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Hip-Hop 2.0: XXL To Launch A Social Network

Wed, Oct 17, 2007

Category: Celeb 2.0, Launches, News, Social Networking

With AllHipHop boasting one of the largest online hip-hop communities, because of the activity in its forums, I kind of expected that the online publisher would be the first out of the gate to launch a social network. And while there are may other hip-hop related social networks out there (many of which I’ll be writing about in future posts), there are none currently piggybacking off of a major media company (if you can call Harris major).

In that regard, this is going to be a good move for XXL, especially if both the timing and the feature set are all correct. Timing could be kind of tricky, as the target market may already be experiencing social networking fatigue. And considering the fact that hip-hop fans are some of the hardest to please, if what XXL produces can’t contend with the likes of MySpace or Facebook, it’s not going to get any dap.

From Crain’s today:

“Within the next month, Harris will go live with the Web site XXLBlocktalk.com, where members can post their own blogs and profiles, and view videos of artists interviewed in the magazine. Executive Publisher Jonathan Rheingold says the social networking site will give members the chance to connect with “the global hip-hop community.”"

XXL Block Talk

On the ability to connect with agencies and marketers, Harris is taking a page out of CurrentTV’s handbook, and putting the power of advertising in the palms of the users’ hands.

“The company has partnered with apparel maker K-Swiss, whose ads will appear throughout the site. Harris will also run promotions in which members create their own ads using music from five emerging artists, including Ivy League-educated Chicago rapper Naledge, who have signed on to help promote the program.”

It’s really beginning to feel like 2000-2001 all over again. While there’s a lot of activity in the Web 2.0 space, particularly in the social networking arena, there’s talk of an impending Web 2.0 bubble. But you’ve heard about all of that already, haven’t you?

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This post was written by:

Lynne d Johnson - who has written 25 posts on Black Web 2.0.

Lynne d Johnson is the Director, Social Media for FastCompany.com, a leading website and community for people passionate about business ideas that also offers the complete content of Fast Company magazine. She also writes Digital Media Diva, a technology blog following web, media, and consumer trends for FastCompany.com, and has also recently contributed to TheDailyVoice, techPresident, Black Web 2.0, and Rushmore Drive. As a consultant Lynne works with technology and Web clients in the areas of content, community, and brand strategy. Lynne also serves on the Board of Directors of the Literary Freedom Project, a nonprofit arts organization, which seeks to empower communities of color through literature, creative thinking, and new media. Prior to joining Fast Company, she was the General Manager, New Media for VIBE, SPIN, and VIBE Vixen where she she managed marketing, editorial, production, business development, and sales operations for the magazines’ websites and mobile properties. Her personal blog, Lynne d Johnson || music, media, my life, which launched in July 2001, is the recipient of the 2006 Black Weblog Awards Black Blogger Achievement Award.

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  • I love the design!

    A big test for the site will be luring artists' marketing efforts away from MySpace and on to Block Talk. If they can trick celebrities into creating free content for them, the site will take off. If they can't, then the place will be just another message board with extra features.
  • Hashim,

    I agree with you. Design (A). The trick with the content though is that MySpace, BlackPlanet, Eventful, and others already have artists pages. Even the music industry has gotten hip to building social networks around their artists. And then Vibe, with Vibe Verses (powered by Kickapps) has already shown the power of user-generated music content. I think the success for XXL with this will come in two ways:

    1. Not having the social network eclipse the published content. If in fact the impetus for building this SN is because magazine sales are sliding, then you want to bring more readers to your content -- not just create a place for them to post photos and videos of themselves. You want the users interacting with your content more. So the trick is to have the publishing content and social networking content feed off of one another and feed one another.

    2. The second part of the equation will be for XXL to get ad dollars not only on the strength of user generated ads, but on how those ads perform for the client. I think the performance can't rest solely on it's user generated burn. I'm picturing, similar to Current, users creating, voting, and commenting on - but on how the advertising works in traditional publishing models. (I don't mean print when I say traditional, I mean the traditional publishing site.)

    It just seems everyone is launching an SN nowadays, but no one knows how to make those SNs successful (when they are a traditional media company) in terms of bringing the SN and the site's current platform together. Some sites have abandoned their SN efforts altogether (like Oxygen) for lack of bringing the two services together under one platform. That's going to be the trick for a lot of companies nowadays, not just XXL.

    If you want to sell your magazine, your content, your site -- and your only solution is to build a social network, well then you better either be ready for the SN to replace what you already have or figure out a way to tie them all together.

    No easy feat of course.
  • blackweb20
    "If you want to sell your magazine, your content, your site — and your only solution is to build a social network, well then you better either be ready for the SN to replace what you already have or figure out a way to tie them all together."

    I agree Lynne, so far there have not been many (if any) examples of print publications transitioning into the "web 2.0" or social networking space successfully. Publications (print and online) are fortunate to have no lack of content and a grasp on editorial (naturally), the SN/user-generated-content/web 2.0 arena though not so much. Which I think is fine, I don't expect publications to be masters of this domain. In fact, I think a joint venture with a company who does master "web 2.0" is more the direction publications should be turning.

    @Dara: I agree, I think Janet Jackson did something similar not to long ago with allowing fans and users on her site to design her album cover.

    @Hashim: I love the design as well, very clean.
  • I doubt this will fly. Having worked at XXL way in the beginning, I've got some experience with Harris Publications. To the degree that this could possibly become successful, it will take much longer than the publisher will invest to attract web-savvy hiphop heads away from MySpace. Just like Scratch magazine (rest in peace), or even Honey, which Harris sold before it reached its potential, XXLBlockTalk will probably fold before building the momentum it needs. They'll need to be around for the long haul, and I predict they give up first.
  • "If you want to sell your magazine, your content, your site — and your only solution is to build a social network, well then you better either be ready for the SN to replace what you already have or figure out a way to tie them all together."

    That was the first thing that seemed strange to me. Why is Block Talk a separate site? Perhaps they should keep the news on XXL, and move the bloggers to Block Talk to spark convo and activity there.

    About social network fatigue - the biggest reason I personally won't be using Block Talk is because I'm already tied to Facebook and MySpace. Perhaps Block Talk should abandon the "general purpose" model and follow the example of Vibe Verses, which is only a video sharing contest.
  • I'm glad you brought up Vibe Verses Hashim. I want to do a study of what Vibe did with that program. Coming soon.
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