Elfster.com - Secret Santa Goes High Tech

Here’s something perfect for the nearing holiday season: Elfster. Elfster takes Secret Santa to the next level. We all know how Secret Santa works—you draw so and so’s name from the office hat, and having absolutely no idea what to get Susie or Billy whom you’ve just spoken to perhaps twice during the year, and only to ask for a paper clip or stapler, you end up buying them a desk tchotchke or paper weight. Well, Elfster makes things a whole lot easier. It allows you to invite friends, colleagues, etc to do a gift exchange; each invitee then gets to create a wishlist and they can anonymously ask questions of the person whose name they drew, e.g. favorite color or shoe size. Price limits can be set, and you can even use Elfster to help set up a gift exchange party and have automatic directions and invites be sent out. This way no one gets a crappy gift and the secret isn’t spoiled until the end.

“ Recently labeled as the Web 2.0 of Secret Santas, Elfster.com is the premier online provider for group-generated gift exchanges. Elfster's mission is to revive a dying tradition by integrating old ideas with new thinking and new technology. The Company's value propositions are simple – provide a service that is easy, fun, useful, and responsible. User benefits include easy sign-up, automated event-organization, expert gift guidance, and now, group-powered green gifting. All for free.”

Elfster is the high tech version of Secret Santa. It takes an old school tradition and gives it the web 2.0 treatment, making it more fun and more organized. It takes the headache out of gift purchasing. Now everyone will get something they wanted rather something standard like socks or chocolate.

How well guarded are the secret santa names? Can users draw up multiple lists for different exchanges?