Posts Tagged ‘virtual gifts’

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When Facebook announced that they were closing down the virtual gift store I wasn’t surprised. I join with the Readwriteweb and boldly state: “good riddance to virtual junk”.

WHY…Real friends give real gifts.

I would never claim to know the business reasons for Facebook closing the virtual gift store, but they must have a good reason. From my perspective the virtual gift is such a shallow expression of friendship that I would be embarrassed to send my true friends chocolate they could never taste or a rose that they could never smell.

Even so, game developers are making bank on these virtual gifts, so there must be plenty of players who are willing to share these silly gifts online. It just seems like throwing good money after bad smoke and mirrors.

That being said, I am very happy to see the growth of gift giving in social networks; as it reinforces our business model of selling real gifts to social groups like families.

We continue to argue that real gift giving has a long history of success and is rooted in love and support, while virtual gift giving is a gimmick to make money for internet entrepreneurs.

Real gifts are sustainable…. Virtual gifts live in the world of the here and gone.

What do you think?

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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I raised five teenagers… I know when I am being worked!

How do we reach the time-tested mom?
Mothers have a sixth sense when they are presented with a story that just doesn’t seem to add up. After years of such pitches, these women have a very polished intuition.

This is why advertisers struggle reaching these ladies on social networks. And why Baby Boomer women will give virtual gifts a very short life span.

These women have spent years providing real experiences for their families. A virtual hug is a nice diversion, but it holds no value for the serious mother who nurtures with reality.

Advertisers are learning that these experienced mothers don’t want their social walls cluttered with mindless junk. They see Facebook as a real tie to children who have left the nest and a link with old friends.

It remains our contention that REAL things are the only sustainable purpose for social networks, especially for women over 50. Marketers need to be reminded that this demographic is increasing by the millions almost daily and that women don’t need to be pitched junk when they know how good the real thing is…

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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Why do we need an online gift distribution system?

There a millions of people on social networks who are connected ether by strong friendships or genealogy. These relationships often result in gift giving opportunities several times during the year. The gifting process works well when using traditional distribution methods.

But this process has been a bit of a problem for social sites like Facebook, so they have attempted to replicate gift giving using virtual gifts. These “Un-Gifts” don’t have the same value as something that is real, so there is not much real support provided with these virtual items.

Families and friends give gifts during birthdays, weddings, baby births, holidays and more as a means of support.

These actual gifts for important life events have traditionally been handled outside of any online social network, so we need new applications developed to pass out the real gifts on Facebook.

Gift distribution is very important all year long…

We are now in the graduation season and Americans will spend an average of $88.01 on gifts for about two students this year. According to the National Retail Federation, total spending on graduation gifts is expected to reach $3.9 billion in 2010.

Distribution of these gifts is usually accomplished through one of three methods:

Personal; where the gift is handed directly to the recipient.

In a Party; where gifts are shared and opened as a group.

Shipped; where the gift is sent through the mail or via UPS.

This slide presentation will explain how one company is preparing to help us pass out the gifts on Facebook, for any occasion.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists

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Facebook can add value to the gift giving experience when it is used as the network was intended.

Social networks are built to support and connect individuals who care about each other. The real support comes from giving something that has true value to those who are important to us in real life.

This is why we reject Virtual Gifts as gimmickry!

We see virtual gift purchasing as wasted money with little value as a true support mechanism between friends. Virtual items have become moneymaking gimmicks for developers who profit from our desire to connect and support one another, just like we do in the real world.

We suggest that Facebook can better support families and friends in the gift giving process by promoting ways to share real gifts through the network.

Developers and Facebook can monetize the social conversations and add real value by facilitating the purchasing, distribution and delivery of real gifts.

The following slides visually illustrate why Facebook can add value to real gift giving.

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PartyWeDo
The AlbinoPhant Creators
Your Party 2.0 Specialists