Learning by Example: Smaller Indiana

Submitted by Betsey Merkel on Thu, 05/22/2008 - 08:16.

First, a bit of explanation:
Over the last several months I have posted here about Smaller Indiana, an online and f2f community based in Indy and lead by Pay Coyle, and others. The intent of Smaller Indiana is to make "creative people and innovative ideas easier to find. This is the place for you to share your ideas and engage with Indiana's most creative and inspired souls...working together to build community,culture and commerce."

This morning Pat posted what I think is a good model we can learn from, and ultimately connect to. Pat will travel in June to the top ten Indiana locations  to begin to form Smaller Indiana "hotspots" to identify community, commerce and culture throughout the state.

What can we learn from this example? Is this replicable here in Ohio on the part of REALNEO, Brewed Fresh Daily, and other online NEO communities? And then, how do we connect between ourselves and to others, such as Smaller Indiana?

My purpose in posting about Smaller Indiana for the REALNEO community, and vis versa, is to strengthen knowledge of the similarities between our networks, and disregarding mental and geographic state boundaries, begin to ask the larger question of, "what could we do together?"

Most often I found a "bridge" in the Midtown Brews Open Conversations programming as we are all passionate about identifying our local assets in technology, the creative industries, and energy. These are powerful topics with enormous enterprise opportunity should we work together.

There is some discussion on behalf of Indiana networks to meet face to face. Who would be interested in participating from NEO and what would be most valuable in doing so, to you?

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