I am wondering what postcarders think about postcards that feature messages instead of pictures. Don’t get me wrong, I love getting pictures! But, I have found some interesting and fun post cards that have simple messages on them that I think have great potential. Like the one pictured here. During COVID, I often sent one that said, "I Washed My Hands Before Sending This!" and it was well received. Have you sent post cards with messages instead of pictures? Have you received postcards with messages instead of pictures? What do you think? Is there a possible language difficulty?
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I sent word only officials in June. They belonged to my Humour series.
See
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These are amazing!!! Thank you for sharing!
I received this one recently:
The rough translation is ‘Men don’t eat fruits, they eat pulp (=fruits’ flesh)’ and I love it!
And I really like this one, received long ago:
Means ‘wrong socks’. It was actually a sticker-card which was supposed to mark produce of companies who produce not under ‘fair trade’ (cotton)
Ah, and this one I also liked:
Text means: "For you I will unhook the Moon " - poetry way to say your love to somebody in French, but it was send under the ‘space cards’ wish, so I like the creativity a lot
So for cards with text - I’m not a fan of quotes, but sometimes they are funny or bring couple minutes of googling to learn something new. But I rarely send these myself
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“laber jars … not people”
I can translate these words but I don’t understand what’s the thought or meaning behind this.
The humor is difficult to translate. It is so culturally bound thing.
I have sent and received some text cards. Some of my favourites (not received yet):
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I think when you label a person, you give them some trait, unfairly, that is possibly not true, and at least not the only thing in this person. By labeling someone, you give them a reputation being what the imaginary label sayes. I think it could translate to lokeroida or leimata in Finnish.
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Prime example of lost in translation and I think that makes it so interesting. I love looking into old sayings and their meanings. Different cultures, different sayings. 
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In my town we have a Mexican restaurant that uses a sign to post something funny every day. I would love to send or be sent a postcard with any of their messages on them. I understand that it is also a very ‘American’ thing. In regards to language barrier - when you are learning something about a language it is never just about translations, but about understanding the culture and ‘inside jokes’ that lead up to the phrase. I would very much like to “decode” such messages. I have been studying German for years, and still discover new idioms to understand in a cultural context! <3
TLDR;
Yes I love cards like this.
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How about some poetry?
Or the most important message of all:
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To answer the first question : No, i don’t like word-cards.
I think front side is for the picture, and back side is for words.
There are those who can paint pictures with words; T.S. Eliot, for example.
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In general, I prefer pictures (definitely as receiver). But have sent some messages to people, who seem to like or request for it.
As others pointed out, some sayings can only be understood if you know the language and/or culture.
To me it makes a huge difference, if there are words only or a funny picture as well. So, I would say, I like some, depending on the wordplay and how it speaks to me.
Here are some examples:
This one I love, but only because of the cute drawing and its combination with the words:
Another example: I received a card saying “You’ve got this”. - Well, I wonder if anyone thinks that’s funny? (Sorry, I don’t.)
Here’s another sweet card, I like - it is about mixture of words and picture:
If you look into my sent wall, you’ll find some words only-cards. All wordplay in German. Like these:
Translation: “Speaking is like remaining silent, silver is gold.” - It’s from someone well known in Germany, who deals with language a lot. In a postcard book, he changes the words of the sayings, in order to produce nonsense. So most fun is, when you know the language and the correct saying. In this case the original saying is, translated literally “Talking is silver, keeping silent is gold.”
But really, I would not send it, unless someone’s profile gives me reason to believe, there’s a chance that they like it …
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These are hilarous! “Signier sign” ! That might be my new motto!
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My son gave an El Arroyo page-a-day calendar last year. Some very funny stuff in there! I do wonder though, if the restaurant is concentrating on super funny signs, how is the food? 
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I have lived in Austin for 20 years and have never eaten there! 
What’s the point in that sign of El Arroyo? Inbox 0 / Inbox 27329 ???
Edit: Thank you for the answers to my question.
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It is a funny way of say that you are either a person who keeps a tidy email inbox or you are a lazy person who does not. I personally am the lazy person:
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This was the very first Postcrossing postcard I received. It puzzled me at first - then I couldn’t stop laughing! It’s still one of my favorites! I think anyone who appreciates language will appreciate word play. But, I understand if some would rather receive more traditional postcards. That’s why we have profiles!
I enjoy getting a postcard in another language that I have to translate and decipher the humor. If I can’t make sense of it, I’ll ask in the Hurray message.
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