"hello, my tags are _____."

Tagging would be a great way to supplement asynchronous introductions (which get old fairly quickly). It involves a more active form of personal expression, builds practical skills, is fun, and also sneakily creates a sense of camaraderie, since everyone is doing the same activity (in their own way), discovering overlaps, and contributing to a common result. It’s like a virtual show and tell that demonstrates how networks form, almost accidentally. Brown and Duguid would be proud.

One possible downside is that it could become more information than anyone cares to look through, but keeping it short and simple would obviate this.

It’s definitely worth a try.