Here's my top ten list of ways that technology can help you have a happy birthday:
10. Personalized Online Experience - It's pretty easy for a company that has your profile data to wish you a happy birthday via email, tweeting you or when you login to their website. The best experience so far has been from Google, if you have a Google.com profile, the main search page is personalized with a birthday banner just for you!
9. Free Stuff - By signing up for company newsletters with your birthdate, smart companies will send you discount offers and even gifts.
8. Notable People - It's nice to know what notable people share your birthday. Wikipedia maintains a list of notable births for each day of the year.
7. Treat Yourself - There isn't a more perfect day in the year to treat yourself. Fab.com, Gilt, Groupon, Living Social, My Habit, Scout Mob just to name a few, have deals on everything including clothes, spa deals, housecleaning, getaways, and discounts at your favorite restaurant or bar. I've even seen liposuction, botox and LASIK eye surgery deals pop up (see #6).
6. Health - Feeling worried about what ailments await you as you grow older? 23andme.com helps you take a more active role in managing your health by testing your DNA.
5. Event Planning - It's pretty easy to plan your own party or have someone plan it for you. It's as simple as using Facebook Events, Evite, Paperless Post, Pingg, or simply tweeting to get a party crew together. If planning isn't your thing, then using check-in services like Facebook Places, Foursquare, or Gowalla help you recruit friends last minute.
4. eCards - Whether it's a hilarious card from someecards or jibjab, a stamp is no longer needed to send a birthday card which means you'll probably receive at least one or two. New services like Postagram will send a postcard with a personalized photo and message, stamp it and stick it in the mail.
3. Gifts- If you are tired of not receiving the gift you really want or yet another bouquet of flowers, Amazon Wishlist helps increase your chances of receiving the perfect gift with one click. You can even add a link or widget to your website so there are no excuses for people who are unsure of what to buy you. If you aren't sure what you want, most major retailers provide online redemption codes to make it even easier for the last minute and lazy shopper to buy you a gift, and for you to choose what you want from the comfort of your couch.
2. Birthday Calls and Video Chat - Skype, Facetime, Tiny Chat, Google+ Hangouts are just a few of the video chat services that allow your long distant loved ones to see your beautiful birthday face. Free conference call services mean your entire clan can sing happy birthday to you at the same time.
1. Birthday Wishes- Thanks to Facebook, you are guaranteed to receive a few birthday wishes from friends and family. If people on Twitter or Google+ get wind of your special day, the chances of you receiving a few "Happy Birthdays" in your stream increases substantially. Take a photo of yourself on Instagram with #happybirthdaytome and a popular tag like #cloud and get even more love.
Now I want to hear from you - how has technology helped you to have a Happy Birthday?
