AttentionMax - Latest Comments in Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Nathanhargreaves1 — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:29:46 -0000

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Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

maxkalehoff — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 08:23:18 -0000

cool site!

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Ryan Flynn — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:14:59 -0000

I have recently been thinking about this subject very deeply as well. I think people realize the value of handwritten letters but are just too short on time, letter writing materials or postage, and the action falls to the bottom of the to-do list.

As a fun side project, I put together this website that aims to connect those that have a letter to write, with artists that would hand-write the message for them and send it in the mail to the recipient. I am looking for letter-writers interested in being paid to create letters/postcards for others as well as judging interest in the service. It currently works, as far as letting users enter text and pay through Google Checkout, but I have not done any promotion yet. I'd love to hear what you all think, as you are all passionate about the subject. Crazy, stupid, interesting? Please check it out and let me know. Thanks!

http://www.inktmessage.com/
Paper@inktmessage.com
@inktmessage

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Women Travel Mother India — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:59:48 -0000

Wow some interesting responses to this post! I came here by searching to see if anyone out there is offering hand written letters as a service, and came aross only one. In the meantime I have seen so many posts mourning the loss of the handwritten letter that I am encouraged to go ahead with my idea which is to offer subscriptions to hand written letters and postcards! My idea is to write a piece of poetic prose onto handmade paper and stuff it into a scented envelope before sending it snail mail across the world. Subscriptions could be for a single page, a series of letters, postcards carrying one brilliant line of inspirational verse....would welcome your feedback

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

maxkalehoff — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:27:20 -0000

Thanks, let me know when you find it :-)

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Susan Z. — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 20:04:03 -0000

Here, here!!!

I especially agree with your comment about the dehumanization of communication.

I used to have several "pen pals", and now have none. The last digital convert is an 88 year old friend who has learned to text on her cell phone.

I treasure everyone of the letters I have received over the years, and take them out and re-read them now and then. If they had all been text messages or e-mails, they would have been deleted long ago.

Several months ago a very hurtful exchange of words was passed between my sister, her daughter and I by cell text. After several weeks of silence from them, I wrote them each a four page letter explaining my feelings. A week after I mailed the letters I received phone calls from both of them apologizing. I am convinced that my thoughts and feelings put down on paper gave them something tangible to hold and consider.

A handwritten letter is something to cherish and enjoy forever. I continue writing notes to the few friends I know will appreciate them, but I don't see a day when I will have the opportunity to write the long, rambling, newsey letter as I did before.

Thanks for writing this, Max. I happened upon it while looking for writing paper online. Can't find any in the stores!

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

maxkalehoff — Mon, 31 May 2010 09:22:54 -0000

Wow. Great response. You make the case. Intimacy and intensity is something that seems to resonate through handwritten letters in a unique way. I wonder which more modern, digital communications will achieve the same. (Note I suggest "which" not "if".)

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Devin (myTEDtalk.com) — Sat, 29 May 2010 17:22:48 -0000

(Ha, Max! Whoops...went OFF there, thinking it was a recent post on your part. Duuuahhh. Anyway, timeless stuff. Enjoyed the read. NOW clicking to find the Cast of Dads show that touched on the topic.)

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Devin (myTEDtalk.com) — Sat, 29 May 2010 17:09:45 -0000

I can't tell you how MUCH your essay resonated with me, Maxer.

Don't know that we've talked in a while. But about a year ago, I returned to the family attic in Kentucky and pulled out some 1,700-odd letters from the 1880s, forward. All written to my great-grandfather and namesake, from his earliest days as a boarding school lad, prep'ster, through Princeton, down the aisle, and into his 40s. All from his mother and father.

It made for a remarkable many-month ritual in the breakfast nook, reading. It was also a glimpse back into a time and era where our correspondence was saved and as such reflected who we were--and who we hoped to become. By that I mean, without phone and email--much less video blogs and more--counsel and intimate conversations either happened in person or on the page. Today? Largely, phone chats, text message, and unsaved emails. The advice, the guidance, the Bible verses or character-building poetry, the tightening of the reins, or the congratulations--it's so often lost these days.

But back then. My, what emotions, hopes, expectations, and more were shared on those pages. How their personalities seeped into textured paper and were accented by "real" enclosures--whether photo, scripture, business contract, flowers, or more. Magic! Better than any novel or film....magical discovery.

Really, that reading exercise introduced me to personalities and "voices" that brought to LIFE cracking black-and-white photos and hanging portraits of folks who previously were largely strangers. Even whispery scents of 19th century perfumes visited me, from time to time.

THOSE letters, paired with journals, business records, travel postcards, and published life-accounts... How grand...and life-changing, in a way.

Every Sunday was letter-writing day in that era, for most families of a certain social set. And that those mail posts and so many more were just sitting in the attic...? It's been the gift of a lifetime, really. A way to reconnect with the core of family cultures that until last year had only faintly made their way through the generations. I've never been more rooted in or aware of the importance of family. (And you know me, what with the whole nonprofit crusade down south, THAT is saying a lot!)

It all brings to mind an observation by writer David McCullough, towards the end of the John Adams DVD (not the Netflix online version)--a behind-the-scenes interview added feature, worth tracking down. In that chat he observed that in reading the letters (and other keepsakes) of John and Abigail, he came to know them. He found he heard their voices as he read; breathed in sharply, as their intimacies of marriage, life, and career became familiar; he found he could anticipate their next decisions. He loved the feel of touching the very pages they touched, traced the indented path of their quills, sensed the passion of their words as reflected in deep underlines or unintended ink-pools. He realized in the end that he knew them in ways that even their contemporaries or children could not. For whom of them read the most private of their papers--how often did the social masks drop? They became his intimate friends.

And so it has been for me--my relationship with my great-greats and their extended clan. They've been reborn in a way, largely through their letters.

So yes...write. Write. WRITE. And I'm looking forward to my first "Thank You" note from your little ones, after I meet them and shower them with holiday gifts!

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Ang - A Year of Letters — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:54:57 -0000

It's interesting, because people are writing letters less; I believe they are becoming more valuable. Thus, these days it's a great (and easy way I might add) way to make an impact on someone - whether business related and personal. I have a friend who shared how a coworker writes personal letters to business clients. I guess the clients still talk about the letters written by this coworker. It's quite amazing.

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

glennbever — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:21:14 -0000

I want to use handwritten letters and notes and invites for my financial adovate business. do you work with someone like me that wants to get thru the mass mail of everything looks the same and touch someone that really needs help with their retirement plan or who can help us with our taxes and wealth mess... do you? I love the hand written note, it says I took out time for this, will you give me some of your time to read...
thankyouverymuch,
glenn W. Bever

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

maxkalehoff — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:30:58 -0000

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

letters — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:55:26 -0000

Resurrection of The Handwritten Letter would be very welcome in the business world following its almost extinction by the many digital forms of communication. The new media once seen as all encompassing has sadly become somewhat devalued through its very popularity and its misuse albeit by a small minority of people/organizations. We have seen an increasing interest in the subject of handwritten letters and their uses in business life, so much so we are now considering including a business page on our website handwrittenletters.com

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

maxkalehoff — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:31:11 -0000

I'll check it out.

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

maxkalehoff — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:30:56 -0000

Thanks Peter.

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Peter Hopkins — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:07:00 -0000

Thank you Max; I have a certain bias along these lines and can honestly say: I couldn't have said it better!

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Elizabeth H. Cottrell — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:59:36 -0000

Fantastic post, Max. I feel so passionately about this topic that I started a Facebook Group (yes, the irony did not escape me) called Revive the art of personal note writing! http://bit.ly/rJq9h. I'd love to have you and your readers join us to simply see what others say or to join in the commentary.

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

maxkalehoff — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:33:07 -0000

Thanks. Did you write anything useful on handwriting? That's my
weakmess in executing handwritten notes.

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Sursan RoAne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:50:01 -0000

Three cheers for you, Max! Thank you for revealing the truth: Nothing will replace the handwritten note because it's personal, shows effort and for some reason, says, "I care." We teach our children to write them to their grandparents for birthday and holiday gifts and must remember to do so ourselves. When I taught school, I made sure the students knew how to write "business letters" and "friendly letters" (thank you notes). I included samples in my book The Secrets of Savvy Networking for the people that were absent the day their fifth grade teacher taught how to write them. Handwritten notes have a special place in our professional and personal lives. Disclaimer: I wrote Face to Face: How To Reclaim the PERSONAL TOUCH In a Digital Age. (Fireside Books). Thank you!

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

maxkalehoff — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:46:33 -0000

Thanks, Jeff. Good points.

Re: Resurrection Of The Handwritten Letter

Jeff Ogden — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:51:13 -0000

I agree 100%, Max. Hand-written letters have always had a big impact, but with the advent of electronic and mass communication like e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook, the physical mailbox is essentially empty, except for junk mail. As a result, personalized direct mail works better than ever.

The resource-intensive nature of hand-written notes means they are impossible to mass produce, but there are ways to get some of the benefits, without the incredible resource nature of hand-writing. Here are a few examples:

1) A well-written business letter with a hand-written comment.
2) A highly-personalized one to one email -- carefully written and composed.
3) A piece of content that the reader would find of interest, like an article.
4) The use of creative media, such as a multi-media vignette in an email. (I use one in my email signature for jogden@findnewcustomers.net)

The key here is that there are several ways to reach out to prospects without bombarding them. At Find New Customers, we use these approaches.

My reseller in California spoke to a prospect that is becoming a new client of Find New Customers. I've never spoken to or met this company. But they told him that "Find New Customers walks on water." Why? They consume my remarkable content!

Jeff Ogden, President
Find New Customers
http://www.findnewcustomers...
Author: How to Find New Customers
Co-Author: Prospect-Driven Marketing
(516) 284-4930 office/mobile