"I think as of 2005, the majority of new Internet users every month, people who have never used the Internet before, no longer speak English as a first language. So there's a huge need for non-English content. We now have our site in 12 languages, and we're working on about 15 others to really meet that demand for further bringing together people with a diversity of language skills."

Michael Furdyk of TakingITGlobal is the 14th interview in our series of chats with the 21 Featured Projects from the 2nd NetSquared Conference (N2Y2).

You can hear an audio recording of the interview on the NetSquared Podcast and hear TakingITGlobal's 5-minute pitch at the Conference, here.

Michael Furdyk: I'm Michael Furdyk, the Director of Technology and Co-founder of TakingITGlobal. We are one of the first social networks for social good and social change focused specifically on engaging young people in important global and social issues and trying to get them to network across cultures and across languages to make a positive difference in their communities, in their countries, and in the world using technology.

September 24-26 the Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) will host the Global Forum on Youth and ICT for Development: Youth and ICT as Agents of Change in Geneva, Switzerland. TakingITGlobal, one of the Featured Projects at the Net2 Conference, is one of 25+ partners supporting the event.

In this videoblog, Jennifer Corriero and Kirsten Jordan display their infectious enthusiasm for the way youth are using the Web to effect change and cite a powerful example regarding AIDS.

Hello! Our last economic sustainability session will be more conversational thanks to our panelist, we will be mixing it up for a bit. This is Evonne Heyning and I will do my best to liveblog this session as it flows.

Panelists:

Anita Figer, Nonprofit Finance Fund, hired by foundations to look at economic sustainaiblity of nonprofits

Susan Walters, California Emerging Technology Fund, broadband technologies in low income communities Panel leader: Ask tough questions! Don't be afraid to share what you think.

TAKING IT GLOBAL

Liveblogging from the social impact track of feedback session 1:

• evaluators
  
  • Tesse (I may have spelled this incorrectly - I can't find it on the attendee list)
  • Jonathan Peizer
  • Haney Armstrong
• projects
  
  • Maps 2.0
  • Grassroots.org
  • Family Farm
  • TakingITGLobal

I'm very pleased to help champion TakingITGlobal.org.

Among other things they're supporting the http://www.DigitalDivide.net site, an important network for digital literacy and access advocates.