Portland, Ore. – The Portland Trail Blazers and Hands On Greater Portland today announced the launch of the Iamatrailblazersfan site, developed in partnership with Affinity Circles, the leading provider of trusted social networks for affinity-based organizations. Fans can visit www.trailblazers.com to sign up. The Iamatrailblazersfan site is the first official social network for professional basketball fans, providing a unique opportunity for fans to connect with one another, the team, and the community in new and innovative ways.

"Portland fans’ passion for the Trail Blazers is legendary, and many people in our community share that same passion for technology, so merging the two to create an official online community to tap into those passions makes perfect sense," said team President and General Manager, Steve Patterson. "Our network will further connect fans throughout the city, across the country, and around the world. Partnering with Affinity Circles allows us to deliver an authentic experience for our fans with a proven trusted social networking platform."

Utilizing the Iamatrailblazers fan site, fans can create profiles, join groups, share photos, post comments, and much more. It is designed for easy and fast deployment and can grow as fast as the fan base requires because it is a hosted solution.

The site gives fans the opportunity to use their online connections with one another as a jumping off point for real connections in the community and on the court. The online community will feature a network for volunteerism via Portland’s volunteer center and Trail Blazers community partners, Hands On Greater Portland. It also provides the opportunity for members to form groups that can meet up to play games at local basketball courts or attend a Trail Blazers game, all with the comfort of knowing that personal communications are taking place within an official setting sanctioned by the Trail Blazers organization.

“Our partnership with the Trail Blazers allows us to extend our track record of creating trusted social networking community for well known affinity-based organizations while demonstrating the application of this technology in the professional sports arena,” said Steve Loughlin, chief executive officer of Affinity Circles. “The market response to our products has been tremendous, and we believe our growth opportunities are significant. We are excited about working closely with the Trail Blazers to launch the first fan network for an NBA team, an online experience that will serve the team, its fans, and the city of Portland.”

ABOUT THE PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS Winners of the 1977 NBA Championship, the Portland Trail Blazers are Portland’s only professional sports franchise. With a corporate culture that promotes volunteerism, the Blazers Community Builders employee volunteer program was a key centerpiece in the Trail Blazers receiving the prestigious National Points of Light Award for Excellence in Corporate Community Service. The Trail Blazers were the first and continue to be the only professional sports team to achieve this honor. To learn more about the Trail Blazers, please visit www.trailblazers.com.

ABOUT HANDS ON GREATER PORTLAND Hands On Greater Portland is a nonprofit organization that connects 13,000 volunteers a year with meaningful volunteer opportunities, feeding the hungry, caring for the homeless, teaching children and caring for the elderly. As Portland's only volunteer center, Hands On partners with more than 250 nonprofits, schools and government agencies, providing critical volunteer support to the greater Portland metropolitan area through hundreds of one day projects, on going volunteer teams and long term volunteer placements. Hands On makes a real impact on the community, develops volunteer leadership and helps volunteers learn more about the issues shaping our region. For more information, please visit www.handsonportland.org.

ABOUT AFFINITY CIRCLES Affinity Circles is the leading provider of trusted social networks for affinity-based organizations. Today more than 80 organizations, including alumni and student groups, professional trade associations and sports teams, have selected the company’s hosted social networking platform to enable their members to build and maintain personal and professional connections in dynamic, trusted online communities. For more information, visit www.affinitycircles.com.