I'd say it is a battle, and a battle that is won by Facebook. I now want to surrender, but with a little dignity.

You won't convince your social group to delete their Facebook account. You may, however, convince them that you are not cool.

I'll probably take the other advice, open a new account, use a week for invites, turn on email-updates, and bite the bullet.

I didn't have to convince anyone, but most of my friends are already off Facebook. For years, I've lead by example through organizing events via other means, and contacting all interested parties directly. You don't have to convince them to delete their account, just to not use it for organizing events.