Postcrossing#History

To be eligible to receive a postcard, a member must first send one. When a member requests to send a postcard they are given the address of another member and a unique postcard ID (e.g. US-787). They send a postcard to that address with the postcard ID displayed. Costs of postcards and postage fees are the responsibility of the user sending the card.

When the recipient registers that postcard ID, the sender becomes eligible to receive postcards.{{cite web| last = Crews| first = Barbara| date = 2007-07-01| title = Random Postcards from Around the World: Postcrossing!| publisher = about.com| url = http://collectibles.about.com/od/postcards/a/postcrossing707.htm| access-date = 2009-01-01| archive-date = 2011-07-16| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110716055756/http://collectibles.about.com/od/postcards/a/postcrossing707.htm| url-status = dead}}

Each member can write profile text visible to the sender which can contain personal information and postcard preferences. The Postcrossing system allows two members to exchange postcards only once. By default, members will exchange postcards with countries other than their own but they can decide to exchange postcards with other users in their own country. Users can express a preference not to send to repeated countries but it does not guarantee that there will be no repetitions.

Initially each member can have up to five postcards traveling at a time. Once five cards are in transit they need to wait for a card to be registered as received before they can request another address. The limit increases as users build experience exchanging cards, up to a maximum limit of 100.{{cite web | last = Magalhães | first = Paulo| title = Postcrossing - Help - How many postcards can I send? | publisher = postcrossing.com | url = http://www.postcrossing.com/help/how-many-postcards-can-i-send | access-date = 2009-01-01 }} A small proportion of postcards do not get registered as received because they get lost en route, have an unreadable ID, or are received by members who are no longer active. The system attempts to adjust for these issues to reduce the difference between the number of sent and received postcards of each member.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

Membership is free and anyone with an address can create an account. The greatest numbers of members, known as postcrossers, are in Russia, Taiwan, and the United States.{{cite web|accessdate=2025-01-18 |archivedate=2025-01-17 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250117222835/https://www.postcrossing.com/explore/countries |publisher=Postcrossing |title=Countries in Postcrossing |url=https://www.postcrossing.com/explore/countries}} Globally, most postcrossers reside in North America, Europe, and East Asia. {{As of|January 2025}}, about 40 % of the combined total of postcards were sent from Germany, the United States, and Russia.

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{{note|tableupdated|a}}Table last updated January 18, 2025

Postcrossing was created by Paulo Magalhães. It was initially a hobby based on his enjoyment of receiving postcards:{{cite web | last = Faxon | first = Hilary | date = 2008-07-17 | title = Interview: Paulo Magalhães, Founder of Postcrossing.com | publisher = shanghaiist.com | url = http://shanghaiist.com/2008/07/17/interview_with_postcrossing_founder.php | access-date = 2009-01-01 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120217051850/http://shanghaiist.com/2008/07/17/interview_with_postcrossing_founder.php | archive-date = 2012-02-17 | url-status = dead }} "The element of surprise of receiving postcards from different places in the world (many of which you would probably never have heard of) can turn your mailbox into a box of surprises–and who wouldn't like that?"{{cite journal | last = Widmer | first = Laurent | year = 2008 | title = Where is your postcard? | url = http://www.upu.int/union_postale/2008/en/1.pdf | journal = Union Postale | access-date = 2009-01-01}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} He started the website on July 14, 2005, hosted at his home on an old computer in a clothes closet. The project rapidly grew internationally, initially via word-of-mouth then promoted by media attention.

The millionth Postcrossing postcard was received on April 11, 2008.{{cite web | date = 2008-04-11 | title = Postcrossing Hits 1 Million Exchanged Cards | publisher = prlog.org | url = http://www.prlog.org/10063670-postcrossing-hits-1-million-exchanged-cards.html | access-date = 2009-01-01 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2008/04/30/a-million-cards-contest---update |title=A million cards' contest - update |author=Ana (meiadeleite) |date=April 30, 2008 |website=Postcrossing |access-date=January 24, 2021}} The project's popularity continued to accelerate, reaching two million in February 2009.{{cite web |url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2009/02/26/2-million-received-postcards-yay-can-you-believe-it |title=2 million received postcards! YAY! Can you believe it? |last=Magalhães |first=Paulo |date=February 26, 2009 |website=Postcrossing |access-date=January 24, 2021}} The five millionth postcard was received in August 2010,{{cite web |url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2010/08/24/5000000-postcards-received |title=5000000 postcards received! |author=Ana (meiadeleite) |date=August 24, 2010 |website=Postcrossing |access-date=January 24, 2021}} shortly after the project's fifth anniversary,{{cite web | date = 2010-07-14 | title = 5 years and counting | url = http://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2010/07/13/5-years-and-counting | access-date = 2010-07-14 }} and the 10 millionth postcard was registered in January 2012.{{cite web |url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2012/01/27/10-000-000-registered-postcards |title=10,000,000 registered postcards! |author=Ana (meiadeleite) |date=January 27, 2012 |website=Postcrossing |access-date=January 24, 2021}} {{As of|2025}}, approximately one million postcards are registered every two or three months, passing the milestone of 80 million postcards received on January 7, 2025.

File:Postcrossing Stats (July 2005–December 2024).png

The first Postcrossing-themed stamp was released by PostNL in 2011. Since then more than a dozen countries' postal services have followed suit and some released multiple Postcrossing-themed stamps.{{cite web |url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/tag/postcrossing-stamp |title=Postcrossing Blog: Posts tagged "postcrossing-stamp" |publisher=Postcrossing |access-date=16 August 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://philatelicpursuits.wordpress.com/2018/10/25/postcrossing-on-stamps-a-catalogue/ |title=Postcrossing on Stamps: A Catalogue |publisher=Philatelic Pursuits |author=Mark Joseph Jochim |date=October 25, 2018 |access-date=16 August 2020}}{{cite web |url=https://stampaday.wordpress.com/2018/10/25/national-stamp-collecting-month-postcards-postcrossing/ |title=National Stamp Collecting Month: Postcards & Postcrossing |publisher=A Stamp A Day |author=Mark Joseph Jochim |date=October 25, 2018 |access-date=16 August 2020}} The majority of the stamps have been launched in partnership with the Postcrossing community but some "unofficial" stamps displayed the Postcrossing trademark without approval of the Postcrossing organization.

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| footer = Some Postcrossing stamps; from left to right, up to down:
1. January 2, 2014 {{flag|Belarus}} Belposhta released their own Postcrossing-themed stamp in Belarus; the stamp was designed by Inga Turlo and features the words "Happy Postcrossing" in both English and Belarusian;{{cite web|title=A new Postcrossing stamp, from Belarus!|url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2013/12/24/a-new-postcrossing-stamp-from-belarus|website=Postcrossing.com |date=24 December 2013 |access-date=16 August 2020}} the English text is displayed using many colors and designs; 2. {{flagcountry|Russia}} The Russian Post issued a stamp designed by Olga Shushlebina; the stamp shows the words "Я ❤ посткроссинг" (Russian: "I ❤ Postcrossing") and schematic pictures of world sights.{{cite web|title=A new Postcrossing stamp... from Russia|url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2015/01/20/a-new-postcrossing-stamp-from-russia|website=Postcrossing.com |date=20 January 2015 |access-date=16 August 2020}} 3. {{flag|Ukraine}} 4. {{flag|Belarus}} Belposhta launched their second Postcrossing-themed stamps in Belarus. The stamp was designed by Marina Vitkovskaya and features the words "Happy Postcrossing" in both English and Belarusian.{{cite web|title=A new Postcrossing stamp, from Belarus! |url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2013/12/24/a-new-postcrossing-stamp-from-belarus |website=Postcrossing.com |date=24 December 2013 |access-date=16 August 2020}} 5. {{flag|Romania}} 6. {{flag|Indonesia}} Indonesia Post presented three new Postcrossing-themed stamps on Postcrossing's 12th anniversary.{{Cite web|url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2017/07/14/postcrossing-turns-12-new-postcrossing-stamps-from-indonesia|title=Postcrossing turns 12 + new Postcrossing stamps... From Indonesia!|date=14 July 2017 }} 7. {{flag|Hungary}} 8. {{flag|Moldova}} the Post of Moldova created their first postcrossing-themed stamp featuring postcards zooming around the globe{{cite web |title=Stamp Issues & Related Items 2018: Postcrossing |publisher=International Moldovan Philatelic Society |url=https://www.moldovastamps.org/catalogue_stamps_issue.asp?issueID=3040 |access-date=2019-11-29}} 9. {{flag|Belarus}} Yauheniya Biadonik designed Belarus' third Postcrossing-themed stamp{{cite web|title=Happy Postcrossing! |url=https://belpost.by/en/philately/infolists/3308 |website=Belpost.by |date=July 2, 2021 |access-date=25 August 2020}}

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Stamps officially backed by the Postcrossing community are posted on the Postcrossing blog:

• PostNL, October 2011
• Posti (Finland), December 2013
• Belposhta (Belarus), January 2014
• Guernsey Post, May 2014
• Russia Post, January 2015
• Slovenia Post, May 2015
• Czech Post, September 2015
• Ukrposhta (Ukraine), October 2015
• PostNL, March 2016
• Austria Post, May 2016
• Polish Post, July 2016
• Guernsey Post, July 2016
• Belpochta, January 2017
• Romfilatelia (Romania), February 2017
• Indonesia Post, July 2017
• Swiss Post, September 2017
• An Post (Ireland), October 2017
• Magyar Posta (Hungary), February 2018
• Moldova Post, June 2018
• Åland Post, 7 June 2019
• Brazil Post, July 2020
• Guernsey Post, June 2021
• Belpochta, June 2021
• Austria Post, July 2021
• Post Luxembourg, September 2022
• Deutsche Post, October 2022
• NZ Post, August 2024
• Polish Post, October 2024
• bpost, November 2024

On October 1, 2019, Postcrossing organised global events to celebrate the postcard's 150th anniversary. Events included postcard exhibitions, special cancellations marks, postcard writing workshops and seminars, commemorative postcards and special stamp issues.{{cite web|url=https://worldpostcardday.com/events/2019|title=Events in the 150th anniversary of the postcard (Oct 1st, 2019)|publisher=postcrossing.com|access-date=2020-10-31}} Postcrossing organised an exhibition at the Universal Postal Union's (UPU) headquarters in Bern, with postcards from across the world sharing messages about the importance of postcards.{{cite web|url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2019/10/05/putting-together-the-postcard-exhibition-at-the-upu|title=Putting together the postcard exhibition at the UPU|date=5 October 2019 |publisher=postcrossing.com|access-date=2020-10-31}}

Following the success of these events, in 2020, Postcrossing launched World Postcard Day.{{cite web|url=https://www.postcrossing.com/blog/2020/07/28/world-postcard-day-the-day-to-celebrate-postcards |title=World Postcard Day — the day to celebrate postcards|date=28 July 2020 |publisher=postcrossing.com|access-date=2020-10-31}} Commemorative postcards and special cancellation marks were issued to mark the day. A commemorative postcard for the event was chosen in a competition for design and art students. Special events included online postcard exhibitions, postcard writing workshops and online meetings.{{cite web|url=https://worldpostcardday.com/events|title=Events in the World Postcard Day (Oct 1st)|publisher=postcrossing.com|access-date=2020-10-31}} A lesson plan was created in eight languages to help teacher introduce postcards to young children in schools. Further events have been held annually since 2020.{{cite web |title=World postcard day: Events |url=https://worldpostcardday.com/events |access-date=6 March 2023}}

• Chain letter
• Deltiology
• Gift economy
• QSL card

{{reflist}}

• {{Commonscatinline}}
• {{Official website}}
• [https://community.postcrossing.com Postcrossing Official Forum]
• [https://www.facebook.com/postcrossing/ Postcrossing Facebook Page]
• [https://worldpostcardday.com World Postcard Day website]
• [https://rainerebert.com/2020/02/21/postcrossing-in-bangladesh-ethiopia-ghana-south-africa-tanzania/ Interviews with Postcrossers from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, and Tanzania]

Category:Internet object tracking

Category:Postcards

Category:Portuguese social networking websites