How to Send a Party Invitation Without it Going Viral

I pride myself with mailing pretty amazing party invitations to my guests – birthday parties, bridal showers, baby showers – they have glitz, glam and all the details to showcase what’s to come.  When new trends or a new “color of the season” happens I want to be the first to know.

While it’s a lot easier these days to inform your friends about a party through Facebook or Twitter than by mailing individual invitations, there IS some value in the old fashioned way – say, by not allowing your party invitation to go viral on Twitter with nearly 2,000 guests arriving, $70,000 worth of property damage and multiple arrests such as the case with a Canadian teen recently.

But, if the convenience of digital invites appeals to you, then it’s important to know the risks around posting that information and how to protect yourself.  Here are our top tips on how to promote your party without having a viral invitation on your hands:

Make your event private: Public of Private?  It’s a pretty straightforward setting question but one sometimes overlooked.  When creating an Event on Facebook, we strongly recommend you make your event private so that only those you invite can view the details of your party.
Choose the name of your event carefully: Naming your party “Open House Party” may not be the wisest decision if you’re trying to have a select number of attendees since guests may assume they could bring friends.  Names like “Wild and Crazy Party” will only invite trouble or people with not the best of intentions.
Only invite people you actually know and trust: It’s shocking, but your Facebook friend’s list could have people on it that you don’t really know (gasp!).  Because of that, it’s important that you only invite people that you actually know.  Scroll through your friend’s list and choose people you know and trust – period!
Don’t include address or phone number: When filling out the details of why you’re planning an Event, Facebook prompts you to insert a time, place and other personal information on your party.  Instead of putting your home address put something like “My House” since your friends will already know where you live or will have your phone number to call and ask.

Unless you’re looking for an out of control party like the one in Project X, remember, social media knows no boundaries and you should keep your party information private.

This post was written by Ashley Scolaro. Ashley is a Social Media Manager with Media Connect Partners.