Every month, the NetSquared Community comes together offline at Net Tuesday events around the world to mix, swap stories and ideas, build new relationships, and collaborate to help the local community. Our local organizers are volunteers dedicated to helping create local opportunities for learning, sharing and using technology to make a difference.   In this Organizer Spotlight series we bring you interviews with organizers from around the world.

We're happy to introduce: Damien LaManna!

Damien is a co-organizer of the Net Tuesday group in New Orleans, LA.   You can check out his profile and ways to connect on the Net Tuesday Organizer Team page.   Are you in New Orleans?   Connect to the Net Tuesday group here!

Tell us who you are in 140 characters or less:

I am a balance seeker.

 How do you spend your time when you're not organizing Net Tuesdays?

Since moving to Nola, I have immersed myself into the community as much as I could. When not at work or Net2NO, I recently launched a startup tech company called Zymeaux, specializing in mobile marketing. I am on the board or a member of a number of community organizations including 504ward, Young Leadership Council, Louisiana Young Professionals Organization, The Digital Media Alliance, and Voter's Direct. When I am not doing all of that you will most likely find my girlfriend Charell and I eating at one of the many wonderful food establishments Nola has to offer.

What inspired you to organize local Net Tuesday events in your community?

Moving to New Orleans and coming from a city like D.C. I really saw Net2 as being a perfect opportunity to help Nola go through a period of self-actualization. Many of our founding members had lived here for years and never even knew each other. Net2 allowed the tech and social entrepreneurial community a chance to meet.

What's the hardest part of the job?

We have been very lucky to have a wonderfully supportive community and members who literally jump at the chance to help out in any way possible. The hardest part though is the fact that with such a diverse group, it can be difficult to please everyone in terms of speakers and topics.

How do you measure the success of your events?

I think there are several measurements. 1. Is of course is just attendance. We have had meetups that pack the room with 75 people. 2. Is engagement. We have an intimate setting, so it is usually pretty easy to see if people are engaged in the speaker/event or if their attention is waning. 3. Is feedback. When people say, "Wow, that was great" then usually that's a good sign. But honestly, the biggest sign of a success for us is when after 2 hours and the meetup has ended there are still 15-20 members who stick around to chat and continue the dialogue or head out together for pizza and beer... that right there is what makes me all warm and fuzzy.

Tell us about the best Net Tuesday event.   What did you learn from that experience?

This is an easy one. In March, we begged, borrowed, and stole our way to take our members to SXSW for the interactive festival. We raised $20,000 and chartered a bus and packed up 30 members. The main mission of this trip was to be ambassadors for Nola, to take SXSW by storm and show everyone that technology and social change was not just for the San Frans and D.C.'s of the world. We set up a New Orleans booth at the trade show and threw a New Orleans party at an Austin watering hole. By the time we were done we managed to get adopted by the Los Angeles Tech Community, hung out with Robert Scoble, lured a handful of Digital Media businesses to New Orleans, and most importantly, forged a band among our group that has helped us to carry on our momentum as we strive to turn New Orleans into the Digital Media capital of the South.

What is the local social-web-tech scene like in New Orleans?

I think I have addressed this above, but it is unlike any other city. We may not have the reputation that Austin or San Fran does, but I know that we have the talent and without question the passion to move ourselves right up there at the top of that list.

How do you envision Net Tuesday events evolving over time?

I think we have gotten to a point where we can begin speaking less and doing more. The first year of our existence really was just a test...to feel out what kind of community we had in Nola and who the players were going to be. We have established that and ourselves and now need to move more towards action rather than just having speakers and panels. We have volunteered our time and resources towards a local cause, the 9th Ward Field of Dreams, an organization that is trying to build a sports field for the children of the 9th ward that was devastated by Katrina. We are also the driving force behind a movement to turn Voodoo Festival, a major Music Fest in Nola, into a Interactive Arts and Film festival, in the same vein as SXSW but with an unmistakable New Orleans charm.

What's your change-the-world philosophy?

Do good work. That's it. Whatever it is you do, just do it well and the rest tends to fall into place. I also think nothing in this world can be accomplished without passion and balance. Sometimes changing the world doesn't take radical action...in fact, it's usually the opposite.

What music are you listening to now-a-days?

It's hard to move to New Orleans and not start appreciating jazz more. Kermit Ruffins, Galactic, Wynton Marsalis, Rebirth Brass Band. Wilco, Blur, Kings of Leon, Vampire Weekend are some of my favs. Of course, I will always remain a diehard REM fan.

Learn more:

• Find Net Tuesday in your city
• Learn more about the Net Tuesday Organizers
• Start a group in your city