Pets, more pets, and PetSmart

It seems that everywhere i look on GroupCard i see an allusion to pets

1) The Humane Society card for Obama and his family is getting TONS of hits, over 6200 signers to date

2) Bob’s dog, Chester recently signed a card

3) Petsmart, the Major US retailer of pet supplies, now uses GroupCard.  Check out this cool comment from one of their

 employees 

“Thanks!  I’ve used your website in the past.  It’s a great, fun way to send greetings to someone.  My teams are

 spread out over half the US and it is very  difficult to get signatures on greeting cards.”

Cool Press: GroupCard in About.com

Ingrid Taylar, a SF-focused contributor to About.com, just published a phenomenally written piece about GroupCard. She somehow managed to tell our story, describe our service, and detail certain features – all in one page.

If you’re just getting to know GroupCard, this is probably THE piece to read.

GroupCard Redesigns the Group Card

Thursday November 13, 2008

About the time that Barack Obama announced his family’s desire to adopt a shelter dog, some e-mail links led me to a GroupCard at the Humane Society website. The electronic card will be delivered to the Obamas on the 21st of November with the message “Thank you for deciding to adopt.” When you click on the card, you’ll peruse the messages of more than 4,600 people who’ve signed the note to our new president-elect and his family. If you opt to sign it yourself, you can leave a unique imprint with choice of font, your spot on the page, and an optional photo of your pet.

If you’ve ever been part of the fractured and stealth group-card giving process you’ll appreciate the ease of bringing everyone together in one electronic spot — without having to circulate and hide the card, without missing the people who are out of the office, or 1,500 miles away.

GroupCard began in 2007 as a prototype on the Stanford University campus and now has headquarters in Menlo Park, with the bulk of the team based in Milwaukee. In the world of e-cards, it’s a relative newcomer. But the interface is addictive in its autonomy. It allows signatories a measure of control over the desktop graphics. And it bridges the geography which normally constrains the traditional group card and paper-bound well wishes.

Sending a GroupCard is free. You can choose from a variety of templates or use your own image to create the cover. You then sign the card and have an optional add of audio or images. Once you’ve settled on those parameters, invite others to sign the card. GroupCard lets you interface with Facebook or Outlook. You also program in a date and time for card delivery. And, as a final touch, your GroupCard can be used as a group gift pool. Part of the card creation process allows you to attach a gift card to which other people can add amounts. Individual donations are anonymous and accrue on the gift.

The final product is electronic. But GroupCard has added printing options — either DIY (downloadable), or produced by GroupCard in the form a poster card, a wall poster, or a flip book.

The GroupCard Hall of Fame and blog page has some GroupCard examples to inspire GroupCard newbies.

October Wrapup….

It seems that things are taking hold, and people are really starting to find out about us! Boss’s day was a great success, and we watched hundreds of lucky bosses around the world get some GroupCard love from their office teams.

In October, there were over seventy thousand signatures on cards, and over twenty five hundred cards with over five signatures. Importantly, we are celebrating yet another (6th in a row) month of record revenue.

In October, GroupCard was selected as an FBFund finalist. This means that the good people at Facebook (and Accel and FoundersFund) have awarded us a $25k grant. We are now gearing up for the final selection, where we are eligible for another $225k in additional grant money. We’re hoping for your vote!

…and here’s this months’s select list of “cool new groupcard teams”:

Cool Press: GroupCard in the Christian Science Monitor

Wow… it’s super exciting to be featured by one of the world’s most decorated publications. In its 100-year history, the Monitor has earned seven Pulitzer Prizes and hundreds of other awards.

It’s really neat how they capture the essence of GroupCard with such effeciently worded description.

Six Picks: Recommendations from the Monitor staff

Tally up your carbon footprint, giggle at 30-second ‘bunnified’ movies, lift your mood with some Depression-era blues, and more.

“To You…. From All of Us

Signing group cards for co-workers is easier than you think. Groupcard.com lets you “e-vite” people (telecommuters, too) to “sign” an e-card – and even contribute money to an Amazon gift card. Specify how long people can access the card, and then, at the appointed time, off it goes!”

Here’s the article