We have this pretty appalling Christmas tradition in my family called “The Hate Pile.” It’s pretty self-explanatory but we try to have fun with it. Because someone always buys someone else some really strange/inappropriate/what-were-you-thinking gift that has to be exchanged.
This morning I blogged about Treater, a new social gift giving app that lets users select “treats” to give to their Facebook friends. The point of the app is sort of to prove you know exactly what your best friend or close relative needs at any moment. The new Toast app for IOS is kind of the opposite approach; it’s a mobile wish list that lets users make specific wishes (in terms of item, location, store, price) so there’s no confusion ever about what to get them for birthdays/holidays.
The goal of Toast seems to be way more specific than, say, Pinterest. Because when you make a wish list you’re not saying “Oh, that’s pretty” or “Oh, I’ll make that some day.” You’re saying “I want that. Now.”
I like Toast because a lot of people use lists to buy/request gifts. It saves a lot of time and, ultimately, money. And Toast makes writing out your birthday wishlist a lot less obnoxious. I’ll be interested to see what direction Toast takes in this growing world of social gifting/wishing/pinning – especially since the launch of Facebook Gifts. Some toasters are wishing for “nice weather,” which sort of defeats the purpose of wishing for tangible things your friends can actually give you.
