Thanks to the development of high speed internet, ecards are continuing to grow in popularity. Most people enjoy ecards because they are a convenient way to send a fun little message to anyone and for any occasion. Because ecards are entirely digital, there is absolutely no paper needed to send one.

This cuts down on the amount of resources and energy that is usually used to make regular greeting cards. Ecards were actually originally invented in order to cut down on the amount of paper consumed by the greeting card industry. In addition, greeting cards tend to pile up in desk drawers and file cabinets.

They are kept for sentimental reasons, but hardly ever looked at. Ecards eliminate this problem. Because everything is in the receiver's email inbox, they can delete it without a problem. They will only print out ecards that they find to be unsurpassable in their brilliance.

Ecards are extremely convenient. Free ecards (http://www.care2.com/ecards/) or birthday ecards can be found on many different websites. Many websites also have a paid subscription system. For a relatively low cost, you can send as many ecards as you want to every day of the year.

With hundreds of thousands of free ecards, you should be able to find the perfect one. Sometimes websites even allow you to add pictures or videos to your ecard. You can send the same card to several different people, eliminating the dent in your budget from having to buy traditional cards for everyone you know.

Ecards first came into being around 1966. The very first kind of ecard consisted of a non moving photograph or hand drawn image with a message. New developments in technology caused new developments in ecards. With the release of more convenient flash animation programs came the use of small cartoons in ecards.

For instance, in a birthday ecard (http://www.care2.com/send/birthday_cards.html) there could be a birthday card animated short that is 15-20 seconds long. These ecards have moving pictures, music, and, in some cases, an audio message. Because this format seems to be fancier than that of the non moving ecard, almost every single major ecard provider primarily offers animated greetings.

Video ecards allow the sender to import text and home videos into the message. Also, most recently, there have been developments in the creation of a mobile ecard system, allowing people to send ecards from their cell phones. Unfortunately, the ecard system is sometimes exploited by spammers and hackers. They send messages to email addresses across the internet, disguised as an ecard by a friend or a family member.

When the recipient clicks on the link to see their ecard, their computer is directed to a website that infects their computer. Also, when a person sends something like a Valentines ecard, Mothers Day (http://www.care2.com/send/catmothersday1.html) ecard, or birthday ecard to another person, they supply the website with the necessary email addresses. Some times the ecard website sells this information to another party, which in turn sends spam to the address. Such spam can even come from the ecard website itself.

Ecards are still fairly new, and are not likely to entirely replace traditional greeting cards any time soon. Nevertheless, the market for ecards is rapidly increasing. More and more people are sending and receiving ecards for any occasion, whether it is to apologize, give holiday greetings, say thank you, or invite a group of people to an event.