Inviting the World to Your Event via Social Networking

Remember the good old days when you would pick up the phone or mail out some hand-written invitations to your party? Well, those days are essentially a thing of the past given the outreach of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

In the latest social networking gaffe, authorities in Fort Collins, Colorado say that an open invite on Facebook to an annual Colorado State back-to-school college party led to thousands of college age men and women showing up for "the biggest pool party of the year."

When all was said and done, several individuals were in handcuffs, several people were injured, and there was quite a cleanup to be undertaken.

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Some Police Monitor Facebook and Other Social Networks

Given that authorities in many communities now follow Facebook, Twitter and other social media venues more regularly, it didn't take long for authorities to get tipped off to the goings-on, although police in this case said they were not monitoring the Facebook party site in question.

According to a police spokesperson, "Some people came from as far away as Denver (about 65 miles) for this back-to-school party."

Authorities reported that the party's Facebook page had approximately 3,000 registered individuals, with some 2,000 actually showing up. As a result, authorities, who indicated complex management may be cited under the city's nuisance gathering ordinance, had to close surrounding streets in order to clear the venue of people.

While police would not say if any further arrests are pending, a video of the scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uHCECbO6_M&feature=related) has already surfaced on YouTube. If you remember the rioting in Vancouver last spring following the Stanley Cup Finals or other such events, authorities have used such sites to review videos and images to see who may be breaking the law.

Lest you think this is the first time such a college event has been advertised, it was just a year ago in Virginia when a block party close to James Madison University drew thousands through a Facebook post, leading to the event being closed down by police in riot gear.

As the Rocky Mountain Collegian pointed out in an editorial, "The Rams Pointe pool party perpetuated every negative college student stereotype there is, and it will make it that much harder to gain back any respect.

"After all, the party may have been totally awesome, but it probably wasn't worth risking our reputation over."

So, are you ready to use Facebook, Twitter or another social networking venue to advertise your next big shindig?

Photo credit: Erin Udell

 

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