Hearing that former President  Clinton flew into North Korea to meet with Kim Jong-il, I was was a bit  surprised. I wondered how that became possible. I got my answer today in an e-mail from Phillip Hulme, one of our card distributors:

Dee Dee Myers, press secretary under former President Bill Clinton, was interviewed this week. One of the questions was why Clinton was chosen to go on the mission to negotiate for the the release of the 2 American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who entered North Korean territory and had been held captive for 5 months.

It turns out that Bill Clinton had emerged as the top choice of the North Koreans because, when he was president, Clinton had sent Kim Jong-il a letter of condolence on the death of his father, Kim Il-sung, in 1994.
Apparently, Kim Jong-il felt that freeing the women was a “reciprocal humanitarian gesture” that he would agree to, since Bill Clinton had shown him such respect when his father died, even though there were no official diplomatic relations between the US and North Korea.

How amazing that a simple letter of condolence written 15 years ago would have that impact.

I think it this is very powerful message. If we would all just sit and think about this for a few minutes: what more could we do in our daily lives to be human with each other? What effects would that make for us today and in the years ahead? Could a thawing of diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea have started because of a condolence letter? What simple actions can we take to do something similar to that simple act of humanity with our friends, coworkers, clients, and competitors?

It’s definitely something worthwhile to think about, isn’t it?

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

“Short handwritten cards yield long results. In sales, never underestimate the importance of the personal gesture, and right at the top of the list of effective personal gestures sits the handwritten card. Always send memorable cards and personal notes when you are reminded of a person.”

- Harvey MacKay, Swim With the Sharks

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Readers of this blog, old and New,  If you have any interest in this blog, sending cards, starting a new career or building your present business, click on the “Referral Movie” .  It’s located in the sidebar.

The direct  link is http://www.socreferral.com/sandymorgan. After viewing, give us your feedback.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Happy New Year to you all! Been neglectful at  blogging, but nonetheless excited about  a fresh new year!   Many things have already happen in the first  23 days of 2009….  My niece married the love of her life, a new President is in the White House AND we have a new Card Editor on our Card Sending website.

Transitions  are exciting, fun and, at times, challenging.  It’s exciting choosing to move forward with a new lifestyle and improved ways of doing things. At the same time, new hurdles get in the way. For a split second, one may want to go back to the old ways, while moving forward creates new opportunities to grow!

Come try the new Card Editor! It allows more options in writing your message, placing your photos while seeing your finished product every step of the way!

Bet you think we raised the price of sending  a card! Wrong! Send you card for under a buck plus postage. Point your browser to http://www.greetingcardschangelives.com or http://www.jansfreecard4u.com

Click the banner  for an interactive demo the lets you send an actual card!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

NOTE FROM SANDY:  This is great news for card senders!  Now  we’ll  have even more features to use in designing our cards. The article mentions ‘screen shots’  which I did not add here.

“Sending Cards Corporate Blog

OK, maybe “leaked” isn’t the correct term since we’re releasing these images with permission from management, but this is the first time the general public will have access to screenshots of the new card editor.

For those of you who don’t know, the card catalog interface and the new card editor have been re-done, tested, and we’d like to announce a big Card Editor Release Party! We’ve been spreading the word that the new editor will launch at the beginning of 2009, and we hope you’ll stay tuned for details so you can attend via your computer. We also want to highlight some of the new features that you’ll have access to in the near future:

The new card catalog will display more cards per page for quicker searches, includes a large pop-up view of the front and inside of cards for a detailed close-up before making your selection, and other features to help simplify your search for the perfect card!

The editor itself features an attractive, easy-to-use interface and offers a larger font selection, the ability to change the size, color, and alignment of individual text blocks instead of being applied to the entire card, and a built-in spell check to ensure your cards are pristine and professional.

Another exciting feature that we know many of you have been dying to use is the new versatility of the personal signature. In the new card editor, you’ll be able to add text after signatures (for all you “P.S.” people) and can change the size, color, and alignment of your signature just like any other block of text.

Adding pictures to your cards will be easier than ever. You can add anything from a full-bleed image across the card as we did in the screenshot above or you can select from other arrangements and add in your  images. We’ll even let you know the image quality of photos so you’ll know if an image is well-suited for printing or not.

The recipient page now looks just like an envelope to remind you that your card (or cards) are being stuffed, stamped, and mailed for you. Also, one of the most exciting features with the new card editor is how we’ve streamlined the process of sending a single card to multiple recipients. You won’t need to create a campaign card any longer, but can search through your contacts and simply put a “check” next to those whom you’d like to send your card.

Our final shot features the confirmation screen, where you’ll find the “Send Card” button. It will give you a detailed breakdown of the points and postage you’ll be using and even allows you to add points or postage on the spot so you don’t have to lose your work just because you forgot to add funds, and all this in the name of making your card sending experience as easy as we can. After all, our system is all about convenience.

Now this brings us back to the New Card Editor Release Party we’ll be hosting in 2009, which you can attend online. It will be broadcasted LIVE, here at the home office in Salt Lake City, and we need YOU to spread the word to your organization.

December 20, 2008 3:27 PM , Anonymous Sandy Morgan said…

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO! Can’t wait! Can I put this on my blog?

Sandy,

You can definitely put this on your blog! Thanks for sharing it with others. You can also use the “Share this Post” link to share this post with your e-mail contacts and on applications like Facebook.”

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

So far you have seen glimpses of what our cards look like. If you haven’t, click on the “Creative Cards” category on the right.

….. But do you actually understand these greeting cards are sent though the U.S. postal service?  People are receiving cards by mail!  With all the sophisticated technology of the 21st century you readers may still be thinking we’re talking about the “cutesy E-Card”, so famous to computer users.  Cards generated by this service are definitely NOT E-Cards! These cards are Real, stamped and mailed cards that allows anyone to keep in contact with grandparents as well as other relatives who may not so computer savvy.

You are looking at the cards from a web-based card service company, located in Utah. Yet I sent this particular greeting for my friend Claudia as I sat at my computer at home (see Creative Cards).  Awesome, huh?

You can include photos on a custom card, which I decided to do for this birthday card.  This is a popular feature by all that use the system!

With the click of your mouse, you can choose a card from well over 12,000, type your message, as I did for Claudia’s surprise party, and send it on.  The company in Utah does the rest!

What is really nice about this is that I can have birthday and anniversary reminders for each person I have in my Contact List. I am reminded to send a card 7 days before someone has a birthday or anniversary.  I love knowing that I will never forget a special event again!

Do you like to include something in the card you send? No problem!  Gift Cards from major stores (Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Old Navy, even American Express) and food goodies can be included when sending your card. It’s like one stop shopping from your home!

Many of my friends have come to me, asking “How can I do this?”  In no time they have become a customer!  And love it!!

If this interests you, please don’t hesitate to contact us by commenting on this post or sending a free card at my demo site  at http://www.sendoutcards.com/3721!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I’m sad. I want to be in Utah today, giving support t0 my dear friend Kody and family, as they put Kody’s Mother to rest. Diane Bateman passed over Tuesday, February 26th.

Kody knows the importance of keeping in touch with those you love, keeping lines of communication open. He also knows that keeping that open communication with clients/customers is good for business as well.

To quote Kody,

“A prompting is a gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to others. When you read the stories of people in need, you will, likely, not know the person you are reading about. If you are prompted to send a card to that person, that is a gift to you. The card you send is your gift to that person. This is what sending out to give is all about.”

-Kody Bateman, CEO of Card Company

Thanks, Kody, for giving me the technology to communicate my gift!

Sandy

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!