Thus Spaketh Idd Salim

TechMataa - Here to forge a Niche

A very learned friend of mine, [Name with-held asitukanwe], floated an idea to me last week. “Salim, how about we start an Ideas-Pool of a blog to talk about tech stuff and share our vast knowledge in all tech verticals? Think Servers, Security, Code, BestPractices, HowTos, ZeroDay Stuff, Hacking, Government?”, she said.

“Go on.”, I said with a smile on my face. This was interesting.

“Basically, we will be shedding light on technology. Kumulika the TechScene na Bright Mataas, metaphorically speaking. Demystifying things that people don’t understand or do not know are possible.”

So we thought of a catchy name for the blog.

We needed a name that is not partisan [Not specific to phone type, OS, Language, Packages, Distros etc. So names like LinuxKenya.or.ke ama WindowsNiYaWannabes.co.ke ama iPadNaN8.com was out].

We needed a name that is a metaphor [We are techies shedding light on technologies and demystifying stuff. Tunatoa watu kwa mataa]. We needed a community portal of technology written by REAL techies. Not Armchair tech-preneurs.  Not the ‘I think’ or ‘someone said’ or ‘it must be’ way of writing. Real solutions and guidance based on experience and real knowledge.

So the name was born. Set to launch on September 1, 2011, TechMataa is aimed at carving a niche.

“Isn’t there a blog named like that or close to that?”, I asked her. “A real tech blog? None that I have heard of.”, she responded. “Are you sure?”, I asked. “Well, there is nothing legally wrong in parking our Kompressor next to a Vitz”, she said. I was confused. But I went on and registered the domain, on their behalf. My task in this all TechMataa phenomenon will be to Host and maintain the site. The content will be community-generated.

The mission

“So, what is thing TechMataa thing that you speak of, Salim?”, you ask, Batiatas-esquely.

It is an initiative to address the following topics:

• Investment opportunities in Kenya – Weekly AppReview.
• SuperServers – The creations of Kenya’s First SuperComputer cluster.
• Hacking, Security, R.U.N.S.A.F.E.
• Women In tech.
• Life of a coder/techie/hacker in Kenya.
• Clean and verified Content. No personal issues. No insults or attacks to people or brands. We are here to educate, not attack.
• Business/investment advise for techies.

So, what is needed?

We have all we need in terms of infrastructure. All we need are columnists. All that we need now is, WRITERS. Pick your section from above. Suggest some, if not there but relevant to tech. Send an email to tech@techmataa.com expressing interest and the TechMataa team will get back to you. #justSharing.

Back to code…

Wazi.