i-Italy, Inc.

Some of you were there from the very beginning. The date was October 2nd, 2007, and the place was the prestigious City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism. We launched i-Italy that night in a room packed with people, reporters, and Italian authorities.


Well, in little more than three months i-Italy.org reached a total of 82,089 page views, more than 50,000 of which are “unique page views”.

We have had about 15,000 visits in this period, and almost 5,000 “absolute unique visitors” – and that means real people!

In addition, take a look at the increasing success of our open-access community space (www.i-Italy.us): almost 2,000 absolute unique visitors and 211 registered members who have posted 1,351 photos, 321 blog posts, 203 videos, 155 songs, 36 forum topics, and 11 discussion groups.

It’s really impressive! Thank you all.



Encouraged by this success, which goes well beyond our expectations, we have decided to incorporate the Italian/American Digital Project as the not-for-profit organization that will provide and manage the contents of i-Italy.org and will organize social and cultural events – on the Internet and in the “real world”. Membership will be open to all people interested in knowing and discussing Italy and Italian America.


The Italian/American Digital Project, Inc. expects to work in close cooperation with EUSIC (Empowerment of the U.S.-Italy Community), the initiative funded by the Italian Ministry of Labor and led by the Department of Sociology and Communication of “La Sapienza” University in Rome. EUSIC provided the funding and the coordination that made i-Italy possible, and it will hold its closing conference in March 2008. On that occasion, full responsibility for the management of i-Italy will be transferred to the new organization, which will have to prove capable to raise funds and live on its own.


It is a tough task, but we have reasons to be optimistic… indeed we have recently received our first $1,000 donation from the American Society of Italian Legions of Merit, whose current president is Honorable Dominic R. Massaro. Thanks so much, Judge Massaro!


 

We have all worked hard to build i-Italy.org – emailing and blogging, and digging and spreading the word all around the web.


Over 20 regular contributors are now registered as our “Bloggers”, inculding journalists, academics, and public intellectuals; dozens of articles, comments, and editorials have been published to date in our “Magazine”, and we have started ten featured discussions in our “Specials”, the latest of which revolves around the now famous New York Times article about Italy’s “funk”. Last but not least, the “Multimedia” section is now in the course of being reorganized into a real webTV channel.


In sum, we have started what seems to be a very promising initiative and are proud of it. Now we need you more than ever to go on and make it even bigger.

We need all of you: readers, bloggers, contributors, and community members.


Come and join us at www.i-Italy.org and www.i-Italy.us

For information please contact:


i-Italy, The Italian/American Digital Project

c/o John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College, CUNY

25W  43rd Street, New York, NY, 10036

Tel. (212) 642-2094

Fax:(212) 642-2030

Email: [email protected]