While the main focus of Postcrossing is, of course, sending and receiving postcards, there is another facet often engaged in by participants. Most of us share our postcards on various platforms across the web. I can upload both sent and received cards to the Postcrossing site. The cards are not categorized in any way. It's just a visual, chronological record. Here's a screenshot of some of recently received postcards.

There is a similar page layout for cards I've sent, cards I have marked as favorites, and sent cards that other people have marked as favorites, my "popular" cards. While the postcard wall, as it's called, is a great feature, the user has no control over the size of the images. Also, it is not possible to categorize, nor can users upload postcards received through the forum onto the official site. So, most people store and display their postcard images on other sites. I use Flikr, as I mentioned in an earlier post. Others use Facebook, Tumblr, Picasa, and Photobucket. There are also quite a few Postcrossing blogs around. Some of these are simply catalogs of postcard images; other users write about their experiences on Postcrossing. 

Some people upload every card they receive. I used to do this, but I eventually decided to only upload specific themes on Flikr. On the Postcrossing site, I upload every card I send and receive through the site.I may go back to documenting all of the cards, but I like my system now. Of course, only uploading certain cards has rhetorical implications. I worry that someone will think I did not like their card and that is the reason I didn't upload it. Sometimes this is the case, but not often. I do keep all of the cards I've received. That may change (by necessity) if I stay with the project due to space constraints. 

I find looking at other people's postcards interesting. I like to examine how they've organized the cards, if they've indicated favorite themes, and so forth. My Flikr indicates my favorites of the cards I've received, but only if I consider just the image. It's impossible to document favorite messages without sharing an image of the message itself and that feels like a breach of privacy to me, so I don't do it. 

Rhetoric is about choices in language. We choose the words and phrases we think will make our position the most clear or the most compelling. While participating in Postcrossing, we have access to both words and images. What we write, what image we choose to send, and what we decide to catalog all send messages that are read and interpreted by others. As is true in any rhetorical situation (ie any communication) what we don't say (or display) also has import. Whether we realize it or not, we are always composing, always employing rhetorical strategies. We are also always being "read." I'd like to think that my compositions are clear and that I am not ever misinterpreted, but that would be naive. 

Because of the limited space on a postcard, I have to choose my words carefully. I have to be succinct and, since I am often writing to people who have English as a second language, I have to be careful with idioms that would be meaningless to my recipient. I think these constraints make me a better writer. At least I hope they do. Composition is a process. It can be refined and improved, perhaps even mastered. Still, meaning can be muddled. The writer alone does not make meaning; rather, meaning is made through a joint process between speaker/writer and hearer/reader. I send a postcard I think the recipient will like. I write words I hope she will enjoy. What happens between my mailbox and the receiver's is out of my control. That's kind of scary, but really wonderful, actually. I love the fact that I can make meaning with a person on the other side of the world via a 4X6 inch bit of paper.