Dear Friends,
I would be happy if I could join you tonight at the Monsoon Cafe to
have a drink or two, a healthy laugh and a friendly buzz. I wish I
could share these moments with you.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Beth Rosengard and
Brad Smith for putting this event together, to the contributors to
the silent auction for their generosity and to each and every one of
you for attending. Thank you.
I am excited to learn that tonight Orchidians, members of The Metal
Art Society of Southern California and the organizers/exhibitors of
the Contemporary Crafts Market are getting together for yet another
informal evening. Why am I so excited? In addition to you being
such great people, it is clear to me that an online community has to
be nourished in order to grow. The way to do that is by constantly
evolving it with the changing needs of our members.
In real life most communities are formed through geographical
proximities but online communities are mostly formed around shared
interests and are a powerful tool for building trust, relationships,
knowledge acquisition and exchange.
We all live in a society that tells us to “move on”, make decisions
faster and communicate faster. Yet the Internet cannot build human
networks faster. In fact, the Internet cannot build these networks
at all. We must build them by investing time in planning and
managing events like this Orchid get-together. That is why Orchid
emphasizes the human need rather than gadgets and technology.
We are extremely fortunate that fellow Orchidians are dedicated to
helping others and creating warm, friendly human interactions. Thus,
these real life meetings are an integral and essential part of our
community growth process. These meetings are a clear signal of
maturity and a healthy sign of real life bonds.
I hope that tonight you will make new acquaintances, reinforce old
one and maybe galvanize new and exciting ideas. Tonight you are
sharing and promoting the Orchid spirit by putting an Orchid on your
bench, for which I am grateful.
I would like to remind you of the coming Orchid event at the Gem and
Mineral Show in Tucson. Just a few months ago I had the pleasure of
meeting some of you face to face and I am looking forward to meeting
even more of you next year.
I wish you a pleasant evening and I hope to see you all in Tucson.
Hanuman
I don’t know the results of the rest of the auction,