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Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQ's )
Sending Talking Cards
As many as you want. First you'll need to purchase an access key. Once you've got the card just the way you want it, click the "Send" button and enter your access key. We provide you with a pickup link matching each card you've made. The pickup links can be emailed to one or multiple recipients using your own client-side or web-based email program. To email a card, you simply copy & paste the link we provide you with, then email it to friends & family. This way, you can "make sure" they always get the card you've made for them.
While we do provide some cards that can be sent for free ( w/ads attached ), our best content and services are available only if you have an access key. Here at TalkingCards.com, we charge a small one-time fee that allows you to send unlimited talking cards ( w/no ads attached) to as many people as you wish. You never have to worry about your recipients seeing flashy banners or popups, and customer service is just an email away. An access key unlocks all restrictions and makes our premium characters available for you to send.
You'll need to purchase an access key in order to send it. Once you've got your access key, all you do is click the "Send" button on the card. A special pickup link will be provided for you. You can copy & paste this pickup link into your email program and share the card with as many recipients as you like.
By emailing the pickup link yourself, there is much less room for error, and a greater chance of delivery success. It also gives you the choice of what to say, how to say it, how many people it is sent to, and/or the ability to request a read-receipt. We understand that our do-it-yourself card sending process is an extra step for you to take. The reason we don't provide card sending email services is because of spam related filtering issues. "Email" in general, is not a very reliable means of communication these days. Email sent by our servers on your behalf is even less reliable. Spam filters are known to place messages emailed on your behalf into spam and bulk folders, leaving you with only the "hope" that your card made it to the intended recipient. Our do-it-yourself method also gives you the ability to send a single card out to a large mailing list for Christmas or another holiday. You could even have the card picked up from your own website. For more information, please click here.
We recommend, that when you email the link to your recipient(s), you request a read-receipt. Check your email program for more information.
If we made all of the cards and related services free, we would have to rely on advertisers to support the many costs associated with hosting, content creation, application development, etc. No one wants to get a special talking card with banners and popups all over it right? That is why we charge a small fee. You will never have to worry about your recipients getting a card that includes ads of any kind. In addition, this allows us to focus more on our main goal, quality of content! You will benefit from our ongoing work on character development, music, voices, and other new features developed now and in the future.
Anything you like! A typical email message might say: "Hello there John, a special talking card has been designed and personalized just for you. You can pickup your talking card by visiting: http://.". Where http:// is a clickable link to the card that we provide you with. You'll need a sender access key to access this information.
You just need an access key to start sending cards. Access keys are emailed immediately after checkout is completed. You can start sending cards just a few seconds after you complete checkout.
Sender Access Keys
Sender access keys are just $16.95. For more information & to purchase, please click here.
Sender access keys are just $16.95. This is a one-time purchase that allows you to send unlimited talking cards to an unlimited number of recipients, for an unlimited amount of time. For more information, please click here.
A lot! Compared to purchasing and mailing paper cards, personalized professional talking cards are much cheaper to send out. In fact, many recipients like the personalization offered through the talking cards much more than receiving a simple piece of paper by mail.
We can accept any major credit or debit card, and we can also accept PayPal®. For UK visitors, we can also accept Switch/Solo/Maestro cards. For further clarification, we accept: Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express®, Discover®, PayPal®, Switch/Solo/Maestro. Through PayPal®, you'll also have the option to use an eCheck or bank account balance.
No, we do not process checks by mail because it is much easier to process them online. Please use PayPal® to pay with your own personal checking account. You may be required to have a PayPal® account if you intend to use an echeck. However, we suggest that you use a check card (or debit card) instead. If you use a credit or (check debit) card, you are not required to have a PayPal® account to complete your purchase.
Yes, once you have an access key, you can send an unlimited number of cards to an unlimited number of recipients, for as long as you like. For instance, if you choose to purchase an access key today, it will be good for the rest of the year, and next year, and the year after that, etc. We only charge a one-time access fee which lifts all restrictions. We also provide free upgrades for future versions, features, and site improvements.
No, certainly not. The card sending interface is designed to remember your access key for future use once you've entered it the first time. In other words, you only enter your access key once, we'll remember it for you automatically after that.
No, there is not. We understand that many businesses use our talking cards to send mass emails to newsletter subscribers and other mailing lists. However, we do not charge any more or less for this type of usage. Whether your a home user or a large corporation, the price of an access key is always the same. $16.95. That being said, each access key is good for a single user. If your company has many employees or you need to send cards from multiple individuals, you will need to purchase an access key for each person that plans to send cards. If your intention is to send cards from your company name, you only need one access key for that.
No, access keys are good for a single user only. You are responsible for any and all usage or activity of your sender access key, including the use of your sender access key by any third party. Any fraudulent, abusive, or otherwise illegal activity may be grounds for termination of your sender access key, at the sole and absolute discretion of TalkingCards.com.
At TalkingCards.com, click the "Send" button on any talking card. You will then be asked to provide your email, name, and sender access key. Please enter all of this information exactly as it was provided to you by email or through the checkout receipt page. Once you've entered this information correctly, the "Activate" button will appear. Click the "Activate" button, which removes all limitations.
No, once you have an access key, you can send an unlimited number of cards to an unlimited number of recipients, for as long as you like. There are no recurring charges or hidden costs later down the road. For instance, if you choose to purchase an access key today, it will be good for the rest of the year, and next year, and the year after that, etc. We only charge a one-time access fee which lifts all restrictions. We also provide free upgrades for future versions, features, and site improvements.
Yes. Actually you can put the cards on your own site even without an access key. But you'll need an access key to send or receive them yourself ( w/no ads attached ). Cards can be sent (and/or received) at your own site for free ( w/ads attached ). To clarify this, some of our cards can be sent for free ( w/ads attached ). If you have purchased an access key, you can send cards ( without any ads ), plus access premium content not available in the ad supported version. For more information, please click here.
No. Access keys are good for a single user only. However, you can put the cards on your own site for free. Users that visit your site will be given the choice between sending free cards ( w/ads attached ), or purchasing an access key to send unlimited cards ( w/no ads attached). If you'd like to learn more, please click here.
The full terms of sale agreement is posted on the checkout page. You can also view it at this location.
Talking Cards On Your Own Site
Yes, we offer many options for this. We have a simple copy & paste solution that works for both personal and commercial websites. For more information about putting cards on your own website(s), please click here.
No, you don't. This is completely optional. This is used mostly by advanced users, other webmasters, and affiliates.
Yes, you can place your own advertisements on your own website anytime you wish. Talking cards CAN be placed on any personal or commercial page and/or blog that contains advertising. For more information about putting talking cards on your own website, please click here.
To get the copy & paste html code for talking cards on your own website, please click here. It's free!
In order to insert the code snippet, you need to understand the difference between copying & pasting text, versus copying & pasting html code. We have written a brief tutorial that walks you through the process step-by-step.
Chances are that you inserted the code as text instead of inserting it as javascript/html code. In order to insert the code snippet, you need to understand the difference between copying & pasting text, versus copying & pasting html code. We have written a brief tutorial that walks you through the process step-by-step.
Yes, you can. In fact, we provide an entire section of the site dedicated to this. Please read the documentation on this page about changing the advanced "char" parameter.
Yes, you can. Change bgcolor=ffffff to bgcolor=[hexadecimal color of your background]. The only color you cannot use is the special color "transparent". Our card interface does not support alpha transparency against your background. This is due to compatibility issues related to Flash® and the transparent window mode across various browsers and operating systems. In order to make the card blend in with your background, you will need to use a solid color for your background and specify it's color using bgcolor=[your hexadecimal color code]. For more detailed information, read the documentation on this page.
Yes, the cards have been developed in Flash®. However, in order to provide the interface and the components it requires, the cards are inserted via javascript and presented through an iframe dynamically onto your page. The javascript code also contains some small functions that are able to detect pickup id#'s and other parameters that you pass through the javascript query string. Many users have asked if there is a way of inserting the flash object directly onto their page. While it would seem that this should be possible, it's not, due to some built-in Flash® security mechanisms and other technical obstacles.
The "tcpid" parameter is used by the card to present ( or deliver ) a card that was sent previously. The tcpid numbers are absolutely unique. Meaning, they are not site independent, they will work the same from one site to another. In other words, if you send a card from TalkingCards.com, it can also be picked up at any site that has the code snippet inserted. Now, there are two ways to pass the tcpid parameter to the card. You can either hardcode the tcpid number into the javascript code snippet, example: ?bgcolor=ffffff&tcpid=[the pickup id#]. Or you can simply pass the tcpid number through the query string of the page the code snippet is displayed on, example: http://mysite.com/?tcpid=[pickup id#]. The javascript code snippet is capable of detecting the tcpid value from either of these locations. For additional flexibility and control, please the documentation on this page regarding the use of the "ploc" and "tcpid" parameters.
Yes, for high traffic sites we have several options available for revenue sharing, please click here to learn about all of our affiliate programs. Or contact us for more information.
Yes, you can use the "burl" and "bimg" parameters in conjunction with the code snippet to co-brand the card interface under your own label. The only thing you cannot do is claim copyright or ownership of the services, material or interface. For full documentation, please read the instructions on this page.
Yes. However, it should be noted that this is not "necessary" because all content and characters are made available to end users through the single card interface produced by the javascript code snippet. That being said, supplying a gallery of characters with thumbnails is a nice touch if you have the time to set it up. You can use the advanced "char" parameter to accomplish this. In fact, you can get full details and a listing of all of the characters on this page. We even provide thumbnail images and an XML feed of all the characters that is automatically updated as new characters become available.
Yes, and no. While the javascript code snippet will work from any page on the web, a few services such as MySpace.com prohibit the use of <script></script> tags in your html for security purposes. Therefore, the answer to this question is: if you can use the <script></script> tags in your blog or webspace, ( it will work just fine ). Some services like Blogger.com provide special tools such as: "Insert Page Element" that allows you to add the javascript code using the tool they've developed ( this works just fine too ). The best way to find out if it will work for you is to simply try it for yourself. For more information, please read the basics. If you can't use the <script></script> tags, your only choice is to find a service that allows them ( such as Blogger.com ), or obtain a free web hosting provider ( such as Bravenet.com ).
Customizing Talking Cards
A lot! The first choice you make is what you want the character to say. You can type something you want to say and our characters will repeat your message using the latest in text-to-speech technology. Or you may choose to use our instant phone recording system where you call up and say (or sing) the message using your own voice! Once you've decided what you want the character to say, you can continue customizing your card by choosing a special voice for it, changing the background image, changing voice pitch, changing voice speed, changing the music, changing the character, and more.
No, our voice synthesis engines and real-time text-to-speech spell checking support only the english language. However, if you want to call up and record a message in another language, that will work just fine. You do this by clicking the button that says: "Make Me Sing", then call up and say (or sing) your message. Our characters are able to lip sync your voice in other languages.
Click the "Change Bgrnd" button on the card. Like all of our media libraries, the background selections are divided up into categories. First you select the category you want to browse, then select a background from that category. Once you've found the perfect background image, click the "Insert Background" button and allow it to load.
Click the "Change Music" button on the card. Like all of our media libraries, the musical selections are divided up into categories. First you select the category you want to browse, then select a musical tune from that category. Once you've found the perfect tune, click the "Insert Music" button and allow it to load. Note: the volume is adjusted dynamically while the character is speaking so the music does not cause a clash with your message. Once the message has been completed, the music will return to a more normal volume.
Click the "Change Voice" button on the card. Like all of our media libraries, the voice engine selections are divided up into categories. First you select the category you want to browse, then select a voice engine by name from that category. Once you've found the perfect voice, you can optionally adjust it's rate and pitch. When you're ready, click the "Insert Voice" button and allow it to load.
Click the "Set Character" button on the card. Like all of our media libraries, the character selections are divided up into categories. First you select the category you want to browse, then select a character from that category. Once you've found the perfect character, click the "Insert Character" button and allow it to load. Since all of our cards use interchangeable parts from our media libraries, changing the character does not change your current selection of music, voice, or background image. You can change all options as many times as you like without affecting other choices you've already made.
Text bubbles are a feature that can be used to display the message you're sending as the character is speaking it. The bubbles are displayed "comic book style" as the character is speaking. You can turn bubbles on/off on the "Make Me Talk" customization panel using the associated check box. Bubbles only work for text-to-speech messages. If you call up and record your own voice, no bubbles are displayed.
Click the "Make Me Sing" button on any card. Follow the instructions provided for calling up to record your own voice. Feel free to sing a song, tell a joke, laugh, cry, etc. The character will lip sync your voice as soon as you hang up the phone and enter the number you called from.
Yes. You just need to go through the recording process again and click the "Insert Recording" button again. Each time you call up to record your voice, a new voice recording is created that is tagged with your caller id. Your caller id# allows us to identify the recording as belonging to you. You can re-record your message as many times as you like, so long as you click the "Insert Recording" button each time you do so. Also; our system is specially designed so that you can create a card and send it with your voice recording, then create another card and record a new message for that new card without messing up any previous cards you've designed. Each time you record a message by phone, click the "Insert Recording" button immediately after you've recorded it. In other words, inserting the recording takes your currently recorded phone message and permanently embeds it into the card your currently sending. It does this without affecting any previously recorded messages you've used for other cards in the past, because each time you click "Insert Recording", your permanently embedding the message into the card.
Currently there are 15 different voices with over 4000 rate & pitch combinations available. Each voice can say anything you type, & each voice can be matched with any character, background, music, and message you prefer. We are constantly working with several text-to-speech developers to improve our existing voices and create new ones. Keep checking back for the latest and greatest.
First you'll need to understand how our library navigation works. When you select a category from any of our libraries, the first 10 items in that category are loaded up immediately into a revolving wheel beneath the category selection. You can use the right and left arrows or your mouse to flip through each category and/or category item in the wheel. Now, to answer this question; to view all of the items within a particular category, you must click the left or right double arrowed buttons which will insert additional items from the current category, each time their clicked, until all of the items from the current category have been added to the rotation wheel. This method of navigation allows us to provide you with a wide range of content to choose from while not overloading your internet connection and our own bandwidth.
You can use periods .... to extend a longer pause after each word or sentence. Each period is equal to a 1 second pause. Using ........... would cause the character to pause for several seconds before repeating the rest of your message.
To help combat problems with typos, our cards use a real-time spell checking interface that lets you know if a word is misspelled as you type it. Offering spelling suggestions along the way to help you make the character vocalize your message with more precision. This is handled automatically for you. All you have to do is pay attention to the words it marks for spelling correction.
Yes, and no. It just depends on what you're trying to get the character to say. Generally speaking, you should try to spell every word correctly and have all punctuation correct too. However, there may be times that you will want to misspell a word on purpose in order to achieve the correct dialect. For example, you might type, "SeeYa", instead of "See You Later" to get the character to say it as one word. Our voices are trained to say exactly what you type, even if what you type has been misspelled.
Corporate Use Of Talking Cards
Certainly! In fact, we have a become a popular way of contacting large mailing lists for Christmas and other holidays around the year. First you'll need to purchase an access key so that you can obtain the information necessary to send cards out. You can even host the talking cards on your own website and place ads or other promotional material around them. For more information about putting talking cards on your own website, please click here.
Certainly! First you'll need to purchase an access key so that you can obtain the information necessary to send cards out. There is no special key needed for corporate use. You purchase a single access key just like a home user would do. Next, you'll want to make a talking card that delivers a general message intended to be received by multiple recipients. For example, you would not want to call any particular person by name in the message if you're intending to send it out to hundreds or even thousands of users. Once you have the card just the way you like it, click the "Send" button and enter your access key. A special link will be provided to you that you can use to mass mail the card to your newsletter and/or other mailing lists. To further customize the experience for your recipients, you could also place the card on your own website.
No, there is not. We understand that many businesses use our talking cards to send mass emails to newsletter subscribers and other mailing lists. However, we do not charge any more or less for this type of usage. Whether your a home user or a large corporation, the price of an access key is always the same. $16.95. That being said, each access key is good for a single user. If your company has many employees or you need to send cards from multiple individuals, you will need to purchase an access key for each person that plans to send cards. If your intention is to send cards from your company name, you only need one access key for that.
Compatibility Across Different Systems
Yes, our talking cards have been developed using Flash®, which "is" cross browser compatible with IE, Firefox, Mozilla, Opera, and Safari. As well as some other IE knock-offs such as Maxthon. Specific requirements include the following: IE version 6.0+ / Firefox 1.5+ / Opera 9.0+ / Safari 2.0+ / ( with Flash® 9.0.28.0 or higher installed ). Our talking cards utilize the express install service provided by Adobe® to ensure the latest version of Flash® is installed before the card is presented to you or to your recipients. Therefore, you can rest easy knowing that your recipients will have no trouble even if they don't currently have the latest version of the Flash® plugin. We will detect their current version of Flash® and, if necessary, walk them through the simple upgrade process right through the card. This way a recipient never has to visit the Adobe® Flash® website themselves to do the upgrade. We handle it for them on behalf of Adobe®.
Yes, our talking cards have been tested to work on both the Windows® and Macintosh® operating systems. The talking cards have been developed using Flash®, which "is" cross browser compatible with IE, Firefox, Mozilla, Opera, and Safari. As well as some other IE knock-offs such as Maxthon. Specific requirements include the following: IE version 6.0+ / Firefox 1.5+ / Opera 9.0+ / Safari 2.0+ / ( with Flash® 9.0.28.0 or higher installed ). Our talking cards utilize the express install service provided by Adobe® to ensure the latest version of Flash® is installed before the card is presented to you or to your recipients. Therefore, you can rest easy knowing that your recipients will have no trouble even if they don't currently have the latest version of the Flash® plugin. We will detect their current version of Flash® and, if necessary, walk them through the simple upgrade process right through the card. This way a recipient never has to visit the Adobe® Flash® website themselves to do the upgrade. We handle it for them on behalf of Adobe®.
No. Web tv is a surf only hardware setup. While MSN/Web Tv does support the flash player, it does not support the latest version, nor does it support the advanced scripting techniques associated within the Flash® programming at this time. Please use a PC or Mac to send and/or receive talking cards.
More Information
TalkingCards.com is produced by the Dongo development team. As you can probably imagine, building cards & characters that can say anything you type is a very challenging task! Our extensive list of developers include text-to-speech technology experts, artists, script writers, illustrators, database managers, web programmers, and flash gurus.
If you need help with something not discussed in our FAQ's, please feel free to contact us.
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in Florida, USA )
in Florida, USA )
