1. Get a Facebook account here

2. Invite your friends to join

It is likely that they (and you) already have an account but just in case let them know you’re on.

3. Add apps to Facebook

Your party will be managed through Facebook Apps. Follow this link to see how you add apps.

4. Define your Party

You can use several apps to decide what your part is going to look like. We liked:

Party On is the base of your party. You can manage all the decisions regarding theme, templates for invitations, guests, RSVP’s, location, date and time.

5. Manage tasks with Party Planner

Party Planner makes it the greatest event ever by creating tasks and sharing them with your friends.

How it works

1. Create tasks in Party Planner for that event
2. Invite your party guests to use Party Planner. You can either assign them tasks or they can volunteer for them

6. Manage party’s expenses with My Expenses by Zoho

This app from the famous expenses tracker Zoho lets you easily manage income (should you have one) and expenses quite easily. Add items and their costs and share them with your friends.

7. Poll the menu with Xat Poll

Xat Polls allows you to easily create polls. Choose six possible menus (Vegetarian, fish, meat, BBQ, Asian, Italian, etc.) and ask them which one they prefer. Or you could ask what they want to drink (Spirits, Beer, Wine, etc.). You have up to ten choices and a nice 3D format.

8. Share the location of the party with Your Map Spotnation

Easy App that uses Google Maps to generate your points of interest and allows you to easily share them with your friends.

9. Make your playlist with Project Playlist

“Create custom playlists with party songs, love songs, holiday songs, your songs & more…you are the dj”.

10. Make pictures and videos and share them with Photos and Videos

The default Apps Photos and Videos allow you to upload your party photos and videos easily. If you don’t want to use them I suggest Youtube Video box for videos.

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- How can organized transportation help a corporate event?

Robert Mackasek: Offering transportation to and from an event ensures that guests will arrive on time and avoid travel blunders that can sour an event. Transportation services can also be part of the party theme or branding - guests can be greeted with holiday music, decorations and even a gift presented in the chauffeured car to help get revelers in the mood for the festivities to come.

- Scheduling is important at events, especially when it is being held at a separate venue. Can professional transportation help in this area?

RM: By hiring a transportation service to pick up attendees at a specified time, you can ensure the event starts on time and ends on time. This helps keep the event on schedule and prevents unexpected charges for overtime, extra service or labor costs at the venue. Most transportation vendors can also provide on-site dispatchers upon request.

- For corporate events that are held in large cities with public transportation, what would be the advantage of hiring a private chauffeured sedan service?

RM: Especially in large cities, public transportation may not deliver guests close to the venue. Booking a transportation service prevents the hassle of walking from public transit to the venue, especially in inclement weather. Plus, those who might be tempted to take their own cars avoid parking problems. In the case of multi-location events, relying on public transit to get people from place to place can create unwanted delays, aggravation and even the possibility that some guests lose their way. Hiring a transportation provider guarantees everyone arrives at each location on time and intact.

- A lot of companies serve alcohol at their holiday parties. It would make sense to hire private transportation for those guests.

RM: Exactly. Don’t rely on your guests to act as designated drivers to transport people safely home after a night of celebrating. A transportation service guarantees attendees arrive home safely and without incident. This also helps to protect both guests and the host company from harm and liability. Guests with special needs can also be accommodated safely and easily.

- How do we choose the right one?

RM: If you want to create a unique experience for your guests that starts the minute they embark on their journey, seek out a transportation company that can represent your brand as well as getting passengers from point A to point B. Valera Global specializes in creating customized experiences for event transportation and discerning individual travelers. The company’s Special Events department provides one-on-one support to event planners to help them create, and executive, memorable experiences for their clients.

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Therefore I decided to put my passion for parties and the free flavor of the Google world together to help you manage your Christmas party.

1. Set up a free Google account

If you don’t have one do not panic. Your time management is going to benefit from this. Go to the Google Account page, choose a username and password and enjoy it.

2. Start by using your Google Groups

Groups is going to be your basic platform to involve others. Create a group and share it with your friends by emailing them the link.

Edit your Google Group by:

• Creating a page called “About this party” in which you will explain everything about the party. Theme, dress code, ticket price (should you have any),etc.
• Creating a discussion post with a link to your map (see item 3)
• Creating a discussion post called “Menu choice” in which you collect feedback on possible menus.

3. Create a Google Map

Go to Maps website, enter your address and generate you personal map. Copy the link and publish it on the dedicated post on the discussion page or in the “About this party” page (see item 2).

4. Create a Google Calendar

Google Calendar has a nice feature that allows you to share an activity. The good thing about it is that you will directly send the invitation through Calendar and you’ll be able to collect RSVP immediately.

5. Use Google Docs

This will help you to manage the party internally. Go to Docs and create:

• a spreadsheet with attendees’ list and collected RSVP (see item 4)
• a spreadsheet on venue management. You’ll be able to collect all the info about catering, decorations, supplies, etc.
• a spreadsheet with a budget. A successful event relies on a sound budget. Keep track of your expenses and revenues (if you plan to have any)

6. Manage music with Gspace

Gspace is a Firefox extension that allows you to store your files.

• Create another Gmail account
• Share the password with your friends via Google Groups
• Invite them to download Firefox and the Gspace extension
• Invite them to upload their playlists onto Gspace
• The day of the event use your PC to play the music with the integrated player

or

Become a vee-jay with Youplayer

“… YouPlayer is a video player with playlist similar to the one in Winamp. You may add/drag a YouTube, Google Video, Metacafe or MySpace link into a playlist window. When you double-click on it, it will be shown in the video window. You may drag a link to a browser window or right-click it and open in a new tab. You may also add/drag other links, thus the playlist will work as a bookmarker. YouPlayer also allows you to download video files! Just right-click it on the playlist and select ‘download’.”

Get the extension for Firefox and enjoy the Playlist!

7. Take a lot of pictures and create a gallery on Picasa

• Collect your pictures
• Go to Picasa
• Edit the Pictures
• Share the gallery with your friends on the Groups Page

8. Video-record your party and upload it on Youtube

• Go to Youtube and follow the easy instructions.
• Link back to the video from Google Groups.

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