leaving a card

what you need

the link, and about two minutes. there's no account, no app to install and no email to type in. a phone works as well as a laptop. if you want to record a clip or take the selfie, the browser will ask for camera (and microphone) permission when you get to that step, and only then.

the seven steps

1. who are you. your name, the way your friends would yell it across a room, and a blob colour. you can also change your blob's eyes and hat. this is you on the island.
2. say the thing. your message, up to 1,500 characters. write like you talk: your blob says this out loud, one line at a time.
3. draw something. a paper canvas and markers. stick figures are a valid art form. on the island your doodles fly at the birthday person when they say hi to you.
4. add a pic. photos with a caption each. you two, a dog, a screenshot from years ago.
5. record a clip. film up to 30 seconds straight from the camera, or upload a video up to one minute. or skip it. sing badly, do a bit, just say hi.
6. your face. what your blob wears in its little porthole on the island: a selfie, one of your photos or clips, or the doodle face it already has.
7. stick it. a preview of your card exactly as it will look on the board. press the button and it's stuck.

drawing, photos and video are all optional. you can add up to 12 pieces in total (doodles, photos and clips together). photos can be up to 15 MB each and a clip up to 150 MB.

what makes a good card

• one specific memory beats ten adjectives. "the night the bus broke down and we walked home singing" lands harder than "you're amazing".
• say it out loud first. your blob reads it on the island, so it should sound like you.
• a bad doodle is a good doodle. the worse the drawing, the funnier it is when it flies.
• film somewhere with light. facing a window works better than any setting.
• keep the clip short. twenty seconds of real you beats a minute of planning.

changing your card later

your card remembers the browser that stuck it. open the same link on the same phone or laptop and you can edit it or add to it. on a different device, the site can't tell it's you (there are no accounts), so ask the host if something needs fixing. the host can also hide or remove any card.

if you leave halfway through, the card maker keeps an unsent draft on your device, so you can pick up where you left off.

if something's not working

the camera won't start

check that the browser has camera permission for the site (usually a camera icon in the address bar), and that no other app is using the camera. you can always skip the clip and add a photo instead.

an upload is slow

videos are the big ones. a shorter clip, or a stronger wifi, helps. everything else on the card is saved as you go.

i sent it too early

same browser? reopen the link and edit. different browser? message the host.

who sees your card

everyone who has the site's link can read every card on the board and meet every blob on the island, so write it like a group card, not a private letter. birthday sites are kept out of search engines. the details are in privacy.