experimental invitation mechanism

experimental invitation mechanism

"You might say what I am is basically defined by the fact that I don't know, because I can't know. I am that which knoweth not the word. If you knew, man, and told me, I couldn't know. It's hardwired in. Someone else has to learn it and bring it here..."

William Gibson, Neuromancer, 1984 Ace Special pbk, page 173

Thank you in advance for joining this experiment in party-giving. Here's how it works:

If you are reading this, and you also know the date of the party, you are invited! Moreover, you can use the date, along with this information, to invite others.

Whether you are reading the online or the paper invitation, the date isn't on this invitation, by design. You can get it from Julianne, or from someone she gave it to (via email, posting, or Post-It).

All guests must RSVP, so Mark Shaw knows how many to cook for. This is no joke (especially given the experiment). Email or phone, home or work numbers are fine. If you're passing along the date, please also tell people to RSVP and give them Julianne's contact information.

"Whenever someone makes out a guest list, the people not on it become officially uninvited, and that makes them the enemies of the invited. Guest lists are just a way of choosing sides."

E. L. Konigsburg, The View From Saturday

That Voice In The Head Says: Why this experiment? Isn't it enough to have an internet invitation, without adding this scary invite-other-people option too?

The Other Voices Answer:

#1: We've always wanted to try this...we love process!

#2: Guest lists are imperfect and there's always the danger of forgetting someone. Cf. Konigsburg, above.

#3: Half the fun of a big birthday party - perhaps more than half the fun - is seeing people one hasn't seen in far too long. In these energy-draining times, "who one is going to be able to see" is often a factor in whether one wants to attend. However, it's usually tricky to establish this by asking others, "Are you going to Julianne's 40th birthday party?" because what if the guest list was imperfect (see #2) or Julianne hasn't found their contact information yet?!

#4: A goal of this mechanism is to allow each guest to decide whether [That Date] might be a good time for not only a birthday party (briskly scheduled, with a creativity theme), but also mini-reunions of colleagues, roommates, and others with common causes. As The Networking Game reminds us, a party is a Quick Forming Network in which "...many quests...flourish in the same space at the same time." And that is as it should be!

#5: Of course, the process-oriented voices are going to have a post-mortem and report on the results, maybe do a paper or a talk...(now that is a joke, I promise)...

The Voices Sum Up: Julianne is definitely going to have a good time, but if you think there are other people who would contribute to your having a good time, who she's forgotten to invite, please invite them yourself! And thank you in advance for participating in this experiment.

A simpler version of this explanation is available.