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: David Kandie!

Davis is the organizer of the Net Tuesday group in Nairobi, Kenya.   You can check out his profile and ways to connect on the Net Tuesday Organizer Team page.   Are you in Nairobi?   Connect to the Net Tuesday group here!

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

While not organizing Net Tuesdays, I work fulltime at KickStart as a Data/Business Analyst. On the side, I run my own start up Technology Company known as OpenCast IT (deals with GIS, Software development and Business Change Management). I also volunteer for a start up Community Based Organization targeting rural women. Currently I am developing their volunteer network to fundraise for a Micro Finance project coming up. I am a member of Nabuur.com online volunteering group.

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

The city lacks a technology forum where people can meet to share and swap ideas.

What is the hardest part of the job?

Techies have not appreciated the power of the net. People also tend to shy away where costs are involved. That is why I am going to an extra mile fundraising through corporate for the first net Tuesday. Worse still, the corporate do not know/understand about meetup.com

How do you measure the success of your events?

After the first MeetUp I will get a ratio of the attendance versus the number of online members. I will also distribute questionnaires during the meeting asking for suggestions on topics, satisfaction, meeting venues etc. On the next Net Tuesday I will be interested in getting info on the improvements from the last meeting.

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

Blogging groups are very active, with most of them concentrating on government's performance, social ills in the society and exchange of business ideas.

How do you envision Net Tuesday events evolving over time?

I have invited many groups. I see a stage where we will have corporate setting up time for their staff to attend Net Tuesday. I also invited university students specifically in IT/Computer Science. In the next 6 months I will develop a stand-alone website for members to upload, download and post their contributions on social change. On a bigger scale we will select a region/community to experiment/test our social change projects while inviting corporations and non-profits to contribute towards its success.

What's your change-the-world philosophy?

Profits, through social-entrepreneurship! The experience is there is greater impact when people are given a sense of ownership. Do not give a man a fish; instead teach him how to fish. Many non profits fail to achieve desired impacts since their mode of intervention is free giving. In a rural village in Kenya an international non-profit gave out mosquito nets for free during an anti malaria campaign, sadly the beneficiaries sold the nets to fishermen for $1 - $ 2 each.

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

I listen to rock & soul.

Learn more:

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