Two-Thirds of Americans Feel Sending a Special Occasion Greeting Through Social Media Is Inappropriate

RISMEDIA, February 4, 2010—Photo cards and thank you cards retailer Cardstore.com announced the results of a survey showing that almost two-thirds of Americans (63%) consider sending a greeting through Facebook or Twitter instead of a traditional greeting card inappropriate and in many cases, downright tacky and impersonal.

Millions of people belong to social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to keep up with friends and colleagues, and the sites have become a popular way to send greetings on birthdays and holidays like Valentine’s Day. However, Americans remain fairly old-school on this matter. Roughly one in five (22%) think sending a greeting through a social network is appropriate for special occasions.

“Greeting cards and photo cards are meant to be keepsakes, something that is fitting for every occasion or life event,” said Marty Reed, CEO, Cardstore.com. “Almost everyone is thrilled to open their mailbox to find a note from a loved one, while emails and messages on Facebook eventually get buried or deleted.”

Americans might want to rethink sending a Facebook message on birthdays, a day when many find their “wall” full of greetings from friends, due to the site’s automatic calendar reminder. One in three (33%) Americans think it’s improper to send messages this way instead of sending birthday cards in the mail.

Addition survey highlights include:
-63% of Americans think sending a special occasions greeting through a social network is inappropriate
-33% of Americans think sending a birthday greeting through a social network is inappropriate
-34% of Americans think sending a Valentine’s Day greeting through a social network is inappropriate
-35% of Americans think sending a Christmas or Hanukkah greeting through a social network is inappropriate
-37% of Americans think sending a thank you note through a social network is inappropriate
-29% of Americans think sending a greeting through a social network is impersonal, while 19% believe this act is tacky

For more information, visit www.cardstore.com.