Idea 008 - Reconnect a postcard project

This post is part of the 100 project ideas project. #The100DayProject. I am looking for feedback. Comment below or DM me via social media Instagram, Twitter.

👉 Done! in 2023, I sent out 100 packages of 5x postcards to people.

One Line Pitch

People are disconnected more than ever and need a reason to reconnect with each other. Create a series of postcards and send packs of them to friends and family, for them to send onwards.

Description

The problem

People are more disconnected than ever, the pandemic has separated us from our communicates, friends and family. People who crossed paths every week now go months without seeing each other. Without the natural running into each other it’s hard for people to reconnect to each other.

The solution

I have a bunch of extra postcards from the Flocking AI Cultural crawl event. I can send them out in packages of 5 to friends and family. Include the following letter as instructions on what to do with the post cards. One of the postcards that I send will be self addressed back to me.

Letter to include with the post cards

I have included some postcards. My hope is that you will use these postcards to reach out to friends and family that you have not talked to in a while and say hello. Reconnect with people that you have not talked to in a while.

I have include a self addressed postcard,

You can write anything on a postcard, here are some ideas to get you started

• Tell a story
  • Talk about a shared memory, between you and the recipient.
  • Talk about what daily life is like where you’re sending the card from by describing what you did today, your routine, etc.
  • Got an unusual hobby or collection? Do tell!
  • Share an interesting fact that you’ve learned recently, and which most people are not aware of
• A drawing - Draw a picture of your surroundings, or your favorite object in that room.
• A recommendation - Did you try something new that you just loved? Jot out a quick book review or a list of suggested shows or movies.
  • Recipe - Everyone loves good cookie recipes, especially around christmas.
  • Book - Write out a small snippet from somewhere in the story to lure the recipient in or just let them know what you loved about the book!
• A Joke or Quote - If you can’t think of anything else, add a joke or your favorite quote.

On the front of the postcard is an illustration of a bird that was generated using AI. It’s part of my “Flocking AI” project where I taught a robot to dream of imaginary birds. You can find out more about this project on my website here: (/projects/2022-flocking-ai/

Prior art

• Guelph-based pandemic project reconnecting Ontarians one postcard at a time - This has a charity backing it, proceeds of each postcase helps support adults with disabilities. They have a charity backing their project that I won’t have.
• Postcards sent by strangers aim to brighten spirits during pandemic - This is a kit people can buy to make their own postcards and send them to hospital workers and people in care homes. Strangers sending other strangers postcards. Neat project but not what I am going for.

Market

Friends and family, people who like writing postcards and are looking for a reason to, people who want to reconnect with their lost friends.