During the dot-com boom, Evite was “it” when it came to online invitations. Everyone seemed to use it to the point where Evite was synonymous with organizing events on the Web. Then, Evite was acquired by IAC/Ticketmaster in early 2001, and subsequently disappeared into the bowels of Barry Diller’s online empire.
I hadn’t thought about Evite - or, for that matter, used it - until getting an e-mail today from MyPunchBowl.com, a relatively new online invitation service trying very hard to be establish a foothold.
By coincidence, the Wall St. Journal has a story looking at how and why Diller has decided to break up IAC. How comes? Diller believes IAC is “overly complex and unmanageable. What I’ve learned over the years is that focus and singular purpose is the best approach for businesses. How can you function across 12 different businesses from financial services to dating?”
I wonder what that means for Evite? I suspect it will find a new home. Hopefully, the new buyer will inject some mojo into Evite, which has been puttering along for the last few years. That
I still like eVite. Works, easy to use, friends all familiar. MyPunchBowl has nifty printable invites...but that may not be enough. Facebook events have come on strong as an alternative.
