eCards > FAQs

FAQs

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Q: What are eCards?

A: eCards are free customized cards have been designed and created with Lutherans in mind. You can send an electronic greeting to family and friends just to say "hello," or to remember a special day. We have messages for everything from baptism, to birthdays to Lutheran humor. We also have an address book you can personalize, so you can save your contacts and groups for future use.

Q: How do I create a card?

A:

1. Go to the eCards homepage.
2. Select an image from the featured category, click a link from "Dates to Remember," or choose a sub-category from the card categories section.
3. Follow the instructions on each page to create your card.

Q: How do I attach audio to the card?

A: You can attach audio to your card on the Personalize step. Under Audio, select a song you would like included with your card. If you would like to listen to a selection, click the audio icon to the right of the song title. You can change audio groupings by clicking on the tabs above the song title list.

Q: Why doesn't the audio in my card work?

A: If your are having a problem hearing the audio try one of the following:

• Refresh your browser.
• Check your volume and be sure your system is not muted. You may also want to open your Volume Control and ensure that Wave and SW Synth are not muted or turned down all the way.
• Check to see if a yellow ActiveX information bar appears near the top of your browser. If so, right-click the bar and left-click "Install ActiveX Control" or "Click to Run ActiveX Control."
• Check the plug-ins and add-ons installed within your browser. Do this by using the Tools menu in your browser. If you have the necessary audio plug-in, it will be listed here. If it is not listed, proceed to step 6 below.
• Check to see if your system has more than one media player installed and both are set as the default player for MP3. If so, enable/disable any one of them. You can check this by:
  • Windows Media Player: Tools > Options > File Types (Tab)
  • Real Player: View > Preferences > Upgrade (Tab) > Auto Restore Settings
  • QuickTime: Edit > Preferences > QuickTime Preferences > File Types (Tab)
• If the audio file (mp3) selected check box is dimmed, the player only has partial ownership of the file type. To give the player full ownership of a file type, double-click the dimmed check box to make it fully checked.
• Download an audio plug-in by clicking one of the following links.

If you are still having problems, contact the Lutherans Online help desk.

Q: Why isn't "Happy Birthday" an audio choice?

A: The song "Happy Birthday" is protected by copyright and requires a license to use.

Q: How do I send the same card to more than one person?

A: You can send your card to up to 25 people. On the Delivery Information step, use the pull-down menu to choose number of recipients, and enter a name and email address for each recipient. To preview how each card will look before it is sent, look under the image in the Send box.

Note: if you change your mind on the number of recipients, you will need to re-select the new number from the pull-down menu.

Q: Can I create the card now and have it delivered in the future?

A: Yes, you can send your card today or on any future date within the next 90 days. You can set the date your card is delivered on Delivery Information step.

Q: Do I receive an email noficiation after the card is sent?

A: Yes, you will receive an email notification shortly after your card is created. If you created the card to be sent on a future date, you will also receive an email on the day the card is sent. This email will also contain a link to the card so you may view it again up to 60 days after the card is sent to the recipient. Note that you will receive another email if you checked the box that says "Notify me by email when card has been viewed by recipient(s)." This email will be sent to you immediately after the card is viewed by the recipient.

Q: Can I receive an email when the person views the card?

A: Yes! On the Delivery Information step of the create-a-card process, check the box that says "Notify me by email when card has been viewed by recipient(s)." You will receive two emails after you send the card: the first one you should get shortly after sending the card, confirming that the card has been sent. You will receive a second email immediately after the card was viewed by the recipient. If you specified a future date to send the card, you will receive an email both when you initially create the card and on the day that the card is sent.

Q: Can I edit or cancel my eCard after I send it?

A: If you are sending your card out on a future date that has not arrived yet, we can edit the recipient information or cancel the card for you. If you specified same-day delivery of the card, it cannot be changed or removed. If you need assistance with your card, contact the Lutherans Online help desk.

Q: I was sent a Lutherans Online eCard. How do I view it?

A: There are two different ways that you can retrieve an eCard.

• Click the link within the email that you received. This should take you right to your card.
• Enter your card ID (16 digits), found in your email notification, into the Retrieve Card box on the eCards homepage.

Q: The card I sent was never received. Why?

A: There are several reasons the card may have been missed by its recipient.

• The email address may have been misspelled when the card was created.
• The recipient may have a full mailbox.
• A spam filter may have automatically placed the messages into a junk mail folder.

Note: Cards are kept on our servers for 60 days.If the recipient doesn't check their mail for more than two months after the card is delivered, it will not be viewable.

If your card was never received, the Lutherans Online help desk can help determine why the card was never received and resend the card if desired.

Address Book

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Q: How do I use my address book?

A: You can access your address book by clicking "My Address Book" within the left navigation, or clicking the address book button on the eCards homepage. You can create contacts and groups and choose from these during the card creation process. These contacts and groups will be saved to your Lutherans Online account and will be accessible to you in the future by simply logging into your Lutherans Online account prior to creating a card.

Note: You must be logged in before you begin creating a card to use your address book, as your card will not be saved if you choose to log in during the card creation process. If you have not registered with Lutherans Online, it is free and easy! Register now by completing this short, three-step process.

Q: How do I create my address book?

A: Your personalized address book will be created for you by simply logging into Lutherans Online and clicking My Address Book from the left navigation, or clicking the Address Book button on the eCards homepage. You can create contacts and groups and choose from these during the card creation process.

Q: How do I add or update contacts within my address book?

A: To add a contact, enter your address book. Enter the first name, last name and email address of the contact you would like to add. Click the Add/Update button to add this person as a contact within your address book.

To update a contact, enter your address book Click the Edit link next to the contact you would like to update. Note that clicking the Edit link brings up the contact's first name, last name and email address in yellow, highlighted boxes above. Update the contact information, then click Update Contact to save your changes or Cancel to ignore any changes.

To delete a contact, enter your address book. Click the "Delete" link next to the contact you would like to remove. Click "OK" in the pop-up box that appears to delete the contact.

Q: How do I add or update groups within my address book?

A: Groups are a list of contacts which allow you to easily send cards to multiple people by using a single group list (e.g. family, church friends, etc.) To access groups within your address book, click Your Groups from the Your Contacts page of your address book.

To add a group, click the Add Group button. Enter the name of your group. Then click one or more of your current contacts in the left box. You can select multiple contacts by holding down the Ctrl key. Click the Add button to designate these contacts to be part of your new group. You can remove contacts from your group by selecting them, then clicking Remove. Finally, click Save at the bottom of the page to save your new group.

To update a group, click the Edit link next to the group you'd like to modify. Here you can update the name of your group and your group's contacts. To add or remove contacts from your group, select them, then click the Add or Remove buttons to move them from one column to the other. The left column is your current contact list while the right column designates contacts currently assigned to your group. Click Save at the bottom of the page to update your group.

To delete a group, click the Delete link next to the group you would like to remove. Click OK in the pop-up box that appears to delete the group.

Q: Can I sort my contacts or groups within my address book?

A: Yes. Click the red, bolded headings to sort by that column. You can click it again to switch between ascending/descending order.

Note: If you are sorting a column during the card creation process, any checkboxes you have selected on that page will not be retained after sorting.