I Was Invited to What? - A Lesson on Event Etiquette

We've all fallen victim to it. You log on to Facebook and become giddy with excitement when you notice a new event notification. Sadly, you discover it was only an invitation to participate in some new free trial or to add your number to your friend's new phone. To me, these kinds of "invitations" have ruined what was a genius addition to Facebook. Were these people not thinking? Did they just send a mass announcement to all of their Facebook friends (which we all know does not equal real-life friends)? The answer to both of these questions is- most likely. It is time to change what I call "Facebook event etiquette." I have broken Facebook events into two simple categories: real and fake (simple enough?), plus I have numerous tips on how to use them skillfully.

Real Events
1) Weddings, Parties, and Celebrations
What makes these worthy of being named "real" events? Well, most obviously, they have a set date, time, and location. Also, the number of guests attending is reasonable or contained. So, why is it acceptable to use Facebook events to invite guests to your celebration? First, Facebook provides the option of making events private. This allows only the people you invite to RSVP. Also, it can helps those throwing the party to get a more precise count of how many people will be attending. There is no need to prepare for 500 guests when only 50 actually show up. Finally, Facebook events help the couple-on-a-budget (aren't we all?) cut back on costs. Planning a wedding can be expensive and Facebook events don't cost a dime, not to mention they're eco-friendly.
On the downside, there are a few cons to passing out these electronic invitations. If the event isn't made private, it is nearly impossible to get an exact count of attendees. People hit "attend" because it takes half a second to click the mouse. There is no real commitment, unlike traveling to the Post Office and sending back a physical RSVP. Also,  friends tend to pass it along to other "uninvited" friends, and before you know it little Johnny's 5th birthday party has a guest list the size of New York City. Now, what did we learn from this? Make your Facebook events private for intimate gatherings, otherwise you never know who could show up.

2) Concerts, Community Activities,  and Promotional Events
These kinds of events are similar to the first group, but intend to reach a larger audience. From a business standpoint, Facebook events can be great tools to gauge an audience's interest and in the end, determine the event's success. A great example of this is an IU student's quest to get Lil' Wayne to perform at the 2011 Little 500. Only 400 signatures were compiled with a paper petition, but once this cause was made into a Facebook event, an astounding 50,000 said they would attend. Facebook events are also great ways to advertise happenings with your business or within you community. If you are in charge of promoting things like your local farmer's market, an area concert, or a 5k, then a Facebook event can be a great tool. However, if 300 people RSVP on Facebook and only 100 show up, then you know that you need to explore different avenues.
You should proceed with caution when promoting these events on Facebook. As Peter Shankman says, know your audience. Don't invite your college roommate that lives in Texas to attend Bloomington's town-wide yard sale. Get the information out to relevant people that are capable of attending. Also, encourage those people to invite their neighbors or friends in the area. So, what did we learn this time? Facebook events can be a great promotional tool, as long as they are reaching the right people.

Fake Events
1) "Swam with my phone - list your number"

All I have to say about this is, really people? I have come to two conclusions about people who send these out: 1) They're lazy or 2) They're desperately trying to get the number of a member of the opposite sex. I'll admit, this is a good way to reach a large amount of people on Facebook. However, in most cases it's known as spam. Perhaps a more acceptable route would be to send a few of your close friends an inbox message and ask them to share numbers from their contact list. Even better, technology has advanced so far that we are now capable of linking our Facebook contacts with the contact list in our phones. Well look at that, you don't event have to ask anyone now! Seriously though, this is the kind of thing that contributed to the loss of seriousness around Facebook events. What did we learn here? Don't spam your friends.

2) The case of Lauren Spierer
The previous Facebook event was comical, at the most. However, this "fake" event is very, very serious. It is an example of how these types of events can be put to extremely good use and exactly why I am proud to be a part of this social media generation. Lauren Spierer went missing at 4:30 a.m. on Friday, June 3rd around 11th and College in Bloomington, In. As of today, June 17, she has still not been found. There is a Facebook event named "URGENT! Please help spread the word about Lauren Spierer's disappearance!" that was created to raise awareness about her disappearance and bring her home. Three weeks haven't even passed and this event has over 230,000 attendees. Now that is the power of social media. Links to news organizations, donation websites, and downloadable flyers are provided in the event description. Smart people go straight to where they know they can reach nearly 800 million people - Facebook and Twitter. Now, the search for Lauren is actually a real event. Every day people set out to look for her and the only thing I think this page could add are the times that search parties depart, which are 11:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. daily. If you have any information on her disappearance call the Bloomington Police Department's tip line at 812-339-4477. Her family has offered a $100,00 reward for any information that solves her case. Visit FindLauren.com or follow @NewsOnLaurenS on Twitter for more information. For the last time, what did we learn? "Fake" Facebook events can do a lot of good, like spreading the word about a missing college student.
Here are photos of a white pick-up truck that police are searching for in hopes that it has information on Lauren's case. Surveillance video shows this truck circling the block where Lauren was last seen at approximately the same time she would have been walking through the area.

Tips for successfully creating a Facebook event, as told by the Publicity Hound:
1) Properly name the event - try giving it a catchy title that will make it memorable
2) Write a description that demonstrates the value of the event - explain why people should come
3) If you don't RSVP to your friend's events, chances are they won't RSVP to yours
4) Encourage friends to interact with your event on Facebook so the event will be noticed by others
5) Make time to answer any messages or wall posts you receive - don't let people lose interest in the event

Do you have any other tips for creating Facebook events? Let us know in the comments!

Please remember to send good thoughts to Lauren Spierer, her family, and friends.