The vision of myurbanprofile.com came about in the Winter of 2001, while attending various social and networking functions throughout the season we noticed a lack of networking that actually took place amongst the attendees at these functions. At best, socializing seem to occur within small groups who appeared to be already familiar with one another, or a selected few social butterflies that would simply work the room to collect business cards, or email addresses. "Ironically, for whatever reason, people rarely took advantage of stepping outside the box to find out about one another. Unless you were formerly introduced, or brought something to the table that somebody wanted, seldom did I notice individuals interact within the larger group."
She began to question her own reasoning for coming out to these events, the agendas others had for attending, and wondered if those who came out truly got what they were looking for from these gatherings. Talking to people thereafter, the responses she mostly received were nothing short of "not at all."
The reasons people gave seemed inexcusable yet true. "I ran out of business cards, website was under construction, too cliquee, too shy, same faces as last event, I didn't know who approach, limited opportunities, intimidated by the clientele, felt culturally or socially out of place, unapproachable people, and so forth. These kinds of reasons we could not accept as explanations for people not to network. She believed the planners of these functions definetly had good intentions for the patorns attending, but the events were still lacking that "socially opportunistic spring board appeal."

So instead of skipping these functions altogether, or trying to find events that would cater to what she was looking for, we decided to go one step further. She planned on helping out these same individuals throughout the GTA and beyond, in providing them with a social concept she had brewing in her mind. A Multiethnic Networking Web Forum she called myurbanprofile.com. The "My" represented the individuality of the person, the "Urban" represented the diversity and uniqueness of the individual, and the "Profile" was simply the depiction of the person or endeavor articulated in their own words.
The partners Emad Jad and Andrew Thomas created and designed MYUP to comprise all the elements of what she believed to be "a truly diverse & progressive networking forum online."
Three focal points we wanted to focus on from the very beginning. would stop at nothing to be the premier trend setter in the marketplace for such a concept online in Canada. Toronto would be the ideal place to start.
First, something that embraced all cultures and social groups that shared the same vision, secondly, something that catered to several markets from poets to doctors and everything in between, and thirdly, something that was visually stimulating enough for people to easily grasp, and fully take advantage of in getting their name out there to countless movers and shakers for FREE. "At the initial stages, I believe helping people find, create, or expand their niche or market value shouldn't come at a price." With that said, the birth of a new way of enhanced networking was about to unfold throughout Canada, starting with Toronto. Networking that encourages diversity, that brings forth multiple opportunities, but most importantly, "true networking that embraces all ideas, at all levels, for all people. " An MYUP way of thinking for the 21st Century and Beyond. The MYUP team, invite everyone who share in their global vision to come and explore all the networking opportunities MYUP has to offer.
"It All Begins With A Profile."