Using Telegrams Today
Telegrams - don’t you love ‘em? Even if you’ve never seen one, they live in the collective memory as an idea of what to do to mark a ’special’ occasion.
Well, one very cool thing you can do is to send a telegram today. There are a few companies still doing it. And it can fit as a perfect solution to a particular problem.
Say your friend is having a birthday out of town. It’s not really possible to fly for the occasion. A simple $4.99 telegram shows you are aware of the specialness of the occasion, whilst also giving the birthday person a concrete (and novel) thing to show around and keep from that day.
Phew.
We might even fit contemporary, web-based telegrams in a heirachy of handy, modern communication options:
Phone Texting
Low effort and value here. Get things said fast. Hey, you don’t even need to speak to the person.
Facebooking
The perfect ‘middle’ technique. Something that’s more casual than an email, yet more special than a simple text.
Emails
Good for work stuff and swapping news. Oh, and the odd crazy YouTube video.
Phonecalls
Deep and meaningfuls. Sorting out all the mistakes you made using the techniques above.
Postcards
Still takes a conscious effort, but some simple tricks (keep it brief, funny and personal) can make this an ideal way to say a lot with a little.
Telegram
Slots in here well. Perfect for brief, efficient, yet high impact correspondence for special news received when traveling, or for special occasions.
Letters
Due to the length and effort required to write a proper letter, this form is still pretty hardcore. You can put any level of information in a letter - sorry I broke up with you, you are my adopted son, I’m sorry I ran over your cat, etc etc. If only someone could copy our handwriting and write those for us online.
Ok, How Do I Send a Telegram Today?
There are several companies (including postal companies) that send telegrams to people, and all you need to do is fill in an online form (and provide your payment details). Search for one in your area, or try these:
United States, Italy, Ireland, Canada
One of our favorite companies - if you’re fortunate enough to live in the UK, is with a company called Telegram Sam. Telegram Sam use a decidedly retro format, setting the tone for you.
Now What?
Most of the companies mentioned use pretty boring - or worse, ‘modern’ looking backgrounds and formats. But you can give your telegrams a bit of old school love by choosing the most plain option, and using some of these tricks:
Try Using All Capitals.
MANY OF THE OLD TELEGRAPH MACHINES WOULD AUTOMATICALLY PRINT OUT THE MESSAGES FROM MORSE CODE ONTO TICKER TAPE OFTEN USING ONLY CAPITAL LETTERS
Begin and end any line using a = equals sign.
This was the old symbol for a new line in many old machines. For instance, you might say =WISHING YOU YOUR BEST ON YOUR TWENTY FIFTH BIRTHDAY= then go to a new line.
Banish all punctuation.
even if it is required to make sense theyll work it out
Use STOP in place of periods.
The old school way. If you want to be cheesy, you can always use the old zinger - BEST WISHES STOP DONT STOP
Keep it brief.
Old telegram users had to keep their message small, as the process had to be laboriously sent via morse code, and sometimes hand cut and pasted to a small piece of paper. Modern formats might give you 1000 or more characters, but you don’t have to use them. A briefer message makes sense, and can often mean more.
Copy some of the old language and salutations from the past.
Some phrases to try might be “we celebrate with you”, or call them “the nation’s indispensable man”. Do an online image search for other old telegrams for hints.
For real telegram nuts - there’s a great book called Telegram! that tells history through about 400 of the world’s best ever sent telegrams.
It has funny ones, clever ones, telegrams sent by the famous people of the time - and of course tragic ones - this is a great book to just have yourself, or perhaps to follow up as a gift, after you have sent one of your own.
