I will follow suit.

I am Linda. I am an American who has spent most of the last 10 years living in Thailand. Currently I am a lecturer in the Faculty of Management Science at Ubon Ratchathani University in Ubon Ratchathani Thailand and a graduate student working on a PhD in Integral Development Studies. I will be doing my research in Tak Thailand working with Karen migrant children and in northern Uganda with Life in Africa, Opok Farm and Christina Jordan (all of whom I met through this group of people here when we were at Omidyar.net) working with resettling children from child-headed households.

I hope you will welcome a couple of my students that I have "enticed" to join in recent days. Chanbanditnant P (Nat) is a second year student and will be helping me with my research in Tak in March and April and hopefully Uganda next year. Bill Dalton is a transplanted American and a 3rd year student.

Great Linda, thnx.

I'm Stephen, or Steve, and I'm new to Ned. I have worked in information technology in both the private and public sectors for 20 years. After a three-and-a-half year "hiatus" trying to figure out what to do for the next 20 years, I am completing my certification to Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). I hope to teach abroad, wherever the need is greatest.

Welcome aboard Stephen, glad to have you here. I'm sure Linda (two posts above) may jump in and say hey, she's been teaching in Thailand, and I'm sure has some great advice, or may be able to answer any questions you might have.

Oh Good-o .... in for a penny, in for a pound!

Hi, I'm Gayle and like Linda, Mark and many others here, I too am a refugee from (the now closed) Omidyar Net.

When in Australia, I work for the Government Department responsibile for the delivery of support services & programs to people with Intellectual Disabilities.

Late last year I made the decision (both difficult and easy for various reasons) to stay with the Public Service but requested a temporary demotion so I could free up some more time and better balance work/earning a living with the return to further University study, continuing to work on the development of two private projects - one in Vietnam (disability related) and one in India (education related.) - and working/growing the small business I started in April of 2007.

I'll get back to you on how that balance thing is going at a later date :D

The thing I LOVE about <Ned> is the combination of shared spirit & intent with diverse member backgrounds.

Students and professors, stay-at-home Mum's with really little ones and grand-parents, stock-brokers and artists, heads of NGOs and volunteers, Australians and Canadians :) and, and, AND......... a wonderful community truly making a real difference every day - in big and small ways.

Hey Stephen .... welcome from me (again).

I'm Dan Bassill. I lead a non profit based in Chicago, but using the Internet to connect people from around the world with each other, and with information they can use to help kids in poverty move through school and into careers. I was introduced to Omidyar, then Ned.

At http://www.blauexchange.org/int_ dbassill.html you can read an interview I gave to another person I met on Omidayr.net. It illustrates the networking that comes from active participation in forums like this.

I've been involved in tutoring/mentoring for more than 30 years, starting as a volunteer tutoring a 4th grade boy. Here's a chart that maps my involvement and illustrates how actions over time can lead to a result.

http://cmapspublic.ihmc.us/servl et/SBReadResourceServlet?rid=118 3757961687_847212265_22470&p artName=htmltext

While I meet people and share ideas on Ned, most of my work is done at http://www.tutormentorconnection .org

Hi. :)

My name's Chris. I'm from Ottawa, Canada. I came across Ned through YouTube sometime in the fall of 2006. Mark sent me a Darfur t-shirt after I made a video response to a video of his. The t-shirt inspired me to make a video about Darfur. That video brought a lot of great feedback and connections with people and I hope added strength to people's determination to make a difference in Darfur.

I'm a young man who is severally disabled (Muscular Dystrophy) living with my Mom, who is my primary caregiver. The computer and net give me a lot of independence. I make videos on YouTube, have written and self published some zines, dabbled in photography, etc, etc.

My main goal at the moment is to build a better care solution for Mom and myself. Most likely one that isn't dependent on the public health care system. I'm not sure if this means starting a foundation, a non-profit org or looking for corporate / private citizen sponsorship. Either way I'm slowly working on a solution.

As someone who is on the computer a lot, I'm interested in simple and fun ways to get people involved in the world around them to make it better.

Thank you.

Hi Chris - welcome!

I've seen your video - it's brilliant - and it's great to have you here at Ned.

Dan.... hey, fabulous one!!! :)

Hello Stephen and Chris!

I'm John. It's really hard for me to say anything about myself without being self-deprecating. I've noticed that people here at Ned won't stand for that, which is but one reason I love the people here so.

I'm very excited about the possibilities for using the Social Web to create cool things and indeed to create a good world. I'm an inconsistent blogger, one of my blogs is Bazungu Bucks. I sometimes make paper party hats and also have a blog called Hats For Health. I haven't posted there for a long time. I still make paper hats, even though I really haven't figured out how.

Chris the smile on your face in the video Stand Up speaks volumes. I'm sure you'll find people here who are eager to listen about your goals regarding your care solutions and who will collaborate in inventing them.

Linda and I may well be posting simultaneously regarding John's post....but I'll risk it because whilst the self-deprecating thingy might be a thing of the past, there is work still to be done!!! :D)

John is also the most gentle, thoughtful, supportive, kind, nauseatingly intelligent, informative, challenging and big-hearted bloke around .... and if you need help, ask him and it shall be given.

OK - there's another wrong made right.... must dash :)

Hi to EVERYONE both new and old

I'm Evvy and I will be directing the newly formed non profit Life in Africa USA.

This organization will support Life in Africa Foundation in Uganda, East Africa with fundraising and marketing for our two communities there that are just reforming as CBO groups. I have been involved in some way or another with LiA since it was created over 9 years ago by my daughter Christina Jordan. Now I have quit my job, moved to Olympia, Washington and will be working on it full time.

I've been kind of quiet on <ned> lately since I just returned from a 5 week stay in Uganda where I was able to meet face to face with many of our members at both our centers. It was fantastic! Upon returning to Calif., I immediately moved to Washington and am desperately trying to get myself organized. No easy task since my stuff is all still packed in boxes. But our members in Uganda are starting to be more active now and you all will be able to follow along with us as we launch our new programs for 2008. Its going to be a GREAT YEAR!!!

By the way, I should warn you that <ned> is highly addictive. Yes, I admit it....I have become a total <ned> junkie and go through withdrawals when I can't check in at least once a day.

Hello to all! Thank you Mark for creating this meet and greet.

My name is Dawn Sfanos. Before I became one of those "stay at home Mum's" that Gayle referenced above, I worked for a large multi-specialty out patient medical facility. Seven short/long years ago I traded my job titles so I could hear my favorite title, Mommy, all day long (and all night and all the next day and on and on and...)

I first encountered Ned much like Alice encountered Wonderland when she fell through the looking glass. I was attempting to get information about a yo-yo (a "Ned Yo", actually) for my nine year old daughter November of 2007. On line serach engines can be strange and wonderous things. I did evetually find the site for my daughter but only after I bookmaked Ned as a favorite so I could return to it later. Unlike Alice, I do not want to wake up from this wonderland!

Goodness, I've rambled on far longer then anyone else and I am the least impressive one to post so far on this thread! Let me wrap up by saying my reason for joining Ned was to elevate my thinking, motivate my altruistic tendency, facilitate others in their efforts to change the world and educate myself, my children and my community.

I live in the southernmost part of America, right in the "pan handle" of Florida, with three incredible daughters and a wonderful husband. I am a self confessed nerd and my favorite ice cream flavor is Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie.

Dawn, the idea that caring for your children and also directing your church school isn't impressive astounds me. You can't kid anybody, all of us know that kids keep you on your toes all day long and all night too. That's impressive.

I'm Gerald Wandera Obbo i have worked with postbank for the last seven years or so, doing banking business i like treating people with respecting,seeing people living well i always like transforming peoples lives for the better.The kids are the future assets for the world i want to see them happy and living well.

I'm Gerald Wandera Obbo i have worked with postbank for the last seven years or so, doing banking business i like treating people with respect,seeing people living well i always like transforming peoples lives for the better.The kids are the future assets for the world i want to see them happy and living well.

:: /root/mnt/LIA-GATEWAY/SharedDocs/shared files/Ezra lia craft shop. A Ugandan by nationality.i live in Kampala the capital city of uganda in a small town called Ntinda.I joined Life in Africa (Lia) in 2006 after a friend did introduce me to the organization. working with the stores/stock department.it is a good place with people from different backgrounds and also of different languages working together for a better tomorrow.

i have loved the ned and joined. I love to learn,ask questions,sharing idears with people and also to discourse and finding solutions to problems/situations brought on the table cause i truely know that through this,alot is learn and love to see development/growth taking place.otherwise great to see all of us formally the o.net members on ned,oh,i can`t even weight,seeing how idears take real actions to make the world a better place.this is going to be great and fun.

I'm Eric Wanjamah and tomorrow I will mark the 3rd anniversary of active participation in online communities which began with joining Omidyar and after its closure, I found a home here at Ned.

I have an interest in working in the humanitarian field especially in post conflict areas. I worked in south Sudan for almost an year before joining the Government of Kenya as a Probation Officer, where I worked for 10 months. Currently,am pursuing an International Masters of Science in Social Work at Gothenburg University, Sweden.

I am here because I value the role of connections, networks and collaboration in any efforts to make good things happen.

Mark Grimes said:

Welcome to Ned. Please tell other members what you do, what your passion is, how you found Ned, and even what you like to do to make the world a better place (if you wish). Simply just introduce yourself and say howdy to other members as they do the same.

Ultimately whether you spend 15 minutes at Ned a month or 2-3 hours a day, each Ned member needs to find their own Ned Muse to let the Ned community become a meaningful part of their lives. Human beings connecting.

This is your community, your ideas, your time, your efforts, and your actions. This is a community of real people, using real names, working in the real world (well, and at Ned)...taking real actions to make the world a better place. Really.

We are fortunate enough to enjoy incredible members from many countries around the world, and we all work together in a community of mutual respect, humor with an eye towards doing real world things and making the world a better place. Have fun, and please if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask a question here, Nedsters tend to be a very friendly sort. Many of us have met face-to-face at various events around the world during the last three years.

Okay, introductions...I started the thread going...so having drawn the short straw, I'll go first.

I'm Mark Grimes a serial and social entrepreneur from Portland, Oregon who came to Ned after Omidyar.net community closed last year. The experience of making the world a better place online and offline gets me revved up. I enjoy helping other people (and related their orgs) make greater impact, solve problems, simplify things, practice transparency, build multiple revenue streams towards increasing sustainability, and exploring new, different and more powerful ways to collaborate.

Hi, I am Arthur Kaliisa located in Kampala Uganda. I have been involved on a part-time basis in providing document preparation, tax, bookkeeping & accounting, software setup & implementation, business consultant services and business counseling for small and mid market entreprenuers in Kampala Uganda for over two years now. I have found it both enriching and humbling experience. I am also a volunteer Living Hope ministry a care ministry of Kampala Pentecostal Church reaching out to those affected and infected by HIV/AIDS in Kampala, Uganda with the love of Christ. Having been affected myself, I find that it appealed to my heart and emotions. Although I haven't handled any major clients yet I feel that it was laid heavily on my heart to be a part of the solution. That's why I feel that this group is the right place to be at as I seek for inspiration and share ideas with those more exposed and experienced persons than myself to interact on major problems affecting our communities. You will be surprised how much the world is becoming a "global village"

Ciao. AK

Hi, I am Arthur Kaliisa located in Kampala Uganda. I have been involved on a part-time basis in providing document preparation, tax, bookkeeping & accounting, software setup & implementation, business consultant services and business counseling for small and mid market entreprenuers in Kampala Uganda for over two years now. I have found it both enriching and humbling experience. I am also a volunteer Living Hope ministry a care ministry of Kampala Pentecostal Church reaching out to those affected and infected by HIV/AIDS in Kampala, Uganda with the love of Christ. Having been affected myself, I find that it appealed to my heart and emotions. Although I haven't handled any major clients yet I feel that it was laid heavily on my heart to be a part of the solution. That's why I feel that this group is the right place to be at as I seek for inspiration and share ideas with those more exposed and experienced persons than myself to interact on major problems affecting our communities. You will be surprised how much the world is becoming a "global village" Ciao. AK

hei all, A Kenyan.Worked in an export and import before.The year 2007 i spent In Mauche-Riftvalley province(kenya) mobilising people to come together to preach peace and teach them the need of sourcing and mentaining clean water though we got stuck when we reached the "financial stage". At the moment am continuing with a degree course. I have an interest of serving in humanitarian field-children,peace related issues,conflict areas. NB:remember to send your peace messages to kenya! Lastly i am a JOB SEEKER.

Hello all, fellow onet alum here.

I found onet looking for places where people were discussing human trafficking. At the time there was really no other discussion on the web, and I am sorry to say there still is little going on, but thats a side point.

I co founded, with my wife Sarah Symons, a hybrid model social enterprise called The Emancipation Network. We exist to help solve one of the big problems that face the heroic shelters that rescue former slaves, and furthermore to help prevent slavery and trafficking. We do this by helping the survivors and people in high risk areas build businesses. We dont stop at just the business development side because we think that we also need to help create markets for their products, and that by selling their products in the US we can educate consumers about slavery and trafficking and how they can help end it.

I come from finance, with almost 20 years in investment banking and capital markets before shifting gears to start TEN. Because of that background, I have a deeply programed interest in learning about and analyzing new problems, preferably by discussing and debating them with people who know more about them than I. Hence, Ned!

John Berger http://www.madebysurvivors.com/

Hi everyone! I came to ned by knowing Mark Grimes for many years. I am the Executive of Homowo African Arts and Cultures. We have been around for over 20 years offering performances and educational opportunities for Americans to learn about the great cultural offerings of ghana. Obo Addy is artistic director of our nonprofit and has introduced over 800,000 Americans to the music and dance of Ghana. This have been our work for many years. Recently we began to take college students to Ghana to study in the summer and learn and participate in celebrations, ceremonies and the cultural life of Ghana. Last year we undertook a service project and planted 100 trees in the area outside of Accra called Sowutuom. We are now planning to build a library and media center in Ghana. This is just the beginning as we are taking the first step to work in another country responding to a need that has been presented to us. We are hoping to learn from all of you with global experience and offer any resources we can. Susan Addy www.homowo.org

hey charity, i'm a job seeker too! i'm here because i stalk mark grimes. when i'm not looking for work and stalking mark i write (stuff) and paint (other stuff) and am trying to figure out why the world works the way it does, which often seems so different from the way i'm 'wired.' ned seems to help with that: i think its people like john, linda, john, gayle, chris, eric and bunches of others who help - but its still frustrating.

so, until i figure out the meaning to life, the universe, and everything i guess i'm stuck looking for work, stalking mark, writing and painting stuff, and learning from people like you.

Hi all,

I'm Christine Egger, live in Michigan, and am new to Ned.

I'm interested in helping people create the kind of world they want to live in and am intrigued by all kinds of cultures, languages, and people. That's led to graduate work in international development and my current freelance consulting work for grassroots-level, locally-driven, nonprofit-type projects, mostly in Nepal, Peru, and other mountainous places.

I especially like thinking about the way that peoples' belief systems influence the way they go about making the world a better place (or not), and want to be a part of encouraging Tom Munnecke's work with the Uplift Academy and similar initiatives that take a "glass half full" approach to thinking about what we're capable of.

And I like encouraging as decentralized a system as possible for the flow of money, information, political power, and other indications of what we're assigning value to. That's driving some project work in microphilanthropy that overlaps with what Peter Deitz is doing on Social Actions.

Hope this isn't too long an introduction (I have a really hard time being short-winded). Thank you, Mark, for prompting everyone to say hello, and thanks to Dan Bassill for the great concept map -- I need to make one of those!