If respondents on the Postal Service’s Facebook and Twitter accounts had their way, postage stamps would soon bear the images of Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey and Bruce Springsteen.
Those are the popular online suggestions — so far — for stamp subjects after the Postal Service last month announced its decision to begin honoring living people on stamps in 2012 and inviting the public to submit their ideas for individuals to honor through social media (Link, 9/26).
The idea appears to have captured the public’s imagination, judging from the amount of feedback the announcement is receiving. According to Steve Kearney, manager, Stamp Services, “likes” on the Postal Service’s Facebook page — in just one week after the announcement — jumped from slightly more than 3,000 to more than 5,900. In that time, the Postal Service’s Twitter account picked up 648 additional followers.
Entertainers are the most popular online choices for living subjects, with pop performer Lady Gaga receiving the most votes — including nearly 70 percent of the nominations from Twitter. Following her in popularity are Stephen Colbert and Oprah Winfrey.
After entertainers, political, historical and social leaders have the most nominations. Among these are presidents, first ladies, writer Maya Angelou, Bill Gates and a petition for Dr. Bill Bass. There is no clear leader in this category, though Astronaut Neil Armstrong is the second most popular choice overall for all categories.
People also have taken time to write more than 600 letters containing suggestions, and Lady Gaga was proposed in only two. Letters continue to arrive every day, and to date the most popular choices include living Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Rev. Billy Graham, Bob Dylan and Bill Gates.
The Postal Service publicized its new policy through other means and received similar levels of feedback. An email sent to more than 10,000 subscribers of Beyond the Perf was opened by 5,092. Beyond the Perf has since added 83 new subscribers.
source: USPS News Link
We need to overthrow this decision by Donahue to allow living people to be on stamps.
It will only make stamps cheap and worthless to collect.
Donahue sure did screw up a long time tradition just for his personal gain.
Does anybody want to bet he is a Republican and shill for the Republicans?
He takes his orders from Issa and Ross.
Can somebody please put it back the way it use to be?
Only non living persons should be on a US stamp.
And thats final.
And we own you
Corporations own you. Get used to it.
Oprah, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates,epitimize the American dream and the reason this country was founded. Freedom of religion and a chance for the poor and homeless to achieve success. We are going in the wrong direction and need to get back to leaders that believe as our founders did.