The goal of the Ames Electronic Village (AEV) is to become a comprehensive, fully integrated and interactive online community network for the City of Ames, Iowa, and surrounding communities. The AEV will be a continually developing and growing network of electronic resources, civic and community organizations, businesses, and individuals in the Ames area and beyond who are not only a part of the network, but also become active agents in its development through their participation.

The AEV grew out of a vision and a commitment by Global Reach Internet Productions to utilize information age technologies for the benefit of the whole community. Global Reach an Ames-based company which specializes in providing comprehensive Internet services to communities, businesses and individuals throughout our global village. In building and developing such Internet-based community networks, Global Reach is elevating the concept of community development to a new level where communities can capitalize on Internet technology to grow stronger, both socially and economically, and to expand their horizons beyond their geographical boundaries.

The goal of the AEV is to transform Ames into a twenty-first century model community. To do that, AEV seeks to provide:

• access to a variety of public information, resources, and services;
• electronic channels to increase participation in community activities and development;
• electronic channels for communication and interaction among the residents, the city government, the educational institutions, and community organizations;
• channels to conduct business and commercial transactions;
• access to up-to-the-minute local and global news and information;
• access to a variety of educational resources locally and from around the globe;
• forums for social interaction and entertainment.

For people and organizations in Ames and the surrounding communities, the AEV is designed to provide opportunities for various levels of involvement. Anyone with an access to the Internet can use the AEV as a community resource center to get information, contact organizations or businesses, provide feedback, or to interact with others. Furthermore, any individual, organization or business can become a part of the AEV by becoming an information provider. This can be done through getting a personal or organizational Web page residing on the AEV server, or through sponsoring various forums or discussion groups.

And for people and businesses who are outside of Ames, the AEV can serve as their one-stop gateway to the great environment this community offers for business activity, education, family living and personal growth.