Dear Evite,

We're breaking up.  It's not me; it's you.  And I've found someone better.  Her name is Socializr.

Best of luck in future projects,

J. W.

If only it were that simple to get Evite out of my life. Unfortunately, 99% of my friends still insist on using it, despite its numerous flaws.  In 2007, Time Magazine renounced Evite as one of the 5 Worst Websites.  Following that up, Wired Magazine blasted the site in an article titled Why Things Suck: Evite.  There are even sites dedicated to how awful of a service Evite runs, and yet it still remains wildly popular.  I'm far from the first person to write about this phenomenon, but I'm here to recommend what I have found to be a far better product: Socializr. 

It's much easier to view the above articles than read me repeat their opinions word-for-word, but rest assured that I agree with their sentiments.  Evite is slow, outdated, ad-laden, myopic, and generally seems to hate its own users.  People my age (and older and younger as well) still use it fervently; I've received at least two already this year, and a staggering amount in 2008.

I believe that the reason people continue to use Evite is two-fold: name recognition and ignorance of alternatives.  "Evite" has become synonymous with online invitations, just as Xerox is with copies and Kleenex is with tissues.  Anyone who wants to plan a party probably just types "evite" into their favorite search engine and up pops this dinosaur from 1999.  I used to assume that Evite was the only solution to online party-planning organization because it's the only thing that I've ever received from my buddies.  How was I to know?

Luckily, I have a housewarming party coming up, and I took the time to research alternatives.  I fell head-over-heals in love with Socializr.  As much as it may pain the companies to have their names in the same sentence:  it is Evite 2.0.  I went through the process of creating an invitation, and I played around with all the options so that I could list my top six favorite things about the service.

• Socializr tells you the party information in the email itself, instead of having to click a link to an advertisement-filled separate page.  This is also great news for Blackberry users!
• Socializr allows users to block reminders, specific types of email, and even all Socializr-related materials put together.  No longer do you have to be annoyed by friendship if you don't want to be.
• Importation and Exportation of address books is simple and quick.  I was completely set up with my Gmail account in two minutes.
• This is obviously a personal taste, but the designs and themes offered are more modern and creative.  I had no problem finding something appropriate for my party within minutes.

• Using Web 2.0 features is incredibly easy.  I added a video from Youtube in mere seconds with two clicks, and it worked perfectly.  It really adds some personality to the invitation!
• The response tracking feature is amazing, letting users see who has opened the email, viewed the page, and when they did so.  I have a feeling that this will drive middle school girls insane though.

Please give Socializr a try when you are planning your next social gathering.  I promise you that you won't be disappointed.  Also, if you already have an Evite account, Socializr makes it easy (almost sarcastically easy) to transfer your information over to this great new program.

As a bonus, try out this hilarious Social Networking board game!