DO support black business!
DO support black websites!
DON'T forget you are black!
DON'T forget to help close the digital divide!

Hello,

I am about to launch a "Black/African - American" mentioned in the title website. I'd like to have this same discussion with you in about three months, about why you feel that it shouldn't be mentioned. The point of my website is to recognize the value that our entrepreneurial creativity as African-Americans has always brought to the table in America.

I am also curious as to whether you would write this same article for the Asian, Indian, Hispanic, Jewish community; that seems to have no problem with claiming and representing their own directly in the title of their ventures ... on a regular basis? A quick Google search shows a number of websites out there with different ethnic groups mentioned, "in the title".

Note: I am not in any way offended by your article, because case in point ... just 1 - 2 years ago, or in a whole lot of people's life times, America(ns) didn't think we were quite ready for a "Black" President. But ... of course many Americans were making that assumption from what we experienced in our past.

We as Black People seem to be the only race that has a challenging time with accepting and stating directly who we are, not black/white people, but black/black of African Descent people. Maybe that's why are Black community has been so easily destroyed, time and time again.

Is it because that in our history we were once property and were not allowed to have self identity and not allowed to keep our original "African" ancestral names? So then when we say "Black" or "African-American", we have to feel that we are a part of another ethnic group instead of showcasing our own within the title context of what we do, and then bringing people to the table based upon our strengths as a people? Where would this country have been with out Black and African-American? Us ... out of all of the ethnic groups that are here?

Note: I am ready to do business with everyone, and I thank God for the fact that I have, and have had, a very diverse and established, grass roots to corporate network of people that see that money and opportunity supersede how I choose to label what I bring them to the table. I could have chosen to put, "crazy pink flying elephants" in the website title and if it sales, or in a lot of cases; sounds like a solid business plan, they will invest. At least that has been my personal experience.

Again, I ask, would you write this same article for people in other ethnic groups and if you have, please email me a copy of the article.

Feel free to email me directly, if you would like to continue the conversation sooner than in the next 3 months.

Thanks!

- Nikki

@Nikki I think you're referring to this quote "There are very few sites where it makes sense to black in the title and nothing is worse than a site that tries to make everything about itself black."

I believe the point here is that giving your site a black name does not make it black and doesn't make it useful to the black community. Calling it black just for the sake of doing so, just to get attention from the black community, is unnecessary and borderline disrespectful.

I don't think it has anything to do with trying to "self identify". Every black site just doesn't need "black" or "african-american" in the title just like every technology site doesn't need "tech" in the title.

Hello Rasheen,

Thank you for responding!

That would have been my conclusion, if that was the only thing that was said in that particular paragraph, or in the article as a whole.

Note: If you take anything from what I say here, please take that I am interested in helping to create a level playing field. I am interested in the means, method, and the message ... and the freedom to reach the Black/African-American community in a way that helps us to move forward. Because thus far, in a lot of ways, we are still far behind. Especially in the area of Technology.

With that said ...

How does one in a subtle way target black people, and why would one do that, if that is indeed your target market/audience? That goes against Marketing 101. This was one of the statements made; that made me wonder. Because something, or a whole lot of somethings would have to indicate who the targeted audience is, especially if you are talking SEO, which if I understand correctly, a black person in an image alone can't be picked up by a search engine, where in the meta data, or other key words within the website can be? Please correct me if I am wrong here.

The whole paragraph that Jade wrote was:

"Be subtle. There are very few sites where it makes sense to have black in the title and nothing is worse than a site that tries to make everything about itself black. That is just not how the world is for anyone, including black people. If you are targeting black people as your primary audience, there are much more subtle ways to do it. Something as simple as featuring images of black people on the homepage or having black-focused advertisements can differentiate your site from a non-black focused site."

Note: This paragraph, along with the rest of what was mentioned in the article, definitely made me wonder the entire premise for writing the article.

Usually the biggest test that one can do to see if something is "segregating " or "discriminating" is to ask whether you would do, say, or make available the same things to another group or an individual. Or, is that other group or individual free to do the exact same things as the other without fear of harmful retaliation, simply based upon their ethnic group, sex, gender, preferences etc.

If I were making a website for the Hispanic Community, I would make it specifically focus on that community, in as many ways possible; and then indicate in that website how other groups can plug into the website, if they so chose to.

Lastly, my example in my original response was me asking whether this same article could/would be written for another ethnic group. Better still, could you imagine someone who is actually a member of one of the other ethnic groups that I mentioned, themselves writing the same type of article to/for their community.

For instance a Jewish person saying, "be subtle in reaching other Jewish people"????

Or someone who is considered to be a general member of the caucasian/white community saying, "Be subtle in reaching other caucasion people if that is your target."

Again, I am not offended. Instead, my hope is that we are checking are reasoning and whether it is actually based upon what everyone group/community should feel free to do; if they so choose; to the benefit of their own community; as long as you are not preventing others from having access without fear of harmful retaliation.

Thanks!

- Nikki

Interesting discussion. I get and understand both sides of this argument.

Nikki's statement: "How does one in a subtle way target black people, and why would one do that, if that is indeed your target market/audience? That goes against Marketing 101."

Me: There are lots of successful sites and blogs targeting AA/Black people and not stating it in their titles or website domains. Take Essence, Bossip, and so many more. As for SEO, you can place meta tags or just the type of people/content you cover will help search engines figure out your audience (If you have a SEO consultant they can give you tips) and help pick targeted keywords for your site.

I think the way you target the audience that you would like to reach is create the right content, visuals and experience and if the content is good and relevant - the power of word of mouth, link love and press will work for you.

Also, we are at a point - were we don't really have to use "Black" in our titles. But, you can if you like, but you don't have too to in order to reach the Black audience.

I think we had to establish ourselves (in the beginning) online using "Black"1234.com" type of sites, when there wasn't a lot of us online and we didn't really have a voice. But, we have a very strong presence online now and we are now getting to a place where we don't have to state who we are in the title.

As for me, I clearly targeted AA/Black women and I chose Clutch due to my love for the bag and my Mommy's love for them when I was younger. When someone lands on my site they know it's for Black women - no questions asked. As for me, I can't think of one site I frequent beside Black Web 2.0 and Black Voices that uses Black in the title. And the reasoning for my visits here is my relationships with the staff and that it isn't ANY other tech websites that cover social media for AA/Black folk but this site. And for "Black Voices" they have been online since the beginning of online and at one time that was one of the ONLY sites for us online.

So, I guess it just depends on what you are offering and what your site is about. If it's something fresh and new and hasn't been done before in our demo then the "Black" may be needed. I guess my point is no one has to use Black in order to reach Black people. If you are doing great things we will find you. Just my little opinion.

Nikki - I am sure you will be fine and best of luck :)

Hi Nikki,

I don't think that black/african-american shouldn't ever be mentioned in the title. That also means it shouldn't always be mentioned. I was specifically thinking about the myriad of sites that are sent to me that offer a subpar product that is labeled black. Sites need to work on making things relevant with content or technology that the community needs or wants. A label isn't enough. As for other ethnicities, I think you will find many sites, just like in the black community, that mention the ethnicity by name or imply it by other means. The site you linked to (http://sociosync.com/) is a good example of a site that isn't title black/african-american xyz, doesn't have the subsections as black/african-american xyz but is still very clearly targeting that audience.

As for subtleness and pictures, make sure you have a good SEO consultant to help with your alt tags and meta data. There are tons of ways to be subtle and still practices good SEO and still target your target audience. Still, not every black site is meant to be subtle. If that's not what you're doing, it's not what you're doing.

I think the internet is a wonderful tool that can showcase what it means to be black and the diversity of our community and to connect with each other based on similar interest etc.

Good luck with your endeavor. Go with what works for your site, follow your gut and stay true to yourself and your vision.

Hello Jade,

Thank you also for responding. "Keep On Keepin' On" as well. You and your team are doing good work here with Black Web 2.0.

P.S. With SocioSync, I have several versions of the name registered, including BlackSocioSync.Com. African - American is also mentioned in the title bar, on various pages of the website, depending on which browser you are using; Internet Explorer or FireFox.

The website has not officially launched as of yet, and note: I am taking in all of the thoughts and opinions I get as a part of the pre-launch/launching process ... from here on this website, and from my advisory team, and others; before official launch. But do not plan to go too far away from home, e.g. keeping it as Black/African-American as possible.

Thank you again and well wishes to you also!

- Nikki

Do you really want "blackness" to be any more of a commodity than it is? Or, do we want to say that the web is a tool to encourage and enable people to be all they can be?

I agree with the author in terms of not creating sites simply to appeal to "blackness." It's not enough. Until "blackness" becomes the commodity, there's no point making it the mainstay of your on-line effort. Rather, it makes more sense to focus on your message. The fact that it may appeal to a black audience is a benefit, maybe it's the primary benefit, but that should not detract from doing the best you can to present a workable interface.

The horrific (er...graphic designer-led...) stuff you see on FaceBook and Hip Hop sites may work for youngsters, but when professionals want to get information, they turn to well-designed sites that don't scream ethnicity as the primary focus. If anything, the site soothingly states "We want your business and here's how we will help you get what YOU want easily, with as few clicks as possible." Case in point: the redesign of the National Bar Association [nationalbar.org], which has gotten rid of (most of) that awful Java interface and now has a much better new look.

The beauty of the web is that resources cannot be *denied* based solely on the color of your skin. What you do from there is limited only by your imagination. Who could ask for more than that?!

Frankly, I believe that blackness is just one visual interface that we have with the world as humans. People who insist that it be the ONLY interface seem, to me, to be attempting to force limitations on others out of their own feelings of insecurity. This is hardly an efficient path to freedom for people of color to be able to pursue their dreams about whatever makes them happy.

Forcing the web to react to the concept of "blackness" is taking a huge step back into the most unhappy part of our diaspora history.

To do so is really to cater to a uniquely American concept that is based on the proposition that skin color is the defining characteristic we need to know before dealing with another human being, thus necessitating it's injection into the digital world.

In cyberspace, the point isn't that no one know you're black. The point is that if no one knows you're there, you're not going to sell anything, whether it be an idea or a product. The author's point is that simply putting "black" in the title isn't going to do the trick. Clearly, she doesn't think that one shouldn't put black in the title. "Black Web 2.0" Hello??!!

The important thing is to strive for an Apple-level user interface for whatever you're trying to share or sell, and then work hard to make sure that people know about you through social networking.

I purposefully put my picture on the web. Anyone who wants to find out will know I'm black. Sure, it might cause some people to turn away, but that doesn't matter, because the world is large.

And, THAT is the point. Most of my sites have nothing to do with "blackness," and everything to do with *ideas* that I hope people might find interesting. Some do, but it's not enough. The content has to be there and the tools have to be as close to best of breed as possible, because that is a foundation of trust on the web.

That's because cyberspace is a method of communication for ideas, data and information. That's it, that's all. So, in using the wonderful tools that Web 2.0 [social] applications give us, we increase are ability to send the message effectively and efficiently. I'm a lawyer, but I still use LegalZoom, because it does what i need it to do for a price that increased the value of my time. And, that's not a paid endorsement, it's fact. Would I have felt warm and fuzzy if Legal Zoom were a black-owned company? Absolutely, but until there is one, I'm a satisfied customer for two reasons: 1) I learned from their process how to get it right and 2) they got it right.

Thus, I disagree with author on her point that black users are a few years behind when it comes to using Web 2.0 interfaces. There's no evidence to support that. The fact is surely that black folks the WORLD OVER are using Web 2.0 all the time, from AOL, TV One, Hip Hop and sports sites, the New York Times, Black Enterprise, Kabissa, Kiva, this blog ALL use Web 2.0 technologies to achieve a purpose. The Web 2.0 Master Blaster? Barack Obama, who has set a new standard for creative and pervasive use of the core of Web 2.0, which is the social networking piece.

So, no, the web isn't the place to discover you're black. It's the place to use your "blackness" as just one of your many assets.

The problem is that many black sites have fallen victim to the idea of "good enough" with poor communication design, "good enough" with static content using out-dated technology and "good enough" with HTML that looks like it was done for a 3rd grade project because it was written 10 years ago with FrontPage [ using "attractive" eye-catchers like blinking text ].

The point of Black Web 2.0, which I applaud, is that it provides me with a one-stop shop for the activities of my colleagues in web development who might not get exposure elsewhere. Specific purpose, excellent execution. That is what makes it worth coming back to. And, as it evolves, I'm sure it will become a weekly reading resource for people of all backgrounds and ethnicities, none of which detracts from it's mission.

Regina thanks for leaving your perspective! :)

"The point of Black Web 2.0, which I applaud, is that it provides me with a one-stop shop for the activities of my colleagues in web development who might not get exposure elsewhere. Specific purpose, excellent execution. That is what makes it worth coming back to. And, as it evolves, I’m sure it will become a weekly reading resource for people of all backgrounds and ethnicities, none of which detracts from it’s mission."

Thank you so much for the kind words also, this is exactly what we strive for!