ecards

Sometimes a Website of the Day suggestion makes your life easier, sometimes it offers a cool new service, and sometimes, what you see is what you get. Such is the case with Hot Guys and Baby Animals. The site, which features photos of actual hot guys with actual baby animals, also has a shopping section, where you can find calendars and prints of individual pairings of a hot guy with a baby animal.

The site also has an adorable ecards section (not to ruin it for you but OMG a baby goat) to send a message to a pal. It was created by two friends who "have been looking for excuses to hang out with cute guys and adorable animals since they first became friends in junior high," and it builds on its likable mission by donating 10 percent of all profits to animal-friendly charities.

Sending a holiday letter isn't just what it used to be. The printing and envelope-stuffing of the predigital days are still an option, but everything can also be done with some key strokes and a few clicks of a mouse. If you're looking for something that's more informative than a photo card, but not as long-winded as an annual family letter, check out these alternatives.

• These folding timeline cards (starting at $64 for 25) or mini photo booklets (starting at $87 for 15) both open up to reveal your family's memorable moments.
• This Top 10 list (starting at $125 for 25) is a brief and fun way to let your loved ones know about the highlights of the year.
• If you have lots to say, this vintage-style newsletter (starting at $125 for 25) is a great way to send all the updates that are fit for print.
• American Greetings' Holiday Pics and Wishes ecard creator (requires $20 per year ecard membership) allows you to upload pictures, videos, text, and sound to create a family holiday card that has plenty of personality.
• If you have the creative spark, design your own holiday card or letter (or download a free template online) and PDF it for an easy way to update friends and family.

Tis the season of holiday greeting cards. Some call them cheesy, while others (like myself) simply adore the variety of goofy, stodgy, and sweet photos and cheerful messages friends and family members put together. If you're preparing your holiday card, consider a website or service that will do the hard work for you, or even sending a personalized electronic (and eco-friendly) greeting card. Here are some fun sites to peruse if you're currently feeling like a holiday card Scrooge.

• One Penny Post — Take a photo, type up a message to go with it, then have someone else print it up and post it. One Penny Post ships internationally from either Australia, the US, or the UK (depending on where you do the ordering from), and each postcard costs $2.50.

See the rest of the sites when you read more.

Free and much-loved ecard site Someecards is a longtime favorite for sending hilarious, controversial, and sometimes geeky ecards, but I'm still cracking up over its latest Valentine's Day ecard. In fact, I was considering sending it to my guy, but given the Apple controversy already in our lives, I decided against it. Plus, until I get a chance to thoroughly check out the iPad, I can't make that kind of promise. (Just kidding, darling!)

Someecards now requires you to create a free account and sign in before sending an ecard, and while the signin process usually annoys me, you're now able to see all of the ecards you've sent or received — definitely good for a laugh!

Ecards have come a long way, baby. They are no longer just boring messages accompanied by popular cartoon characters and illustrations that look like something your great aunt would send using snail mail. With Christmas in the rearview mirror, you probably have a long list of family members and friends who deserve a thank you note. Here are some of my favorite hip ecard sites that offer simple, funny, and paperless ways to say thanks.

1. GroupCard — Want to personalize a thank you card from your whole family? This site features an electronic pass-around that's accomplished by just emailing the card to the people who need to sign it. Easy as pie.
2. MushyGushy — Upload photos and cut and place your heads onto awesome video animations! It's like Elf Yourself without the hats.
3. Postcard.FM — Lets you put together any picture and any song (just upload each file), slap in a message and an email address, and your recipients get a custom card!
4. Someecards — It's hard not to get addicted to this hilarious site with wacky, cheeky ecards. The site is known for juxtaposing vintage-y images with witty and racy messages. Not your grandma's ecard site.

For the rest of my ecard suggestions, read more

You know the drill: you get a Facebook reminder that it's your friend's birthday, so you end up writing her an email, or you post a brief note to her Facebook wall. Rather than follow everyone else's lead by posting an impersonal b-day message on Facebook, why not create a collective album of online letters that you and your friends can send to the birthday girl on her special day? A cool new site called From a Birdie, which I found on makeuseof, is similar to the site GroupCard because it allows an entire group of people to collaborate on a personalized card or letter. But what makes this site even better is the fact that you can add photos to your messages, there aren't any size restrictions on the messages or size of photos, and the group album gets its own password-protected website. From a Birdie will email your friend on the day you choose to let them know they have a little surprise waiting for them!

Have an interesting website you want to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more

You know I'm a fan of digital postcard services, so I did a little (discreet) dance when I found Postcard Express ($4) for my iPhone.

You can take a picture at whatever fabulously exotic location you're at, and then you add your message and the email address of the recipient. It'll even geo-tag your photo/postcard for you.

The finished product looks so much like a traditional postcard, you won't miss buying the cards and making sure you have postage.

Does anyone else dread having a card passed around at work for a colleague's birthday, congratulations, or his or her last day? Even if it's someone you genuinely like, having to sum up your sincere thoughts in a one-inch space of cardstock among your other coworkers' sentiments is just awkward. It's like the grown-up version of that yearbook peach "Have a great Summer!"

Thankfully, the website GroupCard eases the pain a little bit. There's no physical passing around, first of all — it's an electronic pass-around that's accomplished by just emailing the card to the people who need to sign it. You then send the e-card (who cherishes greeting cards from co-workers these days anyway?) to the recipient, and wish her well.

Of course, it can't help you craft an articulate note summing up the perfect sentiment. You're on your own for that one.

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more

For cute, no-fuss ecards, you may want to head on over to flyGreetings — because where else can you find cards that say things like "Let's Get a Mani" or "You're Preggers, Congrats!"?!

With a tagline of "free does not have to be cheap or cheesy," flyGreetings cards are classy, so you don't have to worry about weird flash animation or corny songs playing when your friend sees the card. Totally geek chic in my opinion.

And for other cute ecards, be sure to check out all of the adorable Sugar Network ones on Pingg!

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more