Beginning in 2001, we began to see how the Internet could be overwhelming to users. So we created a series of websites targeting specific demographic groups in order to provide relevant information without people having to cull through page after page of content that is geared to cover every possible need.

So ClevelandSeniors.Com targeting the 50 and over crowd was born and now receives over 3.5 million hits each month. We likewise created ClevelandWomen.Com and other targeted websites to reach these specific targets.

We began to see that when we posted something that pertained to cultural or ethnic heritage, we would get a large spike in visitors.

The Cleveland area is home to 100 or so different ethnic groups - each bringing their unique customs, costumes, music, religion, art, food and so on. We believe that our community is richer because of the ethnic diversity we have and that it could be even better if we promoted and celebrated the cultures more.

We are firm believers of the tossed salad model, where unique cultures are maintained and celebrated as we all live in the same big bowl, rather than the melting pot where all are supposed to blend into a homogenous mass.

We also see how Cleveland's population is shrinking. Realistically, we don't expect to see a mass influx of residents from the suburbs returning to the city. We believe that Cleveland can grow by attracting, welcoming and retaining immigrants from all over the world.

And that's where ClevelandPeople.com comes in. In our short existence (and without an official launch yet) we have attracted thousands of visitors every day.

About ½ of the visitors are from the Cleveland area. We hope that besides checking on their own culture that they investigate some of the other cultures as well.

The other half consists of non-Ohio and international visitors. Frankly we were surprised at the number of e-mails we began receiving from people all over the world who are now interested in Cleveland because they found us on the web.

Here are a few sample e-mails that have come in. We get 3-4 e-mails like this every single day and have become a Virtual Welcome Center for the city.

• An oral surgeon from India considering a faculty position at CWRU asked us about the city and the local Indian community.
• A man from Belgrade asked about the Serbian community in Cleveland
• An Audiologist from the Chinese University of Hong Kong is interested in opportunities in Cleveland
• A 22 year old woman from Ghana wants to come to the US. She had only heard of New York, FL and California till she researched on the web and found us. Now she is considering coming to Cleveland
• A native Hungarian has been living in the USA for 8 years said, "I was glad to discover this site and want to come to Cleveland and get to know more Hungarians in the area."
• A Turkish man wants to come here and start a business
• "My husband's family is of Lithuanian descent. I hear that there is a Lithuanian festival held each year in Cleveland. If so, please let me know when it is as we may be able to visit and attend sometime."
• And more like that every day!

These examples demonstrate the demand and possibilities for a site such as ClevelandPeople.Com.

Obviously, we cannot know every community as well as the passionate members of that group. So we established our Ambassador program. Passionate and outstanding representatives of each community are being designated as Ambassadors so they can make sure we have the most accurate and current information on their community.

We are also working with schools, universities and businesses to increase global knowledge and business.

Our Calendar of Events is a one-stop place to learn about the events of all of our region's groups.

Please contact us with your questions and ideas.