Archive for the ‘White Elephant Gift Exchange’ Category

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We told you so….

Now that Amazon and Facebook are working together to help friends and family find E-commerce solutions, we would like to mention that WE TOLD YOU SO!

The internet pundits have finally discovered that shopping is a social experience and should be adapted to our online experiences.  They have announced with great fanfare the linking of Facebook friends and Amazon markets.

We are happy to say again… We told you so!

Now let’s take the next step and join friends and family on Facebook in organized shopping and gift sharing activities.  Let’s have online parties and have an engaging experience, just like we do in our family rooms… Let’s share birthdays, holidays, weddings and all the other important life events with everyone in our networks.

We are leading the way with the PartyWeDo business model and have created the AlbinoPhant demonstration application to point us all to the future of online gift giving.

Thank you all for coming to the party!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Steven L. Patterson the Vice President & General Counsel of Oregon Mutual Insurance Company, shared this and I want to pass it along.

The temperature in Philadelphia was 72 and the horseflies weren’t nearly so bad in the morning as the delegates to the Second Constitutional Convention met. Independence Hall as we now know it, was a lovely room, very large room with gleaming white walls. The chairs were comfortable and facing the single door were two brass fireplaces, not in use during the hot summer.

After all had assembled the door was shut and it was always kept locked.  As you might imagine,  the room became an oven. The tall windows were also shut so that the loud quarreling voices in the room could not be heard by passersby (the subject of discussions was to be the cause of war). Small openings above the windows allowed for a slight stir of air, and also a large number of horseflies. Thomas Jefferson recorded that “the horseflies were dexterous in finding necks, and the silk of stocking was as nothing to them.” All discussions were punctuated by the slap of hands on necks, legs and other bared skin.

On the wall at the back, facing the President’s desk, was a panoply–consisting of a drum, swords, and banners seized from Fort Ticonderoga the previous year. Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold (yes, the very same Benedict Arnold that would later determine that he might be on the losing side and betrayed the American cause by arranging to compromise an American Fort) had captured the place, shouting that they were taking it “in the name God and the Continental Congress!”

After some preliminary matters Congress transformed itself into a committee of the whole, The Declaration of Independence was read aloud once more, and debate resumed. Though Jefferson was the best writer of all present, members felt he had been somewhat verbose. Congress edited the excess away. Jefferson groaned as they continued what he later called “their depredations.” He was none too pleased by the changes. “Inherent and inalienable rights” came out “certain unalienable rights,” and to this day no one knows who suggested the elegant change.  A total of 86 alterations were made. Almost 500 words were eliminated, leaving 1,337. At last, after three days of wrangling, the document was put to a vote.

In the same hall where Patrick Henry had once thundered: “I am no longer a Virginian, Sir, but an American,” the loud and sometimes bitter argument ended, and without fanfare the vote was taken. While the members were pushing to finish their work by July 2nd, the resolution was formally adopted July 4 and it was not until July 8 that two of the states authorized their delegates to sign, and it was not until August 2 that the signers met at Philadelphia to actually put their names to the Declaration.

Have you ever wondered what kind of men were the 56 signers who adopted the Declaration of Independence and who, by their signing, committed an act of high treason against the Sovereign King of Great Britain? To each of you the names Franklin, Adams, Hancock, and Jefferson are familiar.  But who were the other signers. Who were they? What happened to them?    You may be somewhat surprised by the names not on the Declaration: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry. All were elsewhere.

Ben Franklin was the only really old man. Eighteen of the signers were under 40; three were in their 20s. Of the 56, almost half–24–were judges and lawyers. Eleven were merchants, 9 were land-owners and farmers, and the remaining 12 were doctors, ministers, and politicians.

With only a few exceptions, such as Samuel Adams of Massachusetts, these were men of substantial property. All but two had families. The vast majority were men of education and standing in their communities. They had economic security as few men had in the 18th century.

Each had more to lose from revolution than he had to gain by it. John Hancock (January 23, 1737 – October 8, 1793) is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the Declaration, so much so that “John Hancock” became a synonym for “signature”. But he was more than a signer of the Declaration. John Hancock was the President of the Congress and as President was the first to sign the Declaration. Hancock, one of the richest men in America, already had a price of 500 pounds on his head. He signed in enormous letters and in legend, if not in fact, said while doing so “that his Majesty could now read his name without glasses and could now double the reward.”

Ben Franklin wryly noted: “Indeed we must all hang together, otherwise we shall most assuredly hang separately.” These men knew what they risked. The penalty for treason was death by hanging.  Today politicians take polls to decide how to feel on issues. At this time the majority of colonial citizens, though sympathetic to the sentiments expressed in favor of independence, feared a war with Britain and remained loyal to the King. A great British fleet was already at anchor in New York Harbor.

These were serious men, not detached intellectuals or wild eyed fanatics. They were simply seeking equality with the mother country. It was taxation with representation they sought and in return they got occupation by the forces of the King. They were all successful under the rule of Great Britain, yet they rebelled.

William Ellery, a delegate from Rhode Island, wrote that he was curious to see the signers’ faces as they signed the declaration, knowing what it meant. He saw some men sign quickly, “but in no face was he able to discern real fear.” Stephen Hopkins, Ellery’s colleague from Rhode Island, was a man past 60. As he signed with a shaking pen, he declared: “My hand trembles, but my heart does not.”

Even before the list was published, the British marked down every member of Congress suspected of having put his name to treason. All of them became the objects of vicious manhunts. Some were taken. Some, like Jefferson, had narrow escapes. All who had property or families near British strongholds suffered.  Some examples:

Francis Lewis, New York delegate, saw his home plundered and his estates,  in what is now Harlem, destroyed by British soldiers. Mrs. Lewis was captured and treated with great brutality. Though she was later exchanged for two British prisoners through the efforts of Congress, she died from the effects of her abuse.

John Hart of Trenton, New Jersey, risked his life to return home to see his dying wife. Hessian soldiers rode after him, and he escaped in the woods. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his homestead. Hart, 65, slept in caves and woods as he was hunted across the countryside. When at long last, emaciated by hardship, he was able to sneak home, he found his wife had already been buried, and his 13 children taken away. He never saw them again. He died a broken man in 1779, without ever finding his family.

Dr. John Witherspoon, signer, was president of the College of New Jersey, later called Princeton. The British occupied the town of Princeton, and housed troops in the college. They trampled and burned the finest college library in the country.

Judge Richard Stockton, another New Jersey delegate signer, had rushed back to his estate in an effort to evacuate his wife and children. The family found refuge with friends, but a sympathizer betrayed them. Judge Stockton was pulled from bed in the night and brutally beaten by the arresting soldiers. Thrown into a common jail, he was deliberately starved. Congress finally arranged for Stockton’s parole, but his health was ruined. The judge was released as an invalid, when he could no longer harm the British cause. He returned home to find his estate looted and did not live to see the triumph of the revolution. His family was forced to live off charity.

Robert Morris, merchant prince of Philadelphia, delegate and signer, met Washington’s appeals and pleas for money year after year. He made and raised arms and provisions which made it possible for Washington to cross the Delaware at Trenton. In the process he lost 150 ships at sea, bleeding his own fortune and credit almost dry.

John Morton, a Tory loyalist in his views previous to the Declarations debate, lived in a area of Pennsylvania strongly loyal to the King. When he came out for independence, most of his neighbors and even some of his relatives ostracized him. He was a sensitive and troubled man, and many believed this action killed him. When he died in 1777, his last words to his tormentors were: “Tell them that they will live to see the hour when they shall acknowledge it [the signing of the Declaration] to have been the most glorious service that I rendered to my country.”

Thomas Nelson, signer of Virginia, was at the front in command of the Virginia military forces. With British General Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown, fire from 70 heavy American guns began to destroy Yorktown piece by piece. Lord Cornwallis and his staff moved their headquarters into Nelson’s palatial home. While American cannonballs were making a shambles of the town, the house of Governor Nelson remained untouched. Nelson turned in rage to the American gunners and asked, “Why do you spare my home?” They replied, “Sir, out of respect to you.” Nelson cried, “Give me the cannon!” and fired on his magnificent home himself, smashing it to bits. But Nelson’s sacrifice was not quite over. He had raised $2 million for the Revolutionary cause by pledging his own estates. When the loans came due, a newer peacetime Congress refused to honor them, and Nelson’s property was forfeited. He was never reimbursed. He died, impoverished, a few years later at the age of 50.

Of the 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word.

And, finally, there is the New Jersey signer, Abraham Clark. He gave two sons to the officer corps in the Revolutionary Army. They were captured and sent to the infamous British prison hulk afloat in New York harbor known as the hell ship “Jersey,” where 11,000 American captives were to die. The younger Clark’s were treated with a special brutality because of their father. One was put in solitary and given no food. With the end almost in sight, with the war almost won, no one could have blamed Abraham Clark for acceding to the British request when they offered him his sons’ lives if he would recant and come out for the King and parliament. The despair in this man’s heart, the anguish must touch each one of us down through 200 years with his answer: “No.”

The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence composed one of the most sobering lines in history. “And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”

No idle boast or shallow sentiment indeed.

Have a great Fourth of July Holiday and remember the country we were given through the sacrifices of those who valued and fought for what we should never take for granted.

Information from various sources and articles

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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This statement represents the PartyWeDo “Cause”…

Our cause began as a result of real events, and the passion for it is based upon real emotions and real needs.

There are three supporting pillars to the cause:

People

Memories

Giving

Genesis Statements:

* The love for our family is real and is the most powerful motivation for our actions.

* The years of real memories have addicted us to the need to keep generating more.

* Support for those we love requires real giving, which cannot be virtually substituted.

To Sarah and me, the PartyWeDo cause is very personal. We are motivated to contribute because of the people and the memories that we love.

You may have similar people and memories in your life, for which this cause might be valuable as well. If so, we hope that you will join us in making the internet experience like REAL.

The AlbinoPhant party, and the others that will follow, make gift giving on the internet as real as possible.

We are passionate that the virtual experience should somehow send people back into the real world and provide real support.

Memories are not built in a vacuum, so these parties should link real people into an activity that adds to the stories, emotions, and the laughter of great personal connections.

It is hard to stay real in a world built on keyboards, bandwidth and servers. Nevertheless, our cause is to make some of this virtual world like REAL.

NOTE: Thanks to Jesse Stay for suggesting that we publish our Cause for you to read…

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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I have been a student of party engagement and event interaction for many years, even before we began our online party application.

Sarah is a trained recreational specialist and has been involved in party leadership for most of her adult life, so I have had many opportunities to be a “fly on the wall” and observe how people enjoy a social event.

It is fascinating to watch the personalities that blend together during each phase of the party experience. From the first greeting, through many social interactions, and up until the departure, the individual personalities display a variety of tendencies.

I have often thought that there is a hierarchy of individual party personalities; from the quiet spectator known as the “wall-flower”, to the extremely engaged “party-animal”.

These levels seem to be based upon some sort of imaginary social ladder. The rungs of this ladder represent the comfort level that people feel in putting themselves on display for others to witness. On the lower steps stand those who are guarded or very reserved, and at the top are those who have no fear of being noticed and even welcome attention.

But there is one personality that seems to always be critical to the success of any party experience…

Social Butterflies…

These people build the bridges between most of the personalities in the room and keep the conversation flowing.

Valeria Maltoni, a professional conversationalist and author of the Conversation Agent introduced me to a social ladder concept that really fits these party personalities very closely.

Her discussion suggests that the conversation is central to good social networking on the internet and that “Conversationalist” are the connectors in these social spaces.

My party observations would suggest that without one or more conversationalist on the guest list, the party could be a dud.. Therefore, an understanding of the social party ladder, and a personality assessment is critical for party hosts, as they work on their invitation list.

The social scientists have just recently added the “conversationalist” rung to the accepted social ladder discussion. Jason Falls suggests that “This development is interesting because for years social media evangelists have been preaching that, “it’s all about the conversation.”

Before this addition to the social ladder, there were only 6 rungs; Inactives, Spectators, Joiners, Collectors, Critics and Creators. Now, the Conversationalist is thought to make up about a third of all social media interactions.

How does a social media ladder relate to my party observations and to the success of a party?

Well, I believe social media activities on the internet closely parallel the mechanics of a party, and that the social ladder measurements fit pretty well. (I would probably throw out the Collectors rung for this discussion on parties, but the others are a really good fit).

We could say that the Inactives are the least desirable party guests, due to the effort that it will take to get them to attend and to join in any of the activities planned for the event. I am not suggesting that you leave anyone out, but realize that an inactive will be less engaged in any of your planned activities. Luckily, there are just a few of these personality types to worry about.

The next rung on the ladder are the Spectators…This is a big group!  The responsibility of the host is to move the spectators out of their comfort zone and into the Joiner category.  Left on their own they will just watch the event unfold, so pushing the right buttons of Spectators will move the fun needle up a notch at any party.

These lower ladder levels can be greatly impacted by the Conversationalists on your guest list. Given the opportunity, they will bridge the fear gap and encourage these quiet personalities to become more involved in each party activity.

Critics are perfect personalities for Conversationalist. They work together to spool up the conversation and tend to send discussions into a variety of directions.  Many times the debate will pull the Spectators into the discussion. The host much watch the critics closely so as to ward off contentious conversations…

The top of the ladder rung are the creators, or the people who will partner naturally with the host to find ways to improve the experience for everyone. This personality group will recognize the Communicators in the group and leverage them to build a better experience for themselves and every other personality involved….

Knowing the social ladder and working with the personalities on the guest list will make your next party climb to new heights. Find the social conservationists and then let them work their magic in the room…

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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We were never Helicopter Parents, but we always stayed close to the landing pad.

Our home was the take-off strip and the landing zone at the beginning and at the end of many great adventures. We viewed our job as part air traffic control, part runway maintenance, and part TSA or emergency response team. The job took most of 30 years and we loved every arrival and each departure…

It was four years ago that our youngest left and we began searching for a way to maintain connections and still provide worthwhile ground support to the crew.

Like millions of other Boomers, Sarah and I have an empty concourse and gates that go mostly unused.

Today, most of the adventures happen thousands of miles away, making hovering impossible.

Regardless, there were two traditions that we desired to maintain for our dispersed family, as we moved forward with life… Game play and gift giving. We did a lot of both of these activities in our family room over the years, and we didn’t want to stop.

We decided to build a temporary landing strip on the internet, were everyone could touchdown for a short refuel of family connection between their individual adventures… We started a virtual family party, mimicking the birthday, holiday and wedding gatherings of our past.

We tested our family game for three years to make sure that it would fly and then we rolled it out for others to use. It is a gift to our children and to our friends who also find themselves hovering outside of new landing zones.

This game will not turn back time, or refill our home with the traffic of the past. But for a few days there are landings on every runway, and we can experience the excitement and renewed connection of every arrival and each departure.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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Amazon runs huge product warehouses. In fact, there are now 24 of these massive distribution centers world-wide, stocking everything from CDs to bicycle tires.

The online retailer moves 3-times as much product through these warehouses than it’s next closes competitor.

Over 40% of the products that move through the supply system are sold by merchants other than Amazon itself. There are over 1.3 million suppliers who provide the products that are for sale on Amazon.com and through these other merchants.

When consumers  rank the trusted technology companies for privacy, they usually put Amazon in the top 5.

In 2009 PartyWeDo was looking for an e-commerce partner for the gift party application, AlbinoPhant. The natural choice was Amazon.

Amazon works great for a gift merchandising application because of their massive selection and top-notch customer service.

The gift exchange system uses a level pricing system for each custom AlbinoPhant marketplace. Each host selects the level at which their invitees will spend for the gift and the AlbinoPhant software sorts through the Amazon Warehouse to display products in that pricing category.

PartyWeDo hired the Utah based e-commerce software firm Gyrofly, to build the special interface that would allow each party guest to pay one price and cover the cost of the gift, the shipping and the fun.

The resulting markets are filled with thousands of gifts that can be used to share in the fun of a Yankee Swap or White Elephant Gift Exchange.

When any gift is selected from one of the AlinoPhant markets, it is identified by a unique number. This number allows us to use the image of the gift during the game play period and also ship the correct item from the Amazon warehouse to the correct players doorstep.

This system allows the virtual world of the internet to marry seamlessly with the real world of gift shopping and delivery.

All of these marvelous technologies and efficient shipping systems allow family and friends to purchase gifts, share them online and then receive a present at their home.

Thank you Amazon, for joining the party!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Hosting any event requires determination and ingenuity. We appreciate the efforts of a party host who takes the time and energy to pull off a great social experiences.

We really give a tip of our hat to the host who goes the extra mile to make the party memorable for everyone involved. It is amazing how even the small differences can make a huge change in the level of fun and engagement at the party. It is the host’s responsibility to find the “little extra” that will turn the party into a social explosion.

One of the galvanizing aspects of any group event involves joining attendees together in a common activity, like a party game. These activities are proven social bonding tools that turn mundane events into great social experiences.

Our family uses the gift exchange format to add a spark to our gift giving parties and create unity. But this year we went a bit further and added just another dimension to the fun.

On the day of our Christmas Eve party we invited all of the attendees to meet us at the local Goodwill store, just before coming to the event. We suggested that if they had not purchased a gift for the exchange, that this would be a good time to find the perfect present…

But we had another surprise in mind.

We asked everyone to shop for a silly hat to wear to the party, and it would be our treat.

The hat selection was fabulous and the variety was amazing ( it is interesting to realize that someone paid retail for some of these at one time!). The store was soon filled with laughter as our guests discovered hats and then modeled them for anyone who would pay attention to them.
Down several isles of the store walked grown men with furry or floppy hats, still displaying the price tags. Women that were trying on hard hats and football helmets were giggling like school kids.

The party had started at Goodwill and the excitement was spreading.

The regular store customers and clerks were entertained by this odd display, and our guests were getting into a very festive mood. We didn’t even need to ask the group to continue wearing the hats as they made their way up to the checkout, they just kept them on and delighted the other shoppers.

These unusual hats became the uniform for our party and added a social-glue among the participants of the evening’s activities.

The hats cost about $2.00 a piece, but their value as a group bonding tool was priceless. It created a memorable event for those who attended.

We take our hat off to the host who takes the extra steps to build a better party experience for family and friends.

What have you done to add something extra.?

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

You have been invited to attend an online gift party like no other.

Your host has used a special offer code (1234) to begin a “test-drive” party that allows you to experience a gift exchange without spending any money…

Like a real test drive!

Here are the step by step instructions on how to get the invitation, RSVP, find a gift (virtually), get it wrapped and then join the party.

It is really easy, once you have done it one time!

Step #1 (these screen shots seem to display better in Firefox than on Explorer browsers, sorry)

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Final Step: HAVE A GREAT TIME.. You are going to love this party!

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

Hosting a regular party is hard work, but you know what it takes, Right?
Doing an online party is completely new, so you need to learn the ropes before you feel comfortable hosting something for real.

AlbinoPhant is the first of its kind…. A REAL online gift sharing party!

We have provided a way for you to take a “hosting test-drive” and to learn how much like a real party this really is. You can test this system with OFFER CODE 1234.

Here are the steps: Begin by joining the application HERE
Now follow these screen shots and balloon messages to start your test-drive…

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists