[Wed 8:21 am Mar 8]

Eighty local e-commerce entrepreneurs and enthusiasts attended the first public meeting of the Nashville Internet and New Media Association Tuesday night.

The organization was founded by Rob Thornhill of eNashville.com to help expand and educate the Nashville Internet community. Attendees at the event, which was held at Jody's Bar Car in Cummins Station, included financiers, students, and operators of Internet start-ups.

The association's web site can be found at www.ninma.org. EdgeNet Inc. provides the server and Bondware Internet software for the site.

Initial leaders of the group include Chip Gallent and Rob Kidder of Thinktivity Interactive, Kelly Garrett of EdgeNet Media, Ned Zeiler of 2nd Generation Capital and Mr. Thornhill.

The group announced the formation of six committees, including:

* E-commerce

* Financial (funding issues)

* Sales and marketing

* Design and development

* Entertainment (such issues as intellectual property rights geared to the entertainment industry)

* Legal

The current introductory fee to join the group, which expects to hold meetings on the first Tuesday of each month, is $75. After an introductory period, the normal fee will be $125 per year, plus a $25 one-time charge. Students pay $25 per year with a one-time fee of $10.