Archive for the ‘Social Networking’ Category

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Maria T. Bailey makes her living by knowing what Moms want. Today she shared what the Mom Market will look like in the next 5-years.

It is exciting to witness the rapidly evolving mommy market first hand, and then to see experts validate some of the thoughts that Sarah and I have had as we prepare our online party concept we are calling PartyWeDo.

Maria suggests that in next five years we will see Tupperware parties hosted online, using computers and social networking tools that virtually mimic the home party systems of the past. She sights evidence that this is beginning to happen on Twitter for baby showers.

We are demonstrating that the PartyWeDo concept will add an even greater level of engagement into the online home party plans of the future.

These five year predictions also suggests that there will be Moms who will build loyalty in a family brand that will link generations together for many reasons. This is evident in our family even today.

My wife Sarah remains the anchor of our family brand and is the most active in gathering the generations together on the internet. It was Sarah’s desire to connect that lead us to start sharing gifts as a family on the internet. This web activity lead to the creation of the AlbinoPhant party and ultimately to the business of PartyWeDo.

Maria should also take into account that millions of Moms will become empty-nesters within the next 5-years, just like Sarah is today. These women will be desperate to find ways to stay involved in the lives of many generations, all at the same time. These women will want to share gifts in a more exciting way, even when the family is dispersed around the country. A Mom’s giving nature will provide a great many marketing opportunities for e-Retailers in the future.

We are excited to be on the leading edge of these trends and thank forward thinking women for their efforts to keep family connections strong.

Thanks to azurehat.com for the image

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Louis Gray shares cutting edge trends he finds on the internet. Today he shared a new feature from Brizzly.com that allows family and friend groups a chance to have private (or public) chats together.

Louis suggests that the result is “a fun free-flowing environment to chat with friends, family and colleagues without fear of the content going public”…

As I read of the features that are a part of the new Picnic system, I am struck by how similar this is to our Banter Box on the AlbinoPhant game play page.

From the Brizzly site:
“You can do what you’ve been doing on other social networks – sharing links, posting photos & videos, making jokes, having conversations – but with specific groups of people”. “You can also upload photos from your computer and take photos with your computer’s webcam. Link to a video from YouTube or Vimeo and we’ll embed it so it’s playable right inside the picnic”.

Brizzly’s Picnic and AlbinoPhant’s “Banter Box” have the same features that add to the conversation between close family and friends.

The online party process in AlbinoPhant and the Brizzly chat system approach groups from different directions. Brizzly is a reader that works with Twitter and Facebook. AlbinoPhant and other PartyWeDo events are gift distribution parties that use the banter and sharing features to enhance the gift giving experience for the group. Both systems enhance the networking potential of a specific group. Each service adds to the fun free-flowing chat that develops when people of a like mind get together.

We take our hat off to Brizzly for joining the party!

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The game market has fractured into several niches over the years. Gaming includes everything from board games played around a table to social games that only live on Facebook. It has been interesting to watch the gaming space evolve and expand with the assistance of the internet. Today, there is an online version of almost every game known to man.

Companies like Zynga have millions of players using social networks to play games that involve farms, fish and you name it… These are called social games.

EA made it’s fortune producing and distributing video games for the X-box/Playstation crowd and now is moving into net-based games.

Hasbro has ruled the board game category for years and is now into online gaming. Television game shows continue to draw good ratings, with some game shows, like Family Feud, making the transition to the web as well.

The point is that there are many ways to play games, and millions find time to enjoy a game on the internet regularly. Game play is a big and diverse business!

Now a new niche is beginning to emerge on the web: The Party Game..

These are the party activities that we have learned at countless birthday parties, bridal showers or company parties. They are being developed as mimics of these familiar party games and used to support online parties for the important life events.

It seems logical that if every other genre of game has made a move to the online world, that Party Games will be in the space eventually as well.

What Party Games do you enjoy? Pin the Tail on the Donkey, Spin the Bottle, Yankee Swap or maybe Truth or Dare?

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If we look down the “internet road” we can see a day when parties in person will combine with online parties to include everyone…

Skype and Facebook are both figuring out how to mesh video chat and social networking into one package.

Envision a baby shower for a new mommy who has friends all around the country. Currently the shower attendees are limited to those who live close or are willing to travel to be with the new mother in person.

With Skype and a networking system, like Facebook the activities could be shared by video and coordinated online and in person. Some of the attendees would be sharing gifts that are opened directly by the mommy, while other gifts are opened virtually and displayed on the computer, only to be delivered by UPS later.

The glue that would make this event stick in the memory of everyone involved would be an engaging activity that combined both the computer crowd and the live crowd in the action.

Thanks to the video advances of Skype and the networking abilities of social media, we will all eventually make every party and share in all the fun.

Distance will not be a stop sign on the future internet roads.

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I say that a gift is rooted in support and a present is founded upon quilt.. A gift requires thought and a present meets a deadline… Gifts connect people in a mutual event, while a present fills a desire to not lose face… And, shipping gifts can turn a personal gift into a delivered present.

Seth Godin suggests that“a gift costs the giver something real. It might be cash, but more likely it involves a sacrifice or a risk or an emotional exposure. A true gift is a heartfelt connection, something that changes both the giver and the recipient”.

Lee Knight, the overachiever coach makes a distinction by saying that “…we give someone a present because we think they’ll benefit from it, whereas a gift is something they have expressed interest in or would like to buy on their own”.

When a birthday is approaching, those who truly love and support take the time to select “the” gift. Those who are rushing to not miss the date, find a presents to wrap. I know that this is true because I live with a gift giver, and I am a present purchaser.

My wife, Sarah will spend 30 minutes selecting the perfect card to demonstrate her personal connection with the person who will eventually open the envelope. I, on the other hand, swoop into the store (the day of the event), speed-read the words, grab the envelope and head for the cashier.

Sarah takes the same care as she approaches the actual gift selection. Sarah is a gift giver not a present wrapper. She anxiously awaits to see the expression on a loved ones face when they open their gift. Sarah wraps her love and support around the gift.

I think that this is why it is so difficult to be a true gift giver at a distance. The personal connection is lost, and the UPS driver doesn’t wear a party hat.

This is the reason that our family gift exchange party has been so important to Sarah. With this online mimic of a party, some of the magic of gift giving is returned. All participate in the banter as each gift is virtual opened and the party proceeds. Then when the UPS driver arrives with the package, the memories have an opportunity to come out of the box with the gift.

Millions of true gift givers live with the same frustration that Sarah experiences when she sends off a gift to one of our children or grandchildren. At least her online substitute for a supportive gift giving experience helps to make a gift remain a gift, even at a distance.

Are you a gift giver or a present deliverer?

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Media Post has been discussing the word engagement and Gord Hotchkiss set out to present the two definitions.

Both definitions are tied to a personal connection and commitment to something beyond our own self. To be engaged is several steps past just showing up or just being involved with someone or in something. In fact, the word engagement has become quite a buzz in social media companies. We even have books that focus on how to be more engaged or engaging on the internet.

Our business revolves around party activities, so we ask the question: Can you have an engaging engagement party?

The answer is yes… From the “ring and wedding” perspective, the engagement period can be one of the most engaging times in a couples life. If done right, all the family becomes engaged in the process.

The impact of a wedding announcement is widespread, even though the focus is on a singular event. There are two distinct families to be introduced, connected and finally united.

But even a traditional engagement party leaves some people out in the cold; feeling less engaged in the process. The level of connection is naturally diminished for some family members who live a distance from the bride and groom.

When an engagement party is planned, there are often those who feel left out because they cannot afford to travel for the real party. In this case the distance builds barriers to personal engagement.

The solution to this challenge is to find ways to engage others without the need to travel. The new tools on the internet can help to involve distant relatives and friends at the start of the engagement period, and through to the wedding party. Skype, Facebook and Youtube can all be employed to share some of the exciting steps toward the nuptials.

Weddings create a flurry of party and gift giving opportunities that are used to support and demonstrate love for the couple. Those who live close get the great parties and participate in the fun personal interactions. It is sad that distance is a restriction for some friends during this important life event.

How could the web be employed to make the engagement party more engaging for even the most distant friend?

We have a few ideas…. What about you?

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From Volkswagen to Venture Hacks, FUN is becoming very cool…

The people at VW have started an initiative to demonstrate that; “fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better”. Also, the people at Venture Hacks are suggesting that start-ups could use the science of games to make starting a business more FUN.

There are now presentations and commentaries on how the psychology of game play will create more FUN.

WE LOVE ALL THIS FUN…. It is now Cool to be FUN!

(we have included a FUN video from VW at the end of this post)

This trend toward FUN is exciting for a party that puts the FUN into gift giving. We like to think that when a gift is sent to a distant friend, we put the party hat on the UPS box!

Our intention is to provide several engaging party activities that will allow family and friends to pass out the gifts in a FUN way… From any computer!

Click through these slides and see how to put a party hat on your UPS driver…