In the few hours since I arrived at the Summer Peacebuilding Institute (http://www.emu.edu/ctp/spi.html) at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, I’ve met people from Zambia, Laos, Afghanistan, Jordan, and Fiji, to name just a few countries represented here. My purpose in coming here for IBO is to see what traction, if any, exists for our goal to bring e-commerce across the digital divide. Can the people I meet from these connections from around the world stay connected in a trusted online community once I leave here? Will we have a shared purpose to cross the digital divide together? Can we use the IBO technology to connect my colleagues hear in Harrisonburg to the people I know who will be key to bringing computers, internet connectivity and payment systems to developing countries?

I am certainly privileged to come from an affluent society with all the benefits (and burdens) of technology; and from my years in bar association activities, I know many bar leaders who can play instrumental roles in bringing the benefits of e-commerce across the digital divide. So can IBO be successful in connecting people from both sides of the digital divide with a shared purpose of opening e-commerce to each other in a trusted online community? That’s our mission - what do you think? Is it possible?