CoolCleveland mentioned REALNEO in their 12/1/04 issue, and that is appreciated. As a driver behind this effort, I appreciate anything that creates awareness of this virtual community - please know it is not "my site" or owned by anyone - it is provided freely to everyone in the region interested in enhancing our value of economic development and entrepreneurship... everyone in the world is welcome to visit, register and add content.

It is important to realize the site is not "mine" - it is everyone's. The site will be managed by a non-profit organization and leverages free, open source Drupal information technology, for now hosted free by Bryght, of Vancouver, BC. Anyone interested to help with site development is welcome.

The reason REALNEO exists is because a group of community leaders recognized the need here for a world-class collaborative social network for people interested in improving the region's business and collaboration effectiveness, and the Drupal content management system was determined to be the most effective enabler in the world. More on the history of this project is posted as the REALNEO Plan. Case's Center for Regional Economic Issues Director Ed Morrison was the primary motivator for the development of REALNEO and has been the most vocal promoter.

Anyone interested in using these capabilities to collaborate in this community should set up a user account and give the network a try. If you would like a personal orientation, feel free to email Norm Roulet at norm [at] icearth [dot] com or attend a REALNEO orientation session at the Case Weatherhead School of Management, in the Peter B. Lewis (Gehry) Building, each Tuesday at 3:30, before the exceptionally valuable weekly Tuesdays@REI sessions. Info on these activities and others in the region can be found at REALNEO in the events block and calendar. Welcome to REALNEO.

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