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Comment by wrongcards | Hacker News Reader

I've been running my side project - free ecards that are wrong for every occasion - (https://wrongcards.com) for eighteen years. I felt like the internet needed something like that, back in 2008. Back then, it was a tribute to the 90s era of terrible, awful ecards websites, about which I had become oddly nostalgic. It was also semi-intentionally a terrible idea from a SEO perspective (ecause, like, search engines aren't going to help anyone find what is ostensibly WRONG for every occasion) and I built the entire thing out of spite towards what I thought of as the 'new web'.

Now, almost 20 years later, I find I want to preserve something from the old days before it all looked like, well, gestures around wildly. It would be a relief not to maintain the site anymore. But I feel like I'd be disappointing a lot of people, as well. I have no idea how long I'm going to keep this going.

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I just spent 15 minutes I don't have, browsing your site and chuckling.

Thank you! :-)

(PS. maybe just freeze it so it's up but don't spend / spend minimal time on maintenance, if that's possible?)

(PPS. maybe integrate with some of those "send a postcard" sites so that people can also send actual physical cards using your designs? or buy them (high-res PDF for printing)

Hey, that's lovely, and I'm glad.

I did simplify the ecard send/receive mechanism - there's been four or five different iterations of the app, and validating emails was nightmarish. As of a few months ago I just let people create and copy-paste 'links with messages', which has made my life considerably easier.

I did print 1000 boxes of postcards years ago - in about 2012, I think. they turned out looking really beautiful, in print. It's a funny story, actually, because I put them on Amazon and forgot all about them, entirely (I was working a full-time job at the time at a university). I still have a few hundred boxes left I've been giving away to people.

I've had a few people contact me in the interest of facilitating that service, but they seemed kinda slimey. I think you're right; I should probably set up print-on-demand. But again, side projects, huh?!

I once used an "over the hill at 30" birthday card totally inappropriately, but much more funny... in the card it lambasted getting older and on the third page after the turn, "it could be worse, you could be turning 40"... giving that card to someone who was turning 40.

Definitely think there's more room to use inappropriate cards and even in inappropriate ways for more humor.

I’ve had an idea for the last 15 years.

~10 bucks and a card is printed and mailed to address for you. Add a few bucks for a handwritten note.

I still think this is a good idea. I just had too many other failed ideas to put the time into it.

I'm aware of at least one business that does this already.

Which one?

https://www.handwrytten.com/

I guess it depends on your definition of "handwritten"; they're actually robotically written, so no actual human hands are involved.

Maybe you could try to find somebody to take over or help you maintain it?

I've got friends who've helped, now and then. But all my friends are either too busy being successful in their career, or too fundamentally silly and unreliable. That said, I don't rule it out. It'd be a shame for the site to disappear off the web, forever.

Also, there's 701 cards. I have this mad idea I should get to at least 1000, before bowing out.

It's a good project. I had a look at a couple and they were very funny but I won't look at all of them anyway.

Just keep the site up sounds enough!

Maybe ask Hacker News if anyone wants to take over running it? — i.e. post the question on Ask HN.

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