Is cursive necessary?

[Alex]

Is it better to write in cursive, printing, or just type it?

I'm incredibly slow at writing in cursive because I never use it. I'm a high school student but none of the teachers really care whether I print or use cursive. It's also harder to read. I could of course write one letter and photocopy it, just changing the names and signing it.

Printing is legible, although it isn't as fast as typing. I could probably handwrite every one of my letters if I print.

Typing is easy to read but far less personal. It's also a lot quicker.

I think there is a consensus here that handwriting is best, but does cursive vs. printing matter much?

[forsmant]

Typed letters are more professional and easy to read. Plus there is spell check and grammar check that should be used. That is why we invented that stuff to make letter writing easier. I do not know why you would want to handwrite a letter anymore unless you don't have a computer.

[Alex]

Typed letters are more professional and easy to read. Plus there is spell check and grammar check that should be used. That is why we invented that stuff to make letter writing easier. I do not know why you would want to handwrite a letter anymore unless you don't have a computer.

Well I'm handwriting them in part because I agreed to handwrite them here (http://www.rp-supporters.com/letters.html)

and because of comments like this
And handwrite the address on the envelope. People will often not pay much attention to printed addresses. It looks like junk mail.

[forsmant]

That person claims to speak for people. I think those are just his personal bias'

[rory096]

Typed letters are more professional and easy to read. Plus there is spell check and grammar check that should be used. That is why we invented that stuff to make letter writing easier. I do not know why you would want to handwrite a letter anymore unless you don't have a computer.
Handwriting looks more personal and makes it look like you took special care to write to this person. A printed out piece of paper isn't nearly as personal. I don't think it's necessary to write in cursive, though.

[forsmant]

Handwriting a letter is outdated. Most people understand this, if you have computer access, use it. You may think your writing is clear as day but someone else can easily misread or ignore sloppy handwriting.

[fortilite]

Writing printed letters is most effective PER letter, but typed is quick and will allow you to write to many more people. We are working on a deadline here. In the end it is a powerful trade off, either way has distinct advantages, so it's up to you.

Forget cursive, I can't read that stuff.

I printed mine on my computer, but I used a non-standard font (not a goofy one though), and I signed it. Also I included my personal phone number on it and requested they call me if they had any questions. And I am putting them in resume envelopes which I am filling out by hand. And I'm putting my real name and addy in the return address part of the envelope. And of course I'm using stamps instead of printed stamps. Wrote the letter in 1st person. Basically anything I can do to personalize it.

[seapilot]

Hand written letters look more personal, any campaign can print a thousand letters out. They might take you more serious if they think you actually take the time to write IMO. I imagine Iowa voters are getting flooded with campaign mail and a handwritten letter might stand out.

Nothing wrong with doing it on computer either though and I know it saves time. Just which one would you more likely to take serious? Print is easier to read than cursive.

[Alex]

Does this look okay? I'm going to include a Ron Paul: Hope for America Slim Jim with it.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/Alexofsyrr/scan001001.jpg

[seapilot]

Does this look okay? I'm going to include a Ron Paul: Hope for America Slim Jim with it.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/Alexofsyrr/scan001001.jpg

Looks good!

[ZenX]

If I got something like that, I'd be impressed as hell.

[klamath]

My personal belief is that a printed, hand signed, hand addressed letter that has a first class stamp on it is actually more effective than reading someones hand writen letter. The letter above, though I know it is smaller than real life is hard for me to read. My nearsight went south in Iraq, and I can't read as well as I did just 3 years ago.

[Alex]

My personal belief is that a printed, hand signed, hand addressed letter that has a first class stamp on it is actually more effective than reading someones hand writen letter. The letter above, though I know it is smaller than real life is hard for me to read. My nearsight went south in Iraq, and I can't read as well as I did just 3 years ago.

It's definitely easier to read in real life. I can't even tell that the ink is blue on the scanned image. Still, I do get the point. After writing these over and over my handwriting will only get worse. Meh, I dunno. I'll sleep on it. The point is atleast the message is getting out. I think the letter writing is a great idea for poor students like me who have a lot of time to donate, but not a lot of money. Gold star to whomever it was that came up with the plan.

[MikeK]

I bought some nice stationary and I am hand-writing these letters. If they are typed they will end up in the trash unopened. How much junkmail do you get? These people get the same amount that you do, maybe even more. Handwritten is the way to go IMHO. We may not write as many, but we will have more that actually get read.

[JenH88]

I think the whole point of this is to get Ron Paul seriously looked at, and IMO human curiosity will get them to read it over (after that, well freedom sells itself)- I've NEVER heard of anyone ever getting a handwritten letter for a candidate- why? because they can't pay people enough to do that stuff!! what a message it sends to voters that people love this candidate so much that they took the time out to write voters personally. we do have a deadline on this project but MORE than enough people willing to help- lets not cut corners when we have so many people willing to help. anything that looks like junk mail will be discarded at this time of the year, a handwritten letter will get read- esp. with everyone getting xmas cards and such from people they havent heard from in a while.

[JenH88]

Btw the letter looks great!

[seapilot]

I think the whole point of this is to get Ron Paul seriously looked at, and IMO human curiosity will get them to read it over (after that, well freedom sells itself)- I've NEVER heard of anyone ever getting a handwritten letter for a candidate- why? because they can't pay people enough to do that stuff!! what a message it sends to voters that people love this candidate so much that they took the time out to write voters personally. we do have a deadline on this project but MORE than enough people willing to help- lets not cut corners when we have so many people willing to help. anything that looks like junk mail will be discarded at this time of the year, a handwritten letter will get read- esp. with everyone getting xmas cards and such from people they havent heard from in a while.

Its not quantity but quality! Admit that after 20 letters my hand was sore though.The name Ron Paul will stick in these peoples minds , maybe make them more curious.

[JenH88]

Its not quantity but quality! Admit that after 20 letters my hand was sore though.The name Ron Paul will stick in these peoples minds , maybe make them more curious.

+1 on all points.

[Mental Dribble]

That was an EXCELLENT letter and I will probably copy most of it for mine!! Hope you dont mind!

[Tarabell952]

Someone else pointed out that a typed letter could do more harm than good. Iowans don't like getting spam from out of staters. A typed letter will be viewed as spam. People in Iowa are probably getting A LOT of political mail right now. A personal, hand-written letter will stand out immensely. It is this kind of personal touch and individual dedication that makes us stand out from them. I am sure that some people will be so impressed that they will be want to find out just who this man is that is inspiring people to write letters by hand.

LOL... I feel guilty, like I am The Hand-Writing Police. I am so grateful that people are trying to do something at all. So if you are typing your letters, I do appreciate your letters. I just hope to impress upon you how important hand-writing the letters is.

[kotetu]

I like it Alex! Very personal! :D

[lucius]

I bought some nice stationary and I am hand-writing these letters. If they are typed they will end up in the trash unopened. How much junkmail do you get? These people get the same amount that you do, maybe even more. Handwritten is the way to go IMHO. We may not write as many, but we will have more that actually get read.

Concur

[Alex]

Except I wrote Jan. 3, 2007 rather than Jan. 3, 2008. Gotta watch that.

[manny]

Nice work Alex - I think that if you're willing to take the time to hand write letters it will be more likely to be read through, perhaps commented on to family the the reader too. :)

[WilliamC]

Greetings All,

Seriously folks, listen to us arguing about handwriting versus printed letters! I'm glad we disagree on such trivial points and not whether or not we should be invading Iran or Pakistan next!

So long as we are sending a positive message about Ron Paul I think it's all good. We can't help it if some Iowan's might be "offended" by receiving a printed letter or "inconvenienced" by having to read a handwritten letter. The point is WE are doing this independent of the official campaign. How many other candidates have this going on? I'm guessing ZERO! Any personalized letter works for me. Hundred's of thousands of Iowans will be exposed to Ron Paul's message that might otherwise not be. It can't help but to have a positive impact can it? And this letter-writing effort is just ONE of HUNDREDS of grassroots actions being done!

I sincerely thank everyone involved in this effort. I don't want to discourage anyone that supports Ron Paul from participating. Keep the letters going please.

William C Colley

[jmhend]

That's a great letter, Alex! I'm very impressed. It's really exciting that you are getting involved in changing our nation for the better at such a young age. Too bad you can't vote yet. You are more informed on the issues than most people who can.

[DealzOnWheelz]

If you are going to use a computer i suggest sending a picture of you and your family so it is not immediately looked at as junk. No junk comes with pics.

But I prefer to "HAND PRINT" my cursive is horrible.

[rs3515]

Ok, as one of the people running the letter writing campaign, I need to be clear about this ... the GOAL is to hand write the letters. Not type them, not use a computer, but hand write.

Do 20-30 of your own, and then spend your time getting other people involved. We have 70,000 Meetup members ... if we got half of all people on Meetup do 20 letters, we'd have every single one written.

[rs3515]

By the way Alex, excellent job. ;)

[dsentell]

Alex:

Your letter is wonderful!

[rs3515]

If you are going to use a computer i suggest sending a picture of you and your family so it is not immediately looked at as junk. No junk comes with pics.

But I prefer to "HAND PRINT" my cursive is horrible.


Unless someone is disabled, there's really no need to use a computer. Write 20, then spend the rest of your time getting other meetup members involved.

Hand printing is fine, cursive is not necessary ... just make it personal.

[forsmant]

A handwritten letter looks cheap. The campaign could be seen as underfunded, under supported and out of touch with the modern world. If I were to receive a handwritten letter I would wonder if it was joke. It would stand out all right, but Ron Paul's views stand out already.

[WilliamC]

Greetings All,



A handwritten letter looks cheap. The campaign could be seen as underfunded, under supported and out of touch with the modern world. If I were to receive a handwritten letter I would wonder if it was joke. It would stand out all right, but Ron Paul's views stand out already.

Again, I think getting the message out is most important and I don't slight anyones involvement that is doing so.With that said my opinion is that a handwritten letter (and no offense intended to the person who posted his scanned letter here) does look immature and cheap. NO ONE hand writes letters anymore, except perhaps for romantic reasons. But if you wish to do so PLEASE DO. I agree that hand addressing the envelope and using a 1st class stamp removes the junkmail look and is more likely to get the letter opened. But wouldn't we rather people get a printed letter about Ron Paul than no letter at all? Heck even a mass-mailed form letter is better than nothing.

Which reminds me, this weekend I got a form letter from the Democrats about Hillary Clinton, "written" by Bill Clinton. I of course returned the enclosed envelope with some Ron Paul flyers :)

Which reminds me again, if anyone gets those pesky credit card offers with the pre-paid return envelopes send some flyers back though those. Might make a pleasant distraction for someone.

If anyone wishes I will forward them the 241 names I've already done and the 100 more I've requested and they can re-send hand written letters themselves. Personally don't have anyone to ask to help with this (well, not true I may have enlisted the aid of a coworker) since my social network is practically non-existent. I may try to get as many as 500 letters out before I'm done.

William C Colley

[Alex]

Greetings All,




Again, I think getting the message out is most important and I don't slight anyones involvement that is doing so.With that said my opinion is that a handwritten letter (and no offense intended to the person who posted his scanned letter here) does look immature and cheap. NO ONE hand writes letters anymore, except perhaps for romantic reasons. But if you wish to do so PLEASE DO. I agree that hand addressing the envelope and using a 1st class stamp removes the junkmail look and is more likely to get the letter opened. But wouldn't we rather people get a printed letter about Ron Paul than no letter at all? Heck even a mass-mailed form letter is better than nothing.

Which reminds me, this weekend I got a form letter from the Democrats about Hillary Clinton, "written" by Bill Clinton. I of course returned the enclosed envelope with some Ron Paul flyers :)

Which reminds me again, if anyone gets those pesky credit card offers with the pre-paid return envelopes send some flyers back though those. Might make a pleasant distraction for someone.

If anyone wishes I will forward them the 241 names I've already done and the 100 more I've requested and they can re-send hand written letters themselves. Personally don't have anyone to ask to help with this (well, not true I may have enlisted the aid of a coworker) since my social network is practically non-existent. I may try to get as many as 500 letters out before I'm done.

William C Colley

Well regardless of what anyone says I plan to hand write 60 letters. I realize I'm at risk of sounding like the Huckster here but I'm honor bound to handwrite them. That's what I agreed to do when I asked whatshisface for the addresses. Next time I'll ask if I can just type a bunch and handwrite the envelopes. I've written 15 so far.

[rs3515]

Ok once again, I'm one of the organizers of this effort, and the goal is hand writing letters. If people have a personal beef about it, send me a PM and we can talk. Otherwise (a) stop the dissent of people's choice to handwrite them or (b) start your own letter writing campaign.

[dt_]

I've got it!

Handwrite the address on the envelope,
and type the letter with a font that looks like handwriting!

:D

[fortilite]

Write or type, it's each person's own choice. Either way, let's keep at it and hit our deadlines!

[dmspilot00]

A handwritten letter looks cheap. The campaign could be seen as underfunded, under supported and out of touch with the modern world. If I were to receive a handwritten letter I would wonder if it was joke. It would stand out all right, but Ron Paul's views stand out already.
That's a ridiculous statement. Printed letters are cheap. It is much cheaper to mass produce a letter by computer/xerox than to handwrite one. The goal is to make the letters personal and sincere to show how much effort we are putting into this.

DO NOT print the letter on a computer with a fake handwriting font. People don't fall for that, and it pisses them off because you are trying to trick them.

[Mental Dribble]

Marketing 101, well maybe 102 says that pesonalized touches on marketing material go the extra mile to show that you care and that you are taking the time to go the extra mile.

Hand write your letters, and if you have the desire to put in a photo EVEN BETTER!

But regardless, this effort is organized around handwriting them. Your more than welcome to start your own drive.

[GTOJudge]

Does this look okay? I'm going to include a Ron Paul: Hope for America Slim Jim with it.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/Alexofsyrr/scan001001.jpg

I think that looks very good. It's important to remember that the intention of these letters isn't to convince the person receiving the letter to immediately change their vote to Ron Paul. The intention is to have them find out more about Ron Paul, look into his record, have them watch a video on YouTube or read an article about him on the internet. Taking this approach will enable them to support Ron Paul through their own volition.

[bgky4paul]

By the way, did you guys realize that they don't even teach cursive writing in public schools anymore? At least not where I'm from. My 5th grader has no idea how to read or write cursive!

[rs3515]

I just received a list for Wyoming of those who will be involved in the GOP County Convention on January 5. I know it's not much time, but only 833 addresses total. Place an order on the site and I'll get them to you ASAP.

- Ron