I once read that those born under the sign of Capricorn are forever fated to be “The Organizer.” Adhering as closely as I do to this zodiac sign, I was grateful for the confirmation. I was just as resolute, however, to argue the organizing capabilities of my comrades, whether a flippant Scorpio or even a famously indecisive Libra. Emily Post (1873-1960), matriarch of high society, asserts that the ideal organizer possesses the following qualities, “…a scintillating wit and an arresting originality—a talent for entertaining amounts to genius, and gold poured literally like rain, in the least.” I confess that these traits rang true in only a minuscule way, while others, including the ability to multi-task, deeply held devotion to efficiency, and, most importantly, the inability to say “no,” were better suited. I can only admit to being in the right place at the right time and wanted to kiss the right ass or the right grrl. Ultimately, I embraced my destiny, no matter what the hassle. The great organizing equalizer, I now have found, was only years and a few technological advances away.
With the advent of the Internet, overloaded organizers everywhere began to finally experience subsiding frustrations. After years of phone trees and handmade flyers, we were treated to the delight of the chat room (remember 28 Barbary Lane?), and then it was list servs and group email (or the malignancy that is now “spam”). Word spread quicker than any phone tree through this new larger world network and our reach became incalculable. People we never intended showed up at random office bowling parties or, conversely, hundreds more than expected arrived to protest the issue du jour. The upshot was that many new organizers were created as a result, deftly handling mouse pads and e-lists with newfound efficiency.
The downside, of course, was the resurgence of Big Brother, bringing the issue of organizing privacy to the forefront. We all took a long hard look and for some it meant returning to a grassroots or guerilla approach, which was passed off as kitschy or retro. While neighborhood copy shops rejoiced, organizers everywhere grimaced as we inhaled more toner than necessary and limped away numb after two hours with paper cutters. Then came Evite. [Insert Hallelujah music here].
Evite.com, in its original or 2.0 form, was merely an online social planning tool featuring free online invitations. Now boasting “RSVP management, event reminders, polling, payment collection, design customization features, and an address book” all within the privacy of a registered account, Evite is the quintessential organizer. Evite even tracks all the parties and events you are invited to with its calendar feature. My favorite Evite feature is its ability to send a pre-determined message to all your guests. Nothing says love like a spammed party reminder.
Another web party-planning tool, which features everything Evite has to offer, PLUS The Random Party Generator, is ThePlunge.com. The double-snap bonus is that you can even build your own temporary event website to share invites, RSVPs, and even after-event photos.
In researching online social planning, these were the only two sites of note that were found. These two, in particular, are also featured in “Forbes” magazine’s “Top Ten of the Web for Party Planning.” I’ve personally used both of these sites to plan events, store over 150 e-ddresses, create custom websites and invites using personal photos, and more. With e-invitations and online social planning websites like Evite and The Plunge, you can single-handedly invite hundreds of people or just a few to every kind of gathering, public or private—all in a matter of minutes. Sounds like something a Capricorn would invent.
Check out the temporary event website I built in about seven minutes at sites.theplunge.com/TabletRocks.
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