I don’t mind writing just something like “Hello” or “Hello from [location]” without a name, it’s just the combination of “Hello + username” that’s really weird to me
You told that the smallest single apartment room in Japan would be 6,97 m2 in size (1.76 x 0.88 x 4,5 meters). Interesting.
In Finland, a room will be counted in “a room for living” when it is minimum 7,00 m2 with a window. But we don’t have any apartment in that size. The smallest single apartments are usually about 25-27 m2. (Otherwise it’s only a hired room in bigger apartment.) I read once on newspaper that somebody had a single apartment in size 12 m2 in Helsinki Finland. That was previously unheard to me.
What makes you think they write all thousands of cards the same manner (even during many years) Only based on because the text wasn’t meaningful enough to you? Because they have sent a lot? How does someone think like that? I think it’s only like passing a person, I meet them once and maybe they smile, next time maybe they look at their toes, it’s just one moment, don’t judge their whole postcrossing and all cards based on the one you got please.
(I think it’s weird that I often see people thinking the person writes the same thing to all members.)
There are several different cultures in the world and in Postcrossing. It’s correct and polite in Finland to say only Hello! (Moi! / Hei! / Terve! / Moro! / Päivää! ) without any name. We don’t use names when we see somebody and begin a conversation. I think it’s better to say only Hello than to use wrong spelled name or nickname.
the text reads normally
“Greetings from sunny XY”
or something similar.
I got four cards last week, two with texts, one with “Greetings from XY, The best wish for you” [no Hello, no signature, nothing] and one with ONE sentence printed out and glued to the card, at least there was a handwritten signature.
I am always a bit sad, I like a “Hello peacelike” and a card or message that has at least a little bit of personal message for me.
It’s sad of course, that you don’t like those, I understand.
But why think they have a card writing factory, don’t you think that maybe they just didn’t have anything personal to write to you? And they write other things to other persons. But at least you seem to have confidence that your profile is good and all is done well from your part. (Which is good.)
(There is topic about this too, and reasons not to write anything personal were at least, it’s not a habit they know about, they don’t know enough English, they think you don’t understand the message and will publish it somewhere, they don’t want anything personal to be shown in YouTube, TikTok, blogs etc.
Edit. here is one topic about “not good enough” messages:
Lazy postcards?)
I’m not good at English and sometimes it’s really big challenge for me to write a personal message to a stranger. I always try to read the profile of the recipient ( I don’t always understand all) and the most important thing to me is to choose a card that hopefully pleases her or him. If her profile has something familiar to me (f.ex. she has on cat as well as me), it’s easier to find something to write. Sometimes the world of the recipient is so far from mine, that I can’t tell anything else than some words of the weather or other common things. I think that kind of sentences can not offend anybody.
Sometimes I’m greeted “Hello S_Tuulia!”
Sunderline Tuulia?
But the strangest thing is, when my name is repeated severalry in a message. It starts to feel creepy.
That is not enjoyable even when I know it’s meant friendly.
It’s the same with the telemarketing persons who I suppose get the instructions from some other culture. They repeat my name so it sound more like a criminal than friendly person.
Do you like reading, S_Tuulia…beware of paper cuts, S_Tuulia…
I had to giggle at this only because I found I start writing and write too much and then gave to find somewhere to try to squish in my name and sometimes wonder if the recipient can read it!
you might be right. But I doubt it.
There are often profiles that do not speak to me at all. But then I can write about my day, spring, something I know about their country, explain why I chose that card, tell about my life or what I had for breakfast or plan for the weekend.
I would consider it utterly rude to write “Happy Postcrossing” and nothing more.
But it is very interesting that there are people like you who do not mind at all, perhaps I am putting too much effort in the cards…
I’ve had some rude remarks about my profile.
But I hate the most, when someone doesn’t write my name right. For someone, who can read and write (and I assume a Postcrosser can read and write!) it should be possible to copy both the name and the address correctly!!!
I’ve read that book twice and loved it
Please don’t think that - there are also people like me who enjoy reading what is written on the cards. Heck, I’d love a long letter telling me about your town, country, how your day goes, the wildlife / birds you see on the regular, etc. (I tend to write too much and wonder if I’m boring people to tears)
I feel uncomfortable when I see an answer to or comment about something I wrote to an individual posted in a group thank you, so I write less personal messages now. Shyness may be another factor to add to the list.
About the word tiny, I used to follow a magazine called Tiny Apartments, which had great space saving tips and pretty designs. I think it might have been part of the “tiny” house trend to use the word.
Just a thought, I’m dyslexic, I’ve transposed numbers on my niece’s cards before and they come back to me. I try very hard to get the letters and numbers in the correct order. If I could I’d print the addresses at least but my printer died. I am working on getting a new one. so if it’s a matter of numbers or letters being transposed - it may be an error not someone who doesn’t care.
Thank you for linking that thread! It was an interesting read
What do you expect? You are a total stranger, they just know the bit that you mention in your profile!
It does seem overly complicated and I wouldn’t know what to do with any of it, but I would be able to send violets and a nice greeting!
I don’t really enjoy it when I receive cards or hurray messages telling me my name is also the name of an animal/pet the writer owns or knows. I get that a lot in face-to-face communication, too. It’s just happened so often I’m tired of it. People mean well with it - at least all the Postcrossers have meant well, some people face-to-face, I really wonder! - so I take it in stride.
I had a card recently where the sender told me they have a human child with the same name as me, though, and that was incredibly refreshing!
People like me you seem to make quick desicions. Please don’t think I don’t mind at all (the message?), I must have wrote something wrong if that’s how it’s understood! Maybe I’m just interested in reading anything at all
and it’s very very rare to get just “Happy postcrossing”.
Mainly I don’t think a person who sends a card to me, sends a same type of card to everyone.
(But yes, sometimes it can happen I get that feel, and was right, because I wrote to this person ) Still you with so little sent/received, maybe it’s been just bad luck. Let’s hope so!
But if that’s what makes you happy, it’s not too much effort And: it can be a good example for someone.
Topics like this also can turn things worse.
Like for me, things what I think about some country, it doesn’t have to be true or common. Just what I think about when I hear country.
Then reading that something is taken badly, some don’t enjoy reading about weather, some about this and that, won’t it make it easier to write “meaningless”? Most likely that won’t hurt anyone.
(I remember once a member wrote to me “sorry did you send another card, I felt I was dropped in your personal story, what happened before, what happened after? You write like I know you.” And it was written that it was too personal for them. But I try not to worry, I write what comes, sometimes very meaningless, sometimes more personal happenings. But it’s just one card. I hope no one will think what I do in one card, means I do in all my cards, for many years.)