At first glance, Wishgenies seems like an ideal gift service. Wishgenies is supposed to take the guesswork out of shopping for gifts. How? You tell Wishgenies who you’re shopping for, and the service will grab recommendations from other like-minded people.

Say, for example, you are shopping for your boyfriend. You tell Wishgenies that your boyfriend likes books, politics, and electronics. Wishgenies is then supposed to gather gift ideas from people who like the same things that your boyfriend likes.

While the idea seems like a great one, Wishgenies is really more of a social networking gift-giving app than anything else. After going through the Wishgenies sign-up, I found the whole process to be confusing – and to include a number of problems that I wouldn’t want to encounter while shopping for gifts. To be fair, Wishgenies may work for some people, but it’s not a site that I’d use to find a gift – here’s why.

The Facebook Factor

In order to use Wishgenies, you must sign in with your Facebook account. You must also give Wishgenies to access your information and post on your behalf (something that is not loved by most Facebook users). After you’ve granted Wishgenies all of the permissions the app needs to function, you will be asked to choose a person to buy a gift for from your list of Facebook friends. Here’s the first problem with Wishgenies.

If you’re shopping for someone who isn’t on Facebook, you won’t be able to use the Wishgenies service. The second problem is that Wishgenies asks you to contact other friends who may know the person you’re buying a gift for. Now, say that you don’t want your boyfriend to know that you know nothing about him. You’ve just asked his friends and your friends to suggest items that your boyfriend might like. Can you see the problem with this system?

Confusing Interface

The Wishgenies interface is also confusing. There’s little instruction as to how to use the service once you sign up through your Facebook account. The service really leaves you hanging when you’re attempting to set up your account and look for a gift. Unless you spend a few hours trying to understand how this service works (and who will?), the interface is not user-friendly.

Problems aside, the idea behind Wishgenies is a good one. I only wish that you didn’t have to use Facebook, didn’t have to ask your Facebook friend for gift ideas, and that the app was easier to use. As it stands, Wishgenies is confusing to say the least. Still, if you want to give this service a whirl (hopefully, you will have better luck!), you can head to the Wishgenies website, and click the “sign up” button.

You will be directed to Facebook (as mentioned), but this may be something that you’ll find interesting. If for no other reason, you will have something to talk about with your friends and family members should you decide to ask them for gift-giving suggestions and help.