I support the idea solely for the people that would use it.
I don’t use mine for a wishlist. There’s no specific cards I desire. I offer suggestions (with the initial comment being for members to send any card and that my list is merely for suggestion purposes only) in my profile and the excitement of what surprise is being sent is good for me.
I didn’t read the comments to see if this was already mentioned, but I wonder if this would go against the community guideline of not including a “demand list” (because I’m brain foggy and can’t think of the actual terminology).
Somewhat related to this, I wish there were a “clear favorites” function–I’m in the process of depopulating my favorites list because 1) so many people now use this as a wishlist that I get duplicates because senders see cards there and think I want them and (more importantly) 2) it’s almost always the back of the card that really makes it a “favorite” of mine–so the display of the fronts on a list of favorites doesn’t make sense (and it’s not like we could display the backs). So, not wanting to make a wishlist, I think I’m better off with nothing.
Honestly? I had no idea that so many people were using “favourites” as a wishlist. Sometimes people say on their profile, “Look at my favourites for examples of cards I would like to get,” but I hadn’t assumed that was the list’s default function! For what it’s worth, I’ve been using my own as a chaotic combination of both: “These are cards I’ve received that I especially liked and these are also cards other people have received that I also like.” (And I don’t expect people to work their way through them either way!)
My profile includes a list of subjects that people can use if they want to have some suggestions, but I’m happy to receive anything. For me the most importart part of the card is the message.
All that said, I’m a bit boggled when someone says, “Check my favourites for examples of cards I have and don’t want to get again” OR “Go there to see cards I do want to get”… and when I check their favourites, there are several hundred of them. One way or another, I do not have time to look at hundreds of tiny thumbnails and analyze whether there’s any duplication between them and the postcards I have. Woof.
I will say, though, that if I’m trying to choose a card to send, and for whatever reason the individual’s profile doesn’t provide any hints as to preferences, I often take a look at their sent cards. My feeling is that most of us choose cards that we like – or at least, don’t hate – to send to other people. In a pinch, the Wall’s sent list often provides some insights into the individual’s personal tastes.
Well, the idea is tempting but I would not like it either.
Using common sense and knowing how the majority of people ticks, it wouldn’t surprise me if people would start looking at the wish list first and trying to meet the recipient’s expectations. Just like a shopping list. This wish list option would be more demanding than the usual requests in profiles. Now it’s just “being picky”, but with a wish list it would be “being more obliged” to the list.
But there is something else that comes up: WHY do some of you never favourite a received card?
Maybe I’m just naive as a newbie, but so far every card I received, made me happy. And I liked everyone of them. I sometimes even dare to like the ones I sent, in the hopes it’s not too arrogant.
This and the option of a wishlist might discourage a lot of postcrossers here: “Having no suitable postcard that either matches the favourite list or the wishlist…hell no!!! And the recipient doesn’t like their received postcards either. Great. Not so.” If it would be just the add cards, I would understand but some people here received postcards that are really awesome but gave no like. Has an air of arrogance and ungratefulness, imho.
I have a “list” in my profile too but I indicate twice that these things mentioned are mere suggestions (and I have sympathy for the one fearing snakes—for me it’s spiders, because phobia is real) and my favourites as a help, not as a demand.
Furthermore, we have to keep in mind that postcrossing is expensive for some people. Sometimes they cannot afford super fancy cards, sometimes the place where they live, does not offer pretty cards. And yet they participate. I highly appreciate the messages. So far they’ve made me happy and gave me the perspective of another person! That is a lot.
My few reasons;
Because they would be the same as in my received wall.
Also, sometimes I like the message more, and favouriting unrelated image doesn’t tell much.
Sometimes I don’t like the card so much, so I wouldn’t favourite it, but later I might like it.
People seeing I favourite my received cards, and not theirs, would make them feel they sent a bad card.
I’ve seen some people do this, and it always makes me really happy, and I like it so much, that they like the cards they send not at all arrogant in my eyes, much more like they are proud of what they send, and like it themselves too.
I only ever check the postcards that the person has received from my country. I have more than 2,000 on my favourites wall, but I try to limit it to about 60 postcards (one page) from each country. Even if people want to look at my favourites, it’s unreasonable of me to expect anyone to look at more than one page. And I’m not worried about duplicates. I’ve had several, and I’ve liked them all because the messages are all different. My favourites are just to give people an idea of the sorts of postcards I like.
I use the favourites to give people a general idea of what kind of cards I like. It by no means is my wishlist. I’m happy with any card I receive, is just like a little extra information about me.
Wow. Never thought about the many different meanings of the favourites.
I use the favourites to mark the postcards which are special to me. Doesn’t mean I don’t like the cards I didn’t mark.
I don’t like people using favourites as a wishlist, this seems to be a lil selfish. Isn’t postcrossing about connecting people and sending joy to a stranger? It’s not about completing a collection.
Just my 50 Cents…
Yes, of course.
I for example don’t think myself as a postcard collector at all. I just like postcards. But some people have hundreds or thousands of postcards to choose from, so getting “help” from the wishlist in what form it might be, can be part of the connection.
For example I got an address, and reading their profile I think three of my cards which I could send to her. I go to her wall, and see she already has one of these, so I won’t send that, then look at her favourites and see there’s only photos, so I don’t send the illustration.
Or, sometimes I see a card in their favourites, that I have, then I check if it’s favourited from someone elses wall, and so I can send it.
But no one needs to do this, if they don’t like it.
I sometimes look at the postcard galleries even when I am not sending a card
I have very little empty cards compared to some, and still I find this useful.
I also have a wishlist, and a favourite wall of cards I don’t have, but of course I know everyone will send the card that they want to send to me, it’s always the sender’s decision.
That would definitely not be true for me!
I’m one of the people on Postcrossing who likes to match the wishes of others and while of course I do buy and send cards I like myself a lot too, I also buy and send cards I would not really enjoy recieving myself.
I would never presume that somebody’s sent-wall represents their taste.
I’m the same. I have sent quite a few postcards I don’t like, but the recipient was delighted with because it reflected their interests. However, most of the cards I send I like too.
OK, I have a question. I just got assigned a recipient who just asked for “tourist postcards - no flowers”.
Her favourites list includes exactly one from my country (Canada). Interestingly, it’s a card that I actually have and could send to her! And it’s not one that she has actually received yet. (It’s actually a somewhat obscure one, I was surprised to see it at all.)
Do I send that one, on the assumption that she’d really like to get it?
I don’t have a specific wishlist. But I’d like it , when postcrosser take a look on my favourite wall. I make the same. It shows me, what she/ he like.
For me it would be enough if there was some kind of mark/icon (or filter) on the postcards in Favorites that were recieved by the profile.
I like to look look through Favorites in order to understand recipient’s preferences. And at the same time I’d prefer not to send duplicate. Of course you can open the card’s link and see it, but sometimes I just forget to do it.
If it would be just the add cards, I would understand but some people here received postcards that are really awesome but gave no like. Has an air of arrogance and ungratefulness, imho.
not at all arrogant in my eyes, much more like they are proud of what they send, and like it themselves too.
