Jon, don't be so hard on people. They don't understand. They love getting the cards and they assume other people like getting them also. I like getting them. I have just learned to live with the spam...just like Tuesday junk mail at home. I just delete and throw away. I know I am naive and someone out there knows more about me than they should. Hey, let them be bored to death.

What I hate are the spammers who pretend "someone" has sent you an e-card, just to get you to visit their site to collect it. Bam! you've been taken in. Bah. I get enough spam anyway, I don't mind real people sending me e-cards, though.

I find Hallmark ecards not too bad - I've gotten lots of them and have never gotten any spam from them. (I have 2 email addresses that have remained spam free - I never use them to register anything on the internet) I've gotten e cards at both of these with no problems. I never send them anymore though - I found that I now think of them as a bit - well - boring I guess. I'd rahter write a message.

I hate e-cards with a passion. But as Cindra said, the friends who send them mean well, they just aren't aware of the potential problems. I've tried once or twice asking people to refrain from sending them to me, but it's a very tricky thing to convey that I appreciate the thought but not the medium.

Geez, I didn't know they use ecards for spam - really? I don't think I've ever had a spam influx after getting ecards. Maybe it depends on the ecard vendor? I don't get a lot of them. I occasionally send one, usually to my folks. My mom sends all her email to me with stationery backgrounds. Sometimes it's just, you know, puppies and stuff and sometimes it's actually cute. It used to drive me crazy when I had dial-up because it would take forever to download and then it would have this really lame music (believe me, worse than spam, much worse). She has Alzheimers so I figure if she can find this stuff and figure out how to use it more power to her.

I suppose we just need to educate people about things which are bad: e-cards, top-posting, HTML emails, etc. Now, where did I put that cluestick?

You have to check the privacy policy of the e-card vendor. I just checked in at American Greetings (requires membership) and they have a stated policy of not sharing their addresses. Hallmark has a similar policy. The Baci chocolate site has e-cards and they state right above where you enter your email adress that they don't share their addresses with anyone. When you're educating people with your cluestick, be sure to be specific about it - people should check the privacy policy!!

I will add the amendment to the stick. :P

I just got an e-mail telling me how I could make my "penis" grow. Did somebody here send me that pleasant greeting? Since I don't own a "penis" I am not interested. Those are the spam I can't stand... oh and the one about college co-eds.

I think the spammers have just as much right as anyone else to "harvest" your email to make a buck as anyone else in the world.If they use a few subtleties to get your attention with some colorful emails,then so be it!I got a new video card just YESTERDAY,and the true 32 bit color on my screen just makes me want to look at junk email or whatever else just to stay in front of my pc!I know that sounds kindof strange,but at least I did'nt say what I do once the screen goes out at night:PFWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaailovedogs

just found this site looking for evil ecards. Aren't there any e cards for people you hate? There's someone I'd like to send one to and picture her opening it and "fuckin bitch!" comes out of the speakers. But then you wouldn't have the fun of seeing their face when they opened it.