MyPunchbowl Archive

Party planning service MyPunchbowl is announcing their new release of the service today. I had a chance to speak with CEO Matt Douglas in Boston this past weekend and his overview video is below (sorry about the lighting!). We’ve reviewed MyPunchbowl in the past and find that it’s what Evite should have evolved to in 2007.  

Here are the new features Matt sent over:

• New visual design throughout the entire site presents a tabbed layout for easy navigation and an attractive new layout for guest view
• Party theme selector enables users to select templates by category, subcategory, search terms, and even color
• New online invitation templates for Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years Eve, and other winter holidays
• Party theme selector provides a full-screen preview of the Save the Date or online
• Invitation, including information input by the host
• Party planning ideas & advice by party expert “Penelope Plans” is now integrated into MyPunchbowl.com
• New email import including .CSV and others to quickly create a guest list
• Flexible display enables the user to show or hide the on-page help system

Here is the video from Matt:

And here are a couple screenshots of the new version (click for larger version):

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An article this evening got me thinking back to how I researched the companies I interviewed with 13 years ago. It was the Big 6 accounting firms then (what is it now Big 2?) and research was via SEC lookups and hard copy annual report reviews. You see, when you interview at a large accounting firm, you best be ready to discuss not only their annual reports but their clients’ reports as well. I can only imagine how much easier it is for accounting students today.

Fast forward to today. Going on an interview? Check out the interviewers Facebook, Twitter, blog, MySpace, and review what others think of him or her. Of course you will have found the job on the CenterNetworks Job Board. :)

MyPunchBowl CEO Matt Douglas has an excellent article about preparing for an interview and how to handle research in today’s Web 2.0 market. A snippet:

One thing I’ve been struck with are the vast differences between those who prepare for an interview and those who don’t. Here’s some advice that I gave a college-age person yesterday (she was interviewing for a college intern position). Before you interview, learn about the person that is going to interview you. With all of the resources of the web, you can find out a lot about me pretty quickly; where I’ve worked, my professional experience etc. But more importantly, you can find out personal things about me. What makes me tick? Do we share the same interests? Do we know anyone or anything in common? These are critical things to learn BEFORE the interview so that you can not only make small talk but you can “get inside my head.”

In my past roles where I was responsible for hiring, the people who got the job were the ones who were prepared. I can teach someone Rails or SEO, but I can’t teach someone the instinct to be ready. So be ready, there’s absolutely no reason when the Internet does all the work for you. And for the hiring manager, review this essay on hiring by Marc Andressen.

Punchbowl Software, makers of MyPunchBowl party planning tool have secured a round of vc funding led by Intel Capital. Check out the full details on the MyPunchBowl blog.

"Intel Capital, with its recent emphasis on early-stage consumer internet investing, is the perfect investor to help fuel our rapid growth," said Matt Douglas, founder, Punchbowl Software. "This funding will allow us to capitalize on numerous opportunities available in the market."

"The event-planning market is substantial and enjoys viral growth dynamics," said Lucy McQuilken, investment manager, Intel Capital. "Punchbowl is well positioned to take advantage of Web 2.0 technologies and become one of the leaders in this market segment."

The amount of the round was not disclosed. MyPunchBowl recently launched a major upgrade and a Facebook app called Party Animal.

MyPunchbowl (MPB) is an innovative way to plan a party. Check out the reviews on Webware and Mashable along with a video screencast from Screeniac. They have launched a few new/updated features today along with a Facebook application.

The new features include: a "party checklist" which allows a party host to create lists of items for attendees to bring with them. The attendees can check which items they will bring and the host can also prioritize which items are of greater need. Somehow I bet "beer" and "vodka" will appear at the top of many lists.

The other features are more utility-based: unlimited co-hosts, party duplication and e-mail bounce notification. This last one is important as if you incorrectly enter a person’s email address, they might not show up and it will be egg on your face!

MyPunchbowl is also launching a Facebook application today. Their blog notes, ‘The new application "Party Animal" offers a fun new way to tell your friends how they act at a party. Facebook users can vote for their friends, choosing between personalities such as "Drunken Pig" and "Lone Wolf." Facebook users can also unlock bonus animals by creating a MyPunchbowl.com account. Bonus animals include celebrity personalities such as "Paris Hilton" and "Snoop Dogg" and creative party animals such as a "Social Butterfly" and "Party Pooper."‘ A screenshot of Party Animal is below.

I wonder what personality I am at a party! It looks like a fun app that can draw users back to MPB to plan their own parties.