Electronic Greetings Day – November 29, 2024

History
Timeline
FAQs
Importance
Celebrate

Electronic Greetings Day is on November 29, and we celebrate by sending e-cards to every person on our contact list that we haven’t chatted with in a while. Can you imagine that only 5% of Americans were on social media in 2005? E-cards, also known as electronic cards, are digital greeting cards or postcards created using digital media. These cards are usually sent via email or social media and don’t require the recipient to print them out. E-cards can contain animation and text and are of various types, including video e-cards, e-cards games, mobile e-cards, and flash animation.

History of Electronic Greetings Day

While the telegraph, invented in the late 19th century, marked the beginning of innovation in communications technology, it was when the internet arrived a century later that social media became possible. The first social media variant, the PLATO system, was launched in 1960. The system entered the market while the first iteration of the internet, the ARPANET, was still in the works. The PLATO system offered a message-forum application (Notes), an instant messaging feature (TERM-talk), an online chat room (Talkomatic), and more.

In 1967, the ARPANET came online and evolved into the internet in the 1970s. That was followed by the introduction of personal computers (P.C.s) in the 1980s. Both of these inventions set the stage for the development of social media in the 1990s and beyond.

In November 1994, one of the earliest social networking services, GeoCities, entered the market. Close behind it was Classmates, launched in 1995, and then SixDegrees, the first online platform that allowed the use of real names, in 1997. SixDegrees is considered the first social networking site as it allowed people to sign up with their email, great profiles, and add friends to their personal network.

The 2000s saw the explosion of social media platforms, including LinkedIn, MySpace, and Friendster. Platforms like Photobucket and Flickr introduced online photo sharing, and YouTube revolutionized how videos are shared online. In 2006, Facebook and Twitter took the world by storm, becoming the two most popular social media platforms in the world. Between 2009 and the 2010s, the world saw the introduction of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat, allowing photo and video sharing. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, TikTok became well known, quickly becoming popular among millennials and Gen Zs.

Electronic Greetings Day timeline

21st Century

The Era of Social Media

The launch of social sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

1997

The First Social Networking Site

SixDegrees launch introduces features that allow you to create a real profile and connect with people over the internet.

1970s

The Internet is Born

The ARPANET evolves into the internet following the publication of the first T.C.P.

1960

The First Social Networking Variant

The University of Illinois develops the PLATO system.

Electronic Greetings Day FAQs

When did eCards start?

Ecards were invented in 1994 by Judith Donath, the founder of the Social Media Group at MIT.

Are e-cards still popular?

E-cards are now more popular than ever. The 2020 pandemic brought the need for people to look for new ways to connect in isolation and over long distances.

What is the best site for e-cards?

Some of the best e-greeting card services include Greenvelope, Smilebox, Punchbowl, Paperless Post, Evite, and Postable.

Electronic Greetings Day Activities

Send an electronic greeting
If you have been looking for a reason to message old friends you haven’t spoken to in years, here is one. Use platforms like Evite, Postable, Canva, and Greenvelope to design an e-card and post it via social media or email to the intended person. If you don’t want to go through that, simply send a greeting GIF or emoji to them on Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, or Facebook.
Play games
Apps like Messenger, iMessage, Facebook, and Snapchat offer games that you can play in a group. If e-cards are not your thing, you can invite your friends for a social game night, including the old ones.
Design e-cards for Christmas and the new year
Christmas and, by extension, the New Year is almost knocking at our doorsteps. Even though it’s like a month away, it still doesn’t stop you from starting the necessary preparations. Draw out a list of people you need to send a greeting card to this holiday, choose card designs on your preferred e-greeting card services and schedule them to send on the suitable dates. Don’t forget to include old friends!

5 Interesting Facts About The Internet

More accounts than users
Twitter has about three billion accounts, but only an average of 320 million are active monthly.
The most Instagrammed food
Pizza takes the title of the most Instagrammed food, followed by sushi and steak.
The all-knowing Google
Google has answered over 450 billion unique queries since 2003.
Pinterest is news-trusted
About 81% of American women trust Pinterest for news and information.
A staggering amount of watched videos
Snapchat users watch about six billion videos every day.

Why We Love Electronic Greetings Day

An opportunity to connect with old friends
Many of us haven’t messaged some of our friends in a long time. Why? Maybe because we don’t have many reasons to do so. Electronic Greetings Day offers an opportunity to send them a message, share memories, and probably reconnect with them.
Electronic Greetings Day is fun
Aside from connecting with old friends, Electronic Greetings Day presents an opportunity to share exciting moments with family and loved ones on social media. Social networking apps like FaceTime, Google Meet, Messenger, and Zoom allow you to play games with others. Also, you can watch your favorite series and latest movies from your favorite streaming site with your loved ones on these platforms.
Electronic Greetings are fast
Whether you are sending an e-card, message, GIF, live emojis, or a memorable video, you can expect your recipient to receive it instantly. Unlike before the advent of the internet or mail when messages usually take weeks or even months to deliver, we now have a faster and better means of communication.