At first glance eVIPlist.com may look like another Digg clone. While the site does use Digg’s open API its business and web strategy is far from the typical “rank news/info” model that we typically see from other sites using the same API. While similarities can certainly be found between eVIPlist.com and other sites such as GlobalGrind.com, a deeper look into the content will show otherwise.

eVIPlist’s content appeals to a “party-goer” demographic…I should say more of a XXL magazine type of audience. More importantly what also sets eVIPlist apart from other sites we have seen launched lately is its longevity. The site has actually been around since the web 1.0 days but in a different format, it launched under this domain in early 2001. Originally the site was a social network that was hugely popular in the Washington DC metro area, in this state the site connected party goers and successfully bridged the online/offline gap in that area. Most of you know that I am orginally from the DC area so I must say that the site in general holds a soft spot in my heart (I truly miss DC and was a member of the site nearly since its launch).

Anyway, the reason I write this is not because I endear DC; or to compare it to GlobalGrind.com and other sites; or even to review it (Urban 2.0 gave a good review over on their site). I write this to take a deeper look at how offline activites such as events and user generated content can feed off of each other sucessfully at a local and national level within the urban online space.

Web 2.0 has been adopted in the urban space largely as a promotional vehicle. Case in point: MySpace.com; it would be quite a task to count just how many club promoters use MySpace as a tool to gage interest and notify audiences of events. This is part of the reason I don’t frequent MySpace as much anymore, my personal proflie continued to be bombarded. Facebook is a bit better, you can specify if you will attend an event or not and I am not spammed as much in that sense. The social ranking approach is simplified which is why I think it will be sucessful for purposes such as these. Users don’t have to worry about having the one more thing to clean up on their profile. You either rank/bookmark an event or you don’t; or you see how many people have ranked/bookmarked it to determine your own interest…it is simple and it can end there if you like.

Using social ranking to rank party pics from local events.

Using social ranking to evoke online interest in local events.

Using social ranking to rank popularity of events.

I hear so many people complain about information overload, even on sites such as Facebook. One “friend” of mine on the site even asked for everyone in his friends list to stop sending him apps. I think this may be more of a common occurance than we think. So in times such as these, where we all suffer from a little information overload at times, social ranking tools such as eVIPlist can be a successful way to promote events (locally and nationally) without spamming your friends list and ultimately causing an insanely negative user experience.