When Maria Pardalis, an employee for Goldman Sachs, realized that she was helping her single 20 something friends in corporate America organize their vacations they did not have the time for, vacations they would be going on alone, she decided she had to do something.  She teamed up with friend and business partner Soula Adam and launched Eventsy.com, a social networking site that really makes members socialize not just virtually.  Soula explains the rationale, “Once you are older, it’s harder to make new friends especially if they are not on the same page or do not do the same activities as you want them to do.  I wanted to find a way to make it easier to have a social life again.”

And for the two Greek American founders, being social is what the Greek spirit is all about.  “Socializing on line is not normal for Greeks,” Soula explains.  “Greek people tend to be very social—we eat together, talk together, we invite strangers to our houses, anything else is weird to us.”   The irony of social media is that the more we interact with each other on line the less we know how to interact with each other the person-to-person old-fashioned way.  Typing on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and YouTube just doesn’t cut it.  People are yearning for the face-to-face body-to-body interaction that characterized “real” socialization back in the day.  Hence, the popularity of Meetups.  But the difference between Meetup and Eventsy as Soula explained is Eventsy events are always hosted, chaperoned, and led by a facilitator.  This way members do not just show up to a makeshift group and hit-or-miss connect to random strangers.  At Eventsy, the hosts perform ice-breakers and lead the group into organized events that focus on breaking down the barriers and having as many people make contact with each other.

Here’s the breakdown for Eventsy.com—members join  for $1/day or $365/year for which they have access to a full calendar of events on line.  These events range from group-discounted day trips to upstate scavenger hunts or Long Island wineries to networking parties where teams compete against each other just like we did in middle school gym class.  A current event featured on the site is a trip to Bounce, a 50,000 square foot trapeze and inflatable paradise where people can bounce, box, and dance.  Members are assigned to teams so they can play against each other for prizes.  It’s a way to let loose and get social again organically, not like other sites where everyone is there to find a match creating a contrived pressured environment.

Or how about performing Hollywood stunts, led by a real stuntman, in a Brooklyn movie house?  If it sounds like fun, that is the point.  Eventsy was created to create stress-relief in the form of good old-fashioned fun where you can feel like a kid again.  Can you imagine 300 grown people playing slam basketball or dodge ball in a bounce pit?  Or how about a flash mob event coupled up for a Dancing with the Stars themed dance event?

Sounds like fun?  Eventsy.com is currently in the middle of a crowdfunding campaign on Rockethub.com where you can get membership at a discounted price.(Check out  http://www.rockethub.com/projects/36124-eventsy-nyc

For more info log onto www.eventsy.com and check out their offerings.

“Everyone needs to get out and learn how to socialize again,” the founders remind us.