Big News at GroupCard

How do we celebrate our special events here at GroupCard? With a GroupCard, of course! We started a Congratulations card for John, one of the founders, and his fiancée, Katie, as they get "hitched" this weekend. The card will be delivered on Saturday, June 29^th- the big wedding day. Check it out and leave a message for John and Katie! http://www.groupcard.com/c/DfPdXqwkcqw

In other news, there are celebrity cards going for both Richard Simmons and Harrison Ford. They're neck-and-neck. Are you kidding me people? Add your birthday wishes here: http://www.groupcard.com/celebrity_cards.php

Families use GroupCard to Organize Group Gifts to Coaches and Teachers

As school concludes and summer activities heat up, we’re excited to see parents and athletes starting to use GroupCard to thank their teachers and coaches.

Susie Toussaint, a super-involved mom, started a card for her son’s baseball team coach and 25 other families signed. “GroupCard is such an easy, flexible, and unique way to send teacher gifts and coach thank-you cards. I love that you can upload photos of the team or use the clip art to personalize each individual signature. The kids loved using the different fonts. I never thought of online cards as personal until I used GroupCard.”

Using the gift card feature is also proving to be an easy, efficient way to collect contributions to a gift from the team. “Using GroupCard saved the hassle of collecting checks and organizing people to sign a physical card,” mentioned Susie.

Many of the parents ordered the printable pdf not only for the coach, but for themselves as well. Susie “loved looking back at the funny pictures and reading what the kids wrote.”

Luke, a student and the creator of a GroupCard for his teacher, told us, “I found out about GroupCard through a friend who created a birthday GroupCard for a friend. I am the president of a student organization NC State University and wanted all of our officers to sign a card for our faculty advisor. GroupCard made it simple and convenient for everyone to sign. It also provides a great way to go back and easily view the card."

Has your team used GroupCard? Send us your experience: feedback@groupcard.com

In living color - Now you can get your GroupCard Printed! (BETA)

Every day we get a handful of awesome emails from users asking... er BEGGING for a printed GroupCard. We never expected such big demand! After quite a bit of trial and error (and sadly killing a few trees) we've finally come up with a way to offer printed cards. Our first try is a rough beta, but we think you'll love the final product!

Visit our print page to learn more about how you can choose from three different options

1) "Poster Card" These cards make a real impression! For this solution, we print your card out on high quality poster paper, and send it to you in a roll. It's great for displaying your GroupCard on the wall in your cubicle, office, room, garage, or (if you're really popular and have a lot of signatures) along the side of a school bus! Rich (our Chief Creative Officer) actually does this all by hand, so you're sure to get a high quality product with great attention to detail! Current charge is $14.99, though if you have a HUGE card, we may need to charge you more.

2) "Flip Book"


Perfect for passing around at a party, for a coffee table, or just keeping handy in the bookshelf. This option is slightly more expen$ive b/c we use a third party provider. Current charge is $24.99

3) "DIY"




For this, we send you a pdf file that you can basically print out on your own printer at home or the office. It is great if you need the card NOW, or if you just want something quick and easy to keep on your desk. Current charge is $4.99, and this is to help us cover some extra software and computing work that this rendering requires.

New Sequential Art Grad is floored by his GroupCard!

Joe Luby of Central Florida had a longtime dream of pursuing a degree in Sequential Art at the Savannah College of Art & Design. Joe was finally able to obtain his dream through much persistance and sacrifice. For awhile, he & his wife, Jessica, had to live in different states, they endured a couple of relocations, and Joe even managed to finish his last two courses online while being a stay-at-home dad for their new baby boy, Caelan. Jessica wanted to show Joe just how proud everyone was of his accomplishment, and decided to do so with a GroupCard graduation card. Joe was absolutely floored when he received the graduation card signed by all his friends and family. In fact, the outpouring of support by everyone who signed the card left Joe positively speechless.

Jessica knew Joe would love the card. She's created several cards on the website, and everyone has received them with glee. As Jessica told us:

[GroupCard is] an amazing spin on the e-card. GroupCard has taken informal e-cards and transformed them into an amazing interactive personal card. My husband was floored when he received his graduation card. I am a huge fan and am sharing the site with anyone who will listen! Thank you!

News Flash: GroupCard officially launches GroupCard Gifts!

... an envelope gets passed around around the office, collecting money for a coworker's baby shower
... one of the PTA moms called you to add to the class gift for a special teacher
... you're in charge of buying a group "thank you" gift for your soccer coach, to thank her for your coach for her hours and hours of support

Starting today, GroupCard has the perfect solution for all these situations....

Here's how it works:

1. One person (the creator) initiates the card on the GroupCard.com website, choosing from hundreds of designs.
2. The card is then circulated via email and other web alerts (such as Facebook). Each contributor is invited to sign by adding a personalized message with unique fonts and pictures.
3. Each card signer may optionally contribute to the GroupCard Gift. Gifts can be of almost any amount, and individual contributions are kept anonymous. Each payment is quickly and securely transacted online via credit card or PayPal.
4. On a pre-set delivery time, the GroupCard is delivered to the recipient, who may then redeem the GroupCard Gift for an Amazon.com® Gift Card. The recipient may then also send a thank you note to all the contributors via the GroupCard.com Web site.

Today we announced GroupCard Gifts, and how GroupCard Gifts can be redeemed by recipients for an Amazon.com Gift Card.

Below are some of the early press hits...
Payments news
ecocoma
http://it.einnews.com/news/paypal
Yahoo News
Greensheet.com
Daylife.com

Blog Posts
http://www.parenthacks.com/
http://www.daylife.com/topic/Cher

Here's the PDF of the press release

Families send GroupCard Gifts to Iraq to honor Purple Heart Soldiers

GroupCard Gifting (our feature which allows people to attach a collective gift to a GroupCard) is now live and already growing. We've heard many stories about real situations where friends and family rallied to send a powerful group sentiment in the form of a GroupCard Gift. For example, one early report came from a family in Ontario who sent a GroupCard Gift to their father, who in turn redeemed it for an Amazon.com ® Gift Card to buy a brand new snow blower.

I am proud to report that not one, but TWO of our early GroupCard Gifts have been delivered to US soldiers who are serving in Iraq. Their stories are a remarkable coincidence - each of the soldiers had recently been awarded a Purple Heart for heroism in separate tragic events. In both cases their families rallied to send a GroupCard Gift. Both cards gathered dozens of signatures and collected over $100 in contributions for the heroes. Both Tim and Steve (the recipients, who are both on active duty in Iraq) will actually be able to have their orders from Amazon.com® shipped to them overseas.

It's a huge honor that GroupCard served as the means for these men to be recognized for their heroism. Below are the emails that I received from the card creators - Steve's wonderful wife and Tim's incredible mother-in-law. I hope you enjoy


Dear Mr. Anderson, First off, let me thank you for making up such a wonderful thing as "GroupCard" I believe that people like me and my family will use the program for years to come. I have spread the word about your program to friends and family. I especially love the opportunity to attach an Amazon gift card to the note! So far the process has worked well for my group. I am looking forward to when the GroupCard gets sent to my husband. My husband Steve is currently serving his second tour in Iraq with the Third Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, GA. This rotation has been quite difficult and challenging for all of us. In January his Hummvee was struck by an IED, wounding his driver, killing his gunner and leaving my husband with some shrapnel injuries to his neck, shoulder and face. By the Grace of God he was able to walk away from the accident and had minor surgery in country. He recently was awarded the Purple Heart. I wanted to surprise him with something special, and let him know how many people care about him. He has 10 more months left to serve on his 15 month tour. That's the story behind the note! I know he will be grateful for the note and for the gift card as well. As of today there is $177 on the gift card and 24 signatures! Thank you once again. Lea-Ann Wadleigh

Hi, John,
The card was for Sgt. Tim Klibbe. Tim is part of the 3ID, Unit is 1-30, Marne Task Force. He is stationed at F.O.B. Falcon, doing P.S.D. for his SGT. Major. Tim has won his Purple Heart. He was badly injured when his Bradley was hit with an IED. He dragged 2 of his comrades out of the burning vehicle. His original Unit has been decimated by severe injuries. But, Tim is still there, still serving. He credits his Chaplain for helping him get through the heartache of having his fellow troops so badly wounded. Tim is the husband of Regan, and father of 2 little girls, Aria and Lily (pictures attached). We were delighted to find the GroupCard so that many of us could encourage him all at the same time. Thank you for a great concept!! He loved it!! - Cher Nelson

Kenny from NY celebrates the big 4-0 with GroupCard!

The morning of May 14th wasn't just an ordinary morning for Kenrick Adams; he was turning the big 4-0! As Kenny looked forward to his day off of work, he checked his e-mails (because, hey, you never know who might send you an e-mail on your birthday!). Waiting in Kenny's e-mail inbox was a GroupCard started by his wife, Yvette, and signed by well over 60 of his closest friends and family. Kenny was completely blown away by all the people who took time out to sign a touching card for him. As he read through all the signatures and photographs, he was moved to tears, then laughter, and back again many times! Kenny loved the card so much, he continues to read it again and again! Perhaps Kenny's feelings are best summed up by what he wrote in his thank-you e-mail to all his well-wishers;

"Words cannot express how much this card has touched me. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!"

Getting into GroupCard for Graduation!

With hundreds of people to congratulate and limited time between finals and graduation, students have started telling us how they loved GroupCard. Amber Epperson, a past president of Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity, and sister of Chi Omega Sorority exclaims that "GroupCard was an easy way for a lot of my friends to congratulate me on graduating. People from multiple groups that I am involved with signed it without me even knowing."

The graduates also really enjoyed the personalization features. Callie Dlugas, an Accounting major told me: "I felt loved. I also liked that my friends could add pictures of us". Amber adds: "I really enjoyed the different fonts and images- it brought out everyone's personality in their signatures. Receiving my GroupCard from my college friends reminded me of my high school yearbook; I even printed it out and keep it on my desk as a memory of graduation!"

The signers of the graduation GroupCards also enjoyed the being able to contribute. "What a sweet idea! My roommate loved seeing that all her friends wanted to congratulate her for graduating!" said Courtney Emert, an English major at Arizona. Contributors also got a kick out of reading what their friends wrote to the recipient.

Overall the students at the University of Arizona have become big fans of GroupCard. These students are not waiting for 2009 graduation to use GroupCard again, they are already using it to thank professors, congratulate award winners, celebrate birthdays, and recognize sports heroes. We are looking forward to many more Arizona GroupCards!

David Cook truly is an American Idol

Right now there's an awesome celebrity "congratulations" card for David Cook (the presumptive winner of this season's American Idol). Over two hundred people have signed it in the last half hour..... including someone who thinks Obama is not going to win?It's still early, but this card appears to have has enough early traction to be bigger than our cards for the Wheel of fortune or BowWow

A Little Love from the Library... Menasha Library Director is hooked!

Tasha Saecker, director of the Menasha Public Library and an avid blogger, recently discovered GroupCard. Tasha was so impressed with the website that she raved about it in one of her blogs. Here's what she had to say:

"Just got invited to participate in my first GroupCard and I am hooked! I used it on Facebook to sign a card for a colleague's birthday, and it is not only a friendly interface, but a lot of fun as well.

Just select the card you want, sign it, using the sweet image interface to add pictures, give the email address of the person you want to send it to and the date it should be sent, and invite others to sign it as well.

Seriously, this is the way to do cards for colleagues who work in other facilities. It just rocks!" Posted by Tasha Saecker on May 19, 2008 1:08 PM

Thanks, Tasha, for the shout-out. We think you're great, too!

A graduation celebrated around the world

I just emailed with Benedicte Kjobstad, a GroupCard user from Bergen, Norway (as she calls it "the raniest city in Europe". She had just created an amazing graduation GroupCard for her sister, Charlene. Benedicte highlighted to me how a GroupCard really brought together family and friends who are spread around the world (Bergen, Vermont, Berkeley, Lousiana, DC, Indiana, and beyond...). Charlene is the perfect example of a deserving recipient. Her accomplishment, culminating with her graduation from Law School at Northeastern, is quite an inspiration for all of us here at GroupCard.


"My sister worked extremely hard over the past 7 years, getting a full scholarship to Boston University and putting herself through law school at Northeastern University. Raised by our single mother, who always told us to never give up and always follow our dreams, despite our hardships. Charlene began talking about being a lawyer when she was in middle school and now, through her hard work, dedication, persistence, combined with a positive outlook on life she has accomplished her goal! She is a success story!

I currently live in Norway, and realize how difficult it is to communicate with family and friends, who are spread across the world. So, groupcard.com was an awesome way to tell my sister how much we care about her and how happy we are for her achievement! Thanks Groupcard for helping me and my loved ones spread some joy!!!!! "


VITALS:
GroupCard: A global Graduation Card for Charlene
Creator: Benedicte Kjobstad, Norway
Contributors: 20 family friends from around the world.. from Bergen to Berkeley
Notable fact: Charlene is a big achiever, and her graduation was celebrated by family and friends around the world

MothersDay 2008 - Our first official PR

Last Minute Mother’s Day Greetings from the Whole Family - GroupCard

Greetings from the group - Families around the world can now come together online to sign a Mother’s Day card for mom

Menlo Park, CA, April 8, 2008 – GroupCard, a new online service, allows family members to come together online to sign mom’s Mother’s Day card. Families around the world are using the Web site, which virtually re-creates the familiar “group office card” experience. Whether your brother is stationed overseas, your sister is traveling abroad, or the nephews are living across the country, each can log on to sign mom’s GroupCard by adding a picture and a personalized message. GroupCard is free, eco-friendly, and with just two days before mothers’ day, it is practically the only way everyone in the family can add their sentiment to a single special greeting for mom.............

Want to see the whole thing? Here's the PDF of the release

Cool Press: SquidNote (GroupCard) on CNet WebWare

A cool review of SquidNote (our Beta Site) by Josh Lowensohn of CNet's WebWare:

"Many folks might have experienced this at one time or another in high school or later on in college. That awkward time you had someone with whom you weren't really friends sign your yearbook. The result was usually the wonderfully vague "have a great summer!" written as speedily as possible. You might have even written the phrase yourself. Later in life, this comes back to haunt us all, when co-workers we might not know very well get a group card for leaving, getting married, having children, etc. A virtual equivalent to such a card called GroupCard manages to emulate the real thing with character and ease. Despite my general dislike of virtual greeting cards, GroupCard makes the entire experience rather enjoyable." continued....

Cool Press: USAToday Pop Candy!

A fun early review of SquidNote (our Beta Site) by Windy Matheson at the USAToday Pop Candy

"If you work in an office, you've probably had to deal with the group greeting-card situation: First, you have to secretly pass around the thing, then you have two minutes to think of something brilliant to scrawl inside a tiny space. A new website, GroupCard, is trying to make the whole process a little more creative. Log on, and you can create a virtual card for any occasion. "Signatures" can be made in different fonts and include personalized images. There's also no page limit, so you can say as much or as little as you want." Continued...

A SquidNote (GroupCard) for Om Malik

On December 28th, The infamous Om Malik had a heart attack. Rich immediately created a great card for him, we passed it to a few friends, and the card ultimately was passed around quite a bit. 54 People signed the card (look close, and you'll recognize some of the names). We wish OM the best, and we're doing our best to make sure the card gets delivered.

OM's card