Unless you've been living under a desktop, you've heard of Foursquare, that nifty, location-based social network/nightlife game that allows you to "check-in" (through your phone) from bars, thereby notifying your friends or where you're doing your drinking. Knowing where your friends are socializing also helps you plan what bar to hunker down in. Think of it as Twitter for your offline life, a.k.a. the one that actually matters. Sure, Foursquare might not feel like a necessary accoutrement for you, a man always rolling deep in his entourage, but consider this: it's a great way to meet up with people you don’t regularly text with, or, better yet, for chance encounters with certain ladies who might not be in your phonebook. A female "friend" checks in from a bar, and suddenly, BLAMO!, so do you. How delightfully serendipitous! May I buy you a drink, Madame? Nice work, you crafty old cad, you.
So what does this have to do with you throwing the most bitchin New Years party of the new decade, an event so grand it will take weeks of planning? Simple, Foursquare takes the planning out of your party...well, for your guests at least. As we all know, invites lead to plans, which invariably lead to expectations. And once expectations are raised, you can forget ever meeting those lofty hopes which—in the interim between invite and shindig—have undoubtedly swelled to mythical proportions. New Years, the biggest night of the year, obviously comes with the highest expectations. One minute you’re emailing a flier boasting Heineken beer and an iPod DJ, and the next minute people are leaving with sour faces because dragon rides weren't offered. The ingrates! But use Foursquare to eliminate expectations from the equation, and suddenly your guests won't know what to expect, and will be floored with whatever unexpected dazzle you undoubtedly throw their way. Here's how you do it: With New Years just a blip on the horizon, send an email out informing everyone you'll be throwing a party, but tell them that the location is a secret. Include your Foursquare profile and instruct them to follow you (a cool way to not only amass followers, but also to introduce new users to the network). Then, on the 31st, simply check-in from the party spot, thus alerting all your followers of where the festivities are going down. They'll be swarming the place in no time, as will some of those casual Foursquare lady friends who will be tired of whatever overrated locale they're currently frequenting. With expectations managed, all that remains in coming through on the entertainment factor...just don't forget the dragons this time, numbskull.