rosabella
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Registered: 15-3-2011
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Sending cards from outside the country of residence
Here's a "problem" that a travelling postcrosser encounters:
I'm often away on holidays and for other purposes in different countries, and even though I've put my profile inactive, as in that I'm not recieving
any postcards, I would still very much like to send postcards from these countries I'm travelling in and make the postcrossers happy with cards from
unusual postcrossing countries.
The problem is the duration of the trip in one country is often shorter than 2 months, and as the address can only be changed every 60 days this means
that mostly the postcards sent from abroad seem to be arriving from my country of residence and not the country they are sent from.
I'd propose that even without without changing the address and in an inactive status, there would be a possibility to choose the country where the
postcard is sent from, when it is not the country of residence!
This could then perhaps be verified by the card receiver that yes, the postcard actually was from that country. (<-- if it's relevant?)
I hope to hear your ideas and the site manager's as well! Tried contacting someone about this via the postcrossing site a few times and no reply, so
decided to join the forum to get a point through.  |
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nyassa
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I would like to support this suggestion very strongly. I'm something of a wandering postcrosser too. At the moment I run two accounts, one for when
I'm in France and another for the UK because I'm usually but not always in one or the other. I'm rarely in France for more than 6 weeks.
I could probably manage on one account if this suggestion could be put into action somehow. As it is, people don't always like a card from a country
different from the ID, especially for tourist cards.
I can see there are all sorts of background problems with this, especially as far as statistics go, but maybe there could be some way of allocating a
temporary ID prefix.
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Jasmin
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I also support this idea! |
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monica
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My sister recently went on a trip to Canada. Knowing my affinity for postcards, she brought some back to Chicago for me. I happen to love these cards
so much that I know I am not going to give them away.
However, if these cards did not appeal to me, and if there was an option to "change" where I send my postcards from, how would you feel if I sent you
a card "from" Canada (when, really, I didn't go to Canada at all)? |
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nyassa
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Registered: 20-6-2008
Location: UK
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Quote: Originally posted by monica  |
However, if these cards did not appeal to me, and if there was an option to "change" where I send my postcards from, how would you feel if I sent you
a card "from" Canada (when, really, I didn't go to Canada at all)? |
That isn't quite the same thing because the Canadian cards would have a US stamp on them even if the ID could be changed to Canada.
In the proposed system (even if we haven't proposed a system, more a result) if you went to Canada and wanted to send cards from there they would have
a Canadian ID to match the card and the stamp. |
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rosabella
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Thanks Nyassa and others for encouragement! I think this would be an important improvement to those many who wish to send postcards from their
holidays.
The problematic part I guess would be the postcard id, because it is requested along with the address just by clicking "send a postcard". Although
after this there is another window where one has to click, yes I do want to send a postcard, and here could be two buttons, sending a postcard from my
country of residence, or sending a postcard elsewhere, by choosing the elsewhere one could pick a country and city where the postcard is sent from.
Maybe this would not be such a difficult one to code in, what do you think? |
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Myana
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Like it
i'm sending postcards form other countries often and people sometimes say they would reather have a postcard form slovenia. Next summer i'm going to
travel around MX, columbia, ecuador, peru, chile, panama, el salvador, argentina, ... those countries don't have many cards sent and i think it's a
great idea to send them with the ID where card is actually from.
And about stamps on the postcard, I think it's better that ID is same as the place on the postcard - for turistic postcards, some people send
postcards in evenlopes so there is no stamp on the postcard, I know some people collect stamps, i don't - just postcards, so for me it doesen't really
matter what stamp is on the postcard. but it's nice to see the statistics form which places you have postcards no matter where they are sent form. |
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nonili
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Location: Netherlands
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Like like like 
I'm also sending postcards from two countries all the time and honestly, I feel quite bad by sending postcards with another country's ID!
Hmmm I understood it like this that your resident country is the standard country but that on the page where you have to agree to the terms they could
put a box for choosing another country if you want to send it from a different country. But then you also would have to agree that you send it from
this country. But I think i's a great idea that the receiver has to confirm it. And if he does not... then maybe a new ID from the user's home country
could be assigned?
Sounds good but quite complicated  |
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rosabella
New Member
Posts: 8
Registered: 15-3-2011
Location: Iceland
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It's so nice that so many are sending cards from all over, when they travel or stay in other countries for a short time.  It really is too bad that postcrossing doesn't currently support this
activity at all.
Another idea how postcrossing could simply identify the country ID is that they record where the user signs in from. This tool is used in many social
network sites. So the physical location of the computer (or the IP address) is recognized and when a user is asking to send a postcard there would be
a pop-up asking if you want to send the card from the country where you logged in from. This would save the problem of switching countries (since it
can only be done once in 60 days anyway) and it would work even for shorter holidays.
The reason I'm pressing this subject is because I think there's something here, it's not that difficult to make it happen and I know many people
"suffer" from not being able to choose the correct country.
I'm going on a long round the world trip next year and would love to send postcards. However I know the country just won't keep up with me since it
can be changed only every 60 days so it would be wonderful if the ID:s would just follow where the user signs in to postcrossing.
Thoughts, ideas? |
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icicle
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Country Flag: Russia
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Like this ideas too!
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Collodion
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Registered: 25-10-2011
Location: Indiana
Country Flag: USA
Postcrossing Username: Collodion
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Oh, those are really good ideas!
I'm not a wandering user at all, so this won't affect me one bit...but I can easily see how others may want to have that option. |
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Symbiote
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I took two trips in October, and didn't send any postcrossing cards since I didn't want them to have the wrong country's ID on them.
I was in Ireland, which is rarer than I thought it was (it's not very far, and I know lots of Irish people, so I don't think of it as unusual). So
Postcrossers would probably have appreciated the cards.
Then I was in the USA, but I didn't want to draw an American address.
(Both times I sent postcards to friends instead.) |
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holidaybowl
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This is an excellent suggestion. For now, the postcards that I send have my home country ID, even if they are sent from abroad. I do travel and I
would like the option of changing my mailbox location while sending postcards away from home.
A related issue is with the Inactive feature. I don't use the Inactive feature because I want to be able to send postcards. I'm not home to register
the ones that I receive, but I put a note in my profile when I'm traveling (for an extended period) so that people know that I am not able to register
postcards as quickly as usual. It would be ideal to be able to have the inactive feature apply only to postcards that are received, if the
postcrosser so chooses.
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siobhan
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Posts: 1264
Registered: 17-5-2009
Location: Leverkusen, GER
Postcrossing Username: siobhan
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| Quote: Originally posted by holidaybowl | A related issue is with the Inactive feature. I don't use the Inactive feature because I want to be able to send postcards. I'm not home to register
the ones that I receive, but I put a note in my profile when I'm traveling (for an extended period) so that people know that I am not able to register
postcards as quickly as usual. It would be ideal to be able to have the inactive feature apply only to postcards that are received, if the
postcrosser so chooses.
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You can still send postcards while your account is set to inactive. |
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holidaybowl
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| Quote: Originally posted by siobhan | | Quote: Originally posted by holidaybowl | A related issue is with the Inactive feature. I don't use the Inactive feature because I want to be able to send postcards. I'm not home to register
the ones that I receive, but I put a note in my profile when I'm traveling (for an extended period) so that people know that I am not able to register
postcards as quickly as usual. It would be ideal to be able to have the inactive feature apply only to postcards that are received, if the
postcrosser so chooses.
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You can still send postcards while your account is set to inactive. |
The web site says that when you account is inactive, you do not receive cards and do not receive addresses to send cards. Am I wrong about that?
Thanks! |
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nyassa
Member
Posts: 291
Registered: 20-6-2008
Location: UK
Country Flag: United Kingdom
Postcrossing Username: nyassa
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If you plan to return after a short period of time (example: holidays) and you wish to continue sending postcards while on Inactive
status, you can. Note however, that if the period of inactivity is too long, the Postcrossing system might temporary block you from sending
more postcards if the difference between sent and received postcards is too large for your account. However, this block will automatically go away
once you reduce the difference between sent and received postcards.
Yes, you can continue sending and you will receive addresses up to a certain point. I frequently do. |
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Evinia
Member
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Registered: 16-11-2011
Location: Moscow
Country Flag: Russia
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| Quote: Originally posted by rosabella | Thanks Nyassa and others for encouragement! I think this would be an important improvement to those many who wish to send postcards from their
holidays.
The problematic part I guess would be the postcard id, because it is requested along with the address just by clicking "send a postcard". Although
after this there is another window where one has to click, yes I do want to send a postcard, and here could be two buttons, sending a postcard from my
country of residence, or sending a postcard elsewhere, by choosing the elsewhere one could pick a country and city where the postcard is sent from.
Maybe this would not be such a difficult one to code in, what do you think? |
Like this idea too!
I'm going to visit Thailand for the 3rd time and I know that there are many beautiful cards + this country is a rare place in Postcrossing. It would
be great to have two buttons, than I could send some cards from Phuket not with the Russian ID  |
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masito
Member
Posts: 1177
Registered: 27-4-2008
Location: Ascona, Ticino
Country Flag: Switzerland
Postcrossing Username: masito
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I don't care so much if the ID matches the country shown on the card, but I'm disappointed when a user from a rare country send me a card from Germany
or USA or so (it happened that I received a card with an Ecuador ID sent from USA (and showing USA)). But I'm happy if the opposite happens (I
received a card from Isle of Man with an italian ID). |
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Byurakn
New Member
Posts: 35
Registered: 15-6-2012
Location: Groningen, Netherlands
Country Flag: Armenia
Postcrossing Username: Byurakn
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Yeah, I was thinking of the same thing as well. I'm from quite a rare country but since I live in Germany, the cards I send out have a German ID. I
send Armenian cards and personally I don't care about the mismatch (I hope the receivers as well). However, I'm going back to Armenia for 3 weeks and
I would like to send some cards from there with Armenian ID (because the number of cards sent from Armenia is very small). I don't mind setting my
profile on inactive in that period but since I can change my address every 60 days, I still have to send the postcards with a German ID. |
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delenn_mir
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Posts: 309
Registered: 29-6-2006
Location: Krakow, Poland
Country Flag: Poland
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Mood: I see... sun!
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I also support this idea - I mean being able to change the country for a shorter period of time, not just every 60 days.
This summer I'm planning a trip abroad for 3 weeks and will not be sending any cards just because they would still be with Polish ID. I really dislike
cards sent from and/or showing a different country than the ID suggests, even if they are popular countries on Postcrossing.
Perhaps a "Vacation" option would be a solution? We could choose it, change the country for a week or two but keep our own address for receiving
cards? |
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Turquoiseozzie
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Posts: 47
Registered: 11-2-2012
Location: Sydney
Country Flag: Australia
Postcrossing Username: Turquoiseozzie
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| Quote: Originally posted by masito | | I don't care so much if the ID matches the country shown on the card, but I'm disappointed when a user from a rare country send me a card from Germany
or USA or so (it happened that I received a card with an Ecuador ID sent from USA (and showing USA)). But I'm happy if the opposite happens (I
received a card from Isle of Man with an italian ID). |
That happened to me. I got a card from Chile but it was of the Netherlands, one of the four countries which tops my 'received' list. I was very
disappointed indeed. The one chance I may have had to get a card from somewhere different and it didn't happen because the sender was Dutch, living
in Chile, and assumed they should send a Dutch card.
I have to admit I did send some cards from Los Angeles after my visit there in May. I probably should not have done that, but I wanted to reflect
what I had been doing, because living in Sydney, sometimes sending endless Opera House cards gets boring. |
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Neeky
New Member
Posts: 46
Registered: 7-5-2011
Location: Australia
Country Flag: Australia
Postcrossing Username: Neeky
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I think this would be a great idea. I travel often for work and many times I write postcards in my hotel room. It would be great to be able to send
them with an ID from that country. |
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Sionnan
Member
Posts: 74
Registered: 10-1-2013
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Country Flag: Canada
Postcrossing Username: Sionnan
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Mood: Spring? Is that you? Don't be shy.
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I, too, would love to see this implemented. I was recently in Rwanda and Tanzania, both of which are pretty rare by postcrossing standards. I sent
cards from there, hoping that people wouldn't mind receiving cards from those countries but with a Canadian ID. But it would be even nicer if those
cards showed up in the stats and on the map (both theirs and mine) as coming from Rwanda and Tanzania. |
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mwquilt
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Registered: 25-12-2009
Location: UK
Country Flag: UK
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I would really like to see this happen too, if it were possible to implement without too much work, time and stress |
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