Welcome back worker bees! I hope you had an amazing holiday experience. We had a fabulous break.
Lots of changes going on around the blogosphere at this time of year. I know a number of bloggers who are going through infrastructure upgrades, but lots of other changes are happening. This is a reminder that early registration for Blogging While Brown 2009 ends February 1, 2009.
Shawn P. Williams of the Dallas South Blog is launching Dallas South Media and will be blogging and freelance writing full time.
Well you heard it here first. I’m stepping out on faith and pursing my passion when I launch Dallas South New Media next Monday. Dallas South -the blog- is the foundation of this new media endeavor which includes freelance writing, social media consulting, and public speaking.
Dallas South has been featured on NBC Nightly News, the Chicago Tribune, the Toronto Star and many other national publications. By devoting more of my time to building on this success, I feel I can take Dallas South to even higher heights in 2009.
My family and I will need your prayers and support as we take on this new endeavor.
Work it out Shawn P!
Sandra Rose has resolved to be less negative this year after conducting a detailed scientific study of her readership’s preferences.
My loyal readers demand less negativity from me in 2009 and I plan to comply with their wishes. As Gandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” Sandra Rose
After Sandra announced her policy change, the What About Our Daughters Board of Directors, including the Director for Disgruntled Readers Services, met to discuss frequent requests for a change in “tone.” The vote was unanimously “Nah, we don’t think so!”
Zabeth is going on blogcation until February. She said she needs to clear her head.
There comes a time when ya need to clear your head. I’m coming upon that time. So I am taking a month long hiatus from IR blogging. You may see me pop up on WAOD, the various political blogs, and on my fitness blog, but I’m taking a break here. I’ll be back February 1st.
I completely understand that!
Stereohyped closed its doors. Lauryn was very good to WADO over the past year. Stereohyped will be missed
Mrs O a great fashion blog about Michelle Obama’s fashion was decloaked and we found out that the blog is actually a case study by an ad agency.
On this last day of 2008, the most tumultuous year we’ve had personally and collectively, we come to find out that a blog we’ve linked to, read often, found interesting and informative is an ad-agency blog. Yes, Mrs. O is not a random site done by a Michelle Obama enthusiast. It’s bankrolled by advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty and written by Mary Tomer, one of the company’s account planners.NY Times
At first we were bummed that they appeared to carry themselves like an “indie” blog, but after a few hours, we got over it and headed back over there today.
The What About Our Daughters Board of Directors ( Me, Myself and I) decided that What About Our Daughters won’t be undergoing any major changes. Like Shawn, I am expanding my platform this year. We’ll be focusing on taking the issues and ideas we discuss on a daily basis to the masses. I’m excited about that. We’re headed towards our second year. Time to stop preaching to the choir and take it from the screens to the streets.
Tomorrow I’ll be talking about the Black Elite Establishment’s unconditional support of Bob Johnson’s plans to launch BET II. It is a classic case of the American Afristocrisy throwing the huddled masses under the boat for a two piece and a bisquit. If you are going to sell your soul, you ought to at least demand something more than a value meal in return.
**Afristocracy is my new word for 2009. I didn’t make it up. I think it was Al who came up with that gem
So what are your social media-related plans for the new year?
16 comments ↓
Our (my wife and I) plan is to take our site (Blackandmarriedwithkids.com) to an entirely different level after an amazingly successful first year that included web awards, local and national radio and an AP feature. We’ve started adding more contributors, more video content and are syndicating posts to some larger, well established sites.
We’re also launching a national campaign that we’ll be realeasing info on within the next 2-3 weeks. So we’re very excited.
Plus we’ll be attending BWB to cement more connects with our fellow black bloggers of course.
I’m looking forward to integrating Twitter and other micro-blogging tools. I’m attending MacWorld so we’ll see what’s poppin’. I also just want to be a consistent writer and build my blog.
I decided to stop beating around the bush and post what I believe on my most recent post HERe. I realize I can’t work on it unless I get feedback, comments, suggestions, etc.
I also decided to strike out on my own and use my talents full-time. I’ll be designing websites and doing custom WordPress themes.
I plan on being chill. My quandary was that I have a great day job and I don’t want to leave it. It’s what I have wanted to do since I graduated high school. I was trying to be superwoman with my blogging but it became a hassle. I am just going to write when it comes and chill when I need to think. I will continue to work on my hip hop blog because female voices need to be heard. I am going to keep on blogging about my napptural journey, politics, race relations and even my own experience as a mom of two biracial boys in an IR relationship. It seems to be of interest to people so I will carve my niche. Writing is my mistress lol. I will shut down the beatniks and see about moving happy nappy head from blogger to that account. I just love to write or I would go insane!
Thanks Gina for the updates. I love the Mrs. O site. I am still going to visit it.
Last night I launched the 2009 season for BAP Living Radio on Talkshoe.com (www.talkshoe.com/tc/18598) with a show that discussed “Soulful Living: Wisdom on How to Live Your Best Life in 2009.” Dr. Anita Davis DeFoe, an author and entrepreneur, was interviewed about her book A Woman’s Guide to Soulful Living. For more information about Dr. DeFoe, visit http://www.dranitadavisdefoe.com/home.html.
This year BAP Living Radio is trying out a new format with several special episodes in January, February, and March. Below is information about the January shows.
1) January 8 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm EST - The theme is “Yes We Did Elect President Obama: What’s Next Black Women?.” The guest is Delores Rozier, an executive coach and campaign volunteer for President-Elect Obama in South Carolina.
2) January 28 from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm EST - The theme is “The Sweet Spot of Sisterhood.” The guests are Toni Dunton-Butler, CEO of A Silver Thread, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in organizational development and executive coaching with an emphasis on the spiritual development of women of color, and Reverend Ruth Littlejohn, a consultant, coach, speaker, and diversity practitioner. Littlejohn’s consulting practice, Working Life & Teams, Inc., helps organizations navigate change, enlist employees in their organizational goals, facilitate leadership development, and improve decision-making and communication skills. For more information, contact Toni Dunton-Butler at underthemoon@comcast.net and Reverend Ruth Littlejohn at http://www.ruthlittlejohn.com.
About BAP Living Radio:
BAP Living Radio affirms the lives of women of African descent who self-identify as Black American Princesses (BAPs) and educated Black women (EBW). BAP Living Radio features programs abdout self-love, self-care, spirituality, health, finances, politics, beauty, fashion, art, music, culture, films, education, community service, creativity, fitness, entrepreneurialism, and more.
BAP Living Radio supports the following BAP Living social media projects:
1) BAP Living social networking site - http://baplivingforbapsandebw.ning.com
2) BAP Living Facebook Group - http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=712231678
3) BAP Living Myspace Group - http://groups.myspace.com/bapliving
For the record, I didn’t come up with the word “Afristocracy”. Michael Eric Dyson used it in his Anti-Cosby book. He used it as a label to slap on middle class black folks who shared Cosby’s sentiments which Dyson characterized as “battering poor black people.” After reading Dyson’s comments, it became clear to me that he had no clue about what he was talking about, and that he had misapplied the term. It was clear to me that Dyson’s “Afristocracy” was not “aristocratic” in any way shape or form. This led me to realize that he, like many other intellectuals and leaders of the Civil Rights Industy were out of touch with the day to day experiences of the average black person, especially the black middle class. This social strata, many of them at least, live lives characterized by careful budgeting, and in some cases, pinch pennies to get along. This is hardly the life of an aristocrat. Furthermore, those of us who do possess that Cosby-like angst towards the “lower tier” possess such feelings because of an intimate familiarity with the tyranny of ghetto culture - something that the Sharptons, Jacksons, and Dysons obviously lack. We have either grown up in such places or, like many middle class black neighborhoods, live just a stone’s throw away from the hood. In this case, we are subjected to occasional incursions from the Devonte’s, Jayquan’s, and Shaquanitas whether it be breaking into our homes or watching them terrorize black folks who choose not to sport finger waves and gold “teef”.
My point is that the only folks who live as an aristocracy are wealthy black folks and the elite of the civil rights industry. Furthermore, they (the Civil Rights Industry Robber Barons) too share the same “oblivious and out of touch” psychology that one sees amongst aristocrats and well heeled elites in an unfair social structure just before it is overthrown (See Marie Antionette). My realization at the growing wealth of the likes of the Jackson family, the financial spat between the King children, and Dyson’s amazing ability to brandish a point of view that, in no way matches the ideas and values of the average black person has led me to correct him and reassert the true meaning of the term. So if you are to give credit for the term, Dyson derserves it. All I did was correct him.
I love the word for the year. Can’t wait to read that post.
Afristocrazee - the new bling champagne to be distributed by Jay-Z.
I am in the process of customizing my blog and upgrading and expanding my podcast. The podcast, Kitchen Talk: Intelligent Talk for Intelligent Women is produced in conjunction with my blog and features interviews with black women from all walks of life. I hope to have some interesting interviewees and set it up to be able to put out regular episodes, at least two a month. I also contemplated creating a separate platform for the podcast. But I may just keep everything on the same platform.
I also set up a Myspace page and a channel on YouTube for the podcast. On YouTube I will post promotional videos for my podcast so more people can know about it. The podcast is also on iTunes. I’m in the process of setting up a channel on Odeo.
I upgraded to Sony Sound Forge audio editing software (a Christmas gift from Mama). I want Adobe Audition, but it is currently not in the budget. Maybe next year.
I’m excited to announce that Her Journey Magazine just rolled out the Her Journey blog (http://www.herjourneymag.com ),
in which we’ll be featuring other blogs in between our quarterly issues. We would love to feature What About Our Daughters in a future posting!
i’m continuing my campaign to bring natural haircare tips to black women who don’t want to straighten or relax their hair. (check it out at http://blackgirllonghair.blogspot.com)
a lot of similar blogs are popping up all over the place, which i think is good, because lord knows that natural women need the resource.
i’ve been thinking about buying my own domain name, and turning BGLH into a http://www.theroot.com style blog.
Thanks for the shout out Gina.
I don’t have a blog. I don’t have the desire to start one…but I am an almost full time ’stalker’ and/or commentator on many.
Keep up the good work everyone!
My New Year’s habit will be to get over here more often and see what you’ve got going on.
The “Afristocracy” has been added to my list - I was just thinking of a post on H.N.I.C.’s earler today.
Did some upgrades over at “Brown Man Thinking Hard” last month - right now it feels like a brand new car.
My theme for 2009 is “collaboration” - “integration” has taken us about as far as it can - and I refuse to let all this top shelf education I’ve got go to waste singing the same old song.
See you!!!
Brown Man
Hi Gina,
Love your blogs; just added the BWB banner to my site. In 2009 I’m going to transition my How to Pitch (interviews with journalists) and Test Drive My Job (interviews with marketing and PR pros) columns on Mopwater PR + Media Notes to webcasts and podcasts. Will probably keep the text versions that are currently on the site. Will hopefully add more multimedia and some targeted advertising to help grow Mopwater PR + Media Notes. Maybe I’ll get a chance to interview you for an upcoming segment. Definitely will see you at BWB in June. Keep up the good work!
Amanda Miller Littlejohn, Editor
Mopwater PR + Media Notes
http://www.millerlittlejohnmedia.com
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