travelling cards, so I can filter and have all information neatly sorted available for the next steps
Then I sort the card scan on Flickr, add information about the origin, Group, topic, etc, while also sorting the physical cards by RR group, or official
Lastly I can go through each group, fully read the message, write a reply, and link/upload the scan in a single step. Adding the card to the pile I either put up on the wall or store in a box.
Done
When I find a card in my mailbox , I take it and put it on the desk using for postcrossing. Read message soon, then, within a few days, I register it.
It’s easier for me to register cards with short messages because I can use template. When it comes to longer and polite message, I often take time, because I need emotional energy(I of course happy to receive like that) Are there people like that?
N/A–you left no answer for me that fit. I register all cards.
N/A–again you left no answer for me that fit. I spend no time wondering what happened to them. My initial sadness when I see it is going to expire in a couple of days, then I move on when that postcard gets the “expired” mark.
Question 2:
The question is -if- you have ever registered a card late or not, what the reason was.
If that hasn’t happened, you can skip the question.
Question 3:
The question is what happened to the card that caused it to expire,
the question is not what it does to you. Or how important it is to you.
So if you don’t know the reason, you can skip the question.
I guess I don’t get as many cards as others do, so no ritual here. If I find one in my mailbox I read it, look at the image and place it on my desk. I probably wait until the weekend to register the few that arrive during the week. I spend more time enjoying them at this point in the process. I’ll scan any that need it and add to the wall. If it’s a Native American card I set it aside to be discussed in my blog. Others go into a big pile but get sorted later…I just recently did a big sort to see if there were some cards that I could clean the stamps off before they get recycled
and wander around to see more beyond the card and find inspiration for drafting a thank-you note.
, I take it and put it on the desk using for postcrossing. Read message soon, then, within a few days, I register it.
because I can use template. When it comes to longer and polite message, I often take time, because I need emotional energy(I of course happy to receive like that) 
Are there people like that?