A Poll: Pen or Keystroke

Posted on March 28, 2011 by oboxxblog

A birthday week at oBOXx prompted interesting discussion about how we communicate our sentiments. 

It got us thinking about what cards signify in this age of e-mail, instant messaging, facebook, texting, and twitter. Are greeting cards simply old-fashioned, quaint sentiments of a bygone era? Is the handwritten note becoming passé?

On Friday, Marie and Joann met with medical writing colleague, Amy Rovi of Medivor LLC.  Amy had made reservations on-line at Seasons 52  and when the restaurant called to confirm, Amy informed them that one member of their party was celebrating a birthday. As the hostess seated us, she placed an elegantly addressed envelope on Marie’s plate. Upon opening it, Marie found a handwritten birthday greeting from the staff at Seasons 52. Besides being pleasantly surprised, Marie was delighted with this personal touch. 

This made the three of us wonder: why, in this age of electronic communication, does such a service still exist and why did it delight us so? We brought up the topic with our waitress and then  again with the restaurant manager when he stopped by our table. We all agreed that the personal touch of a handwritten note speaks volumes about commitment and time investment. We found this is  standard practice at Seasons 52.

That simple greeting card set a very positive tone for our ensuing business meeting. We introduced Amy to our five-step oBOXx formula and she tested it out with us by oBOXx-ing one of her business issues. We’re happy to report that it worked for Amy and she left with a plan of action. Amy was particularly impressed with the simplicity and effectiveness of the formula. She was also amazed at the “brainstorm” of ideas which continuously populated the discussions. We’ll be meeting again in April to expand  – and oBOXx It!

We’d love to hear your opinion on paper cards and electronic greetings. Take our Pen or Key Stroke poll below and feel free to pass the link on to your friends.

 

About oboxxblog

Forced to think outside the box when they were downsized from their jobs at large pharmaceutical companies in the spring of 2010, Joann Mercer and Marie Tartaglio formed a writing partnership. Whether it was coincidence, serendipity, fate, or a shared passion for words, Joann and Marie combined their writing skills and learning expertise to create oBOXx, LLC. Joann and Marie first met as freshman in high school. With careers, marriages, and the birth of children, they lost touch over the years. They met again briefly in 1999 when they worked together in the Learning and Development department at AstraZeneca. With their lives full and busy, they drifted in and out of touch over the next decade until 2010 when a downturn in the economy found them both out of work and job searching through the same employment agency. They discovered that, over the years, they had nurtured their high school passion for writing. (Their English teachers are so proud!) Independently, Joann and Marie were traveling parallel paths in creating writing. From there, it was a logical leap to form a writing partnership. This outside-the-box solution to finding work in a down turned economy gave birth to oBOXx, LLC and their journey to a best seller.
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2 Responses to A Poll: Pen or Keystroke

  1. kathy love says:
    April 1, 2011 at 9:12 pm

    I like getting cards, I don’t like opening alot of e-mails. or being invited to places by e-mail. I like to recieve cards.

  2. MaryAnn says:
    March 30, 2011 at 10:08 am

    I like to get cards in the mail because I know I’ll read them. Sometimes I re-read my cards before I put them away.

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