The most exciting innovation to emerge from the Fast Company Web site has to be the Company of Friends, a grassroots network of readers from around the world. We neither planned the Company of Friends nor do we pretend to lead it. It emerged independently and has grown from the ground-up.

We are, however, doing what we can to make it easier for people to participate. In August, we launched a set of Company of Friends home pages. Local 'cells' -- from Boston to the Bay Area, Houston to Honolulu -- now have their own pages on our Web site. The pages list the times and places of upcoming meetings and offer opportunities for discussion. Some even offer profiles of members.

From: September 1998 issue