When I met Bruce Christensen, I didn't know he spent his days managing equipment manufacturing in McMinnville and his nights dreaming up Facebook gift exchanges.
Since I was curious about how his Facebook app AlbinoPhant works, Bruce gave me a demonstration by inviting me to a party. For the online White Elephant gift exchange to work, you need to have at least three people participating.
You may select a price point for the gifts, and that includes an estimation of shipping costs. Right now, the app uses Amazon/PayPal but in the future the Christensen hope to be able to add other merchants.
What's nifty is that within the portal, you get all of the functionality you'd have in the room with your family, including the ability to steal someone's gift. That's in the best family exchanges tradition even outside White Elephant parties. Any interaction by the players triggers an email to other participants, so people can stay in the loop over days and distances.
Let's hear it from Bruce about his online presence, and then we'll wrap up about the application.
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Why are you online?
Bruce: To share an activity that our family has discovered, which allows us to share gifts and stay close when distance keeps us apart.
More about the Christensen Family.
What prompted you to post in "About You" at Conversation Agent?
Bruce: I enjoy the conversation here and I want to share in the discussion. I believe that others will find what we are doing with this party as an interesting way to keep the conversation alive among friends and family.
More about the application.
What are you working on that you feel will connect ideas and people?
Bruce: The tradition of supporting family and friends with gifts does not end when distance separates us. Nether does the desire to have a meaningful conversation with those that we love.
Parties are the traditional gathering point for both conversation and gift-giving among those who desire to support each other on special occasions. When distance interrupts this opportunity to gather, we all feel a loss of personal connection.
We are building this online party application as a demonstration that the tools of the modern web can, at least in some measure, replace the actual party experience with a valuable substitute.
Amazon provides a trusted shopping portal for gift purchasing. PayPal allows for secure payment systems. And AlbinoPhant provides a fun way to gather on Facebook to pass out all the gifts.
It is our belief that the online party niche can help Amazon sell more gifts, assist Facebook in broadening reach, and make PartyWeDo the party activity portal for gift and conversational support among family and friends.
Our plan is to develop a series of party activities that will support birthdays, weddings, baby births and the holidays. When friends and families are looking for a way to bridge distance, we intend to give them an engaging way to share gifts and conversation on the internet.
Who would you like to connect with?
Bruce: We have three groups that we would like to discover our story:
1. Individual families and friends who want to stay connected and share real gifts
2. Internet thought leaders who could inform others of this emerging niche involving an ecommerce and social network partnership
3. Potential investors who are looking for a sustainable monetization solution for social-web properties
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Note that Bruce is not a developer, nor is he a Facebook geek. He's a professional with marketing experience developed over the years, and a desire to connect his family and an idea to help you do the same with yours.
Your turn, what questions do you have for Bruce about his Facebook app?
Use offer code 1234 to host your own party on a trial basis.
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Additional links:
The How-to Videos
Valeria,
Sarah and I appreciate that you have shared the conversation with us.
We thank you for telling our story and taking your time to join us in the party.
We wish you and your readers a wonderful holiday and a successful new year.
Bruce
Posted by: Bruce Christensen | December 16, 2009 at 10:04 AM