I started working on part 1b of Assignment 1 today. I have spent so many hours trying to find an appropiate website to use and finally I have decided to use Punchbowl.  My idea was to create a birthday party.  By using punchbowl I have everything in one place - the invitations, save the date cards, thankyou cards, food list etc.  I am having a lot of fun experimenting with this site and like that I get to customise all elements of the invitations/planning.  I think this would be a very modern concept to send virtual invitations to guests (and not just a Event notification on Facebook), the animation is really good and as I get to customise the invitations it feels very personal and just like getting one in the mailbox.
I am really enjoying this unit as it is making me explore the internet and its capabilities in new ways.  Before this unit began, I would never have thought about storing photos on the internet, planning a party (including sending invitaions) and never in my wildest dreams would I consider that I could create my own webpage and blog. The only thing I did was Facebook.  While I feel Facebook has its place, I am now leaning towards other technologies on the internet for my social networking. 
My daughter is celebrating her 4th birthday next month and I have created online invitations thru Punchbowl and sent them of to her guests (thru email).  I have already had 2 emails back from people saying it was really lovely to get an "old fashioned' invitation on the internet and it was such a pretty one too.  One of the guests is now looking at using the site for their upcoming events!
I have been doing some reading of the textbook Meaningful Learning with Technology, and have learnt that Social networking is now shaping the wa the internet is used and the technologies being made.
'Social software, emerging as a major component of Web 2.0, enables people to unite or collaborate through computer-mediated communication and to form online communities' p101