“Id just like to see a more balanced approach sometimes because programs like this have worked for some and not for so many others (i do agree that its a free marketing approach from the initiator). I was just commenting that the approach and forum of choice should be handled professionally and without emotion (blogs like this seem to be the way to go to initiate opinion but they could be more balanced sometimes)”

— Blogs like this if full of seasoned and very knowledgeable African American publishers. These publishers are trying to not only warn they online collegues but up and comers who also frequent this site. No one is dropping knowledge to the Black online publishers/bloggers and most of the time they keep getting burned by programs like this.

Examples:
Essence:
Claim: Claimed the bloggers will get their content on their site when they joined their network.
What Happened: The content was put on a fake, no traffic Essence ad site – that didn't benefit them and on top of that took forever to pay their publishers.

Amber/Honey Magazine:
Ambermag.com
Claim: Join their A-List publishers and they will help you get visibility and ads.
What is happening: Amber is the lowest traffic site like Honeymag.com but they are using Black women for content and they're page impressions and traffic to help them get a bigger ad buy for them selves and help drive their traffic to their no traffic site.

Honeymag.com
Claim: Come blog for them and you will be able to get in front of their supposed “1 Million” database of Honey readers. Honey gets under 6K visits per month and doesn't even come up on quantcast.com. So, again people are blogging and posting blogs on their site because of the brand's legacy and nothing else. The bloggers and others will not get any traffic from them cause they have none. And they are not even leveraging their old Honey in it's hey day database – cause that database is nothing new and fresh and it's not emails – it's addresses – so they are would have to do a direct mail campaign.

Glam's Blacklife: Another place where they are using small black women publishers to get a bigger black ad buy – these sites are not growing they just get their content on BlackLife and Glam gets to claim they reach a certain amount of Black women when they are talking to agencies – when they truly are not.

I could go on and on… but I am not…

Interactive One and it's properties are content and traffic hungry and they realize they are new to the online game so they are trying to get to the underdogs and use them on their way up and drop no cash while doing it. Smart – but shady and we are and this is the place to let them know.

So I applaud Dede, GIna, Liz and Black Web for speaking up!

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“I just want to see the black sector advance but the way that so many people act in terms of wanting to cripple or materially hurt a business model before they even take off — its sickening to watch (most of the ranters havent attained wealth themselves or dont have real industry experience which puts a cherry on top of the irony in the posts — and just and fyi before you get all ruffled…not talking to you directly there).”

—- Do you think they care about you or your site. NO. And no one is trying to “cripple” them – they need to grow up and use their funds and time to create a smarter plan and create their own content before they try using a naive blogger/publisher for their fresh ideas and drive.

————————

“At the end of the day, the program is a BS advanced reciprocal link model….for a small percentage it could be a win/win.”

– Read the letter or contact them. It's more than a link exchange – they want your content and push their site on your site. That's not only free advertising but free content – they is no win win for a up and coming site that already has NO money. If interactive one cared they would pay to play.

Again – im with you and all the posts here. But I think just like eating at a restaurant – everyone will walk away with a different experience and its worth hearing a lot of opinions before tangenting off into the sunset to form a lynch mob. I just want to see the black sector advance but the way that so many people act in terms of wanting to cripple or materially hurt a business model before they even take off — its sickening to watch (most of the ranters havent attained wealth themselves or dont have real industry experience which puts a cherry on top of the irony in the posts — and just and fyi before you get all ruffled…not talking to you directly there). Although I don't agree with some of RadioOnes decisions, they are a black owned, operated, and controlled company and helped to pave the way for a lot of us in terms of marketing the black opportunity to major advertisers via their radio business in its hey day. That work has lasting impressions which helps us all. At the end of the day, the program is a BS advanced reciprocal link model….for a small percentage it could be a win/win.

No harm meant. Hope to break bread with you at the conference.

I haven't said anything damaging to anyone other than someone attempting to exploit Black bloggers. And yes, that is foolishness. But thanks for the law school lecture.

At the end of the day the program will work for some and not for others

Lets do it! You know I don't have a problem pointing out FOOLISHNESS! You can be the opening speaker at Blogging While Brown and speak about the scourge that is besetting us. they don't have a choice but to try to make us their sharecroppers because they don't have the “mentality” to do what it takes to build an online audience independent of the overflow being driven from the old media properties.

BlackWeb20 – Article to refresh one's memory; http://123url.us/V12 (——

It's quite simple…
- If you need traffic…market your website yourself via a combination of keyword and low cost marketing channels (ie an ad network that focuses on the audience you want to reach, or even contact some sites directly). Those without funding and still working full time jobs should set aside a small budget to test different marketing channels
- If you have a quality audience and need ad representation or fill….go with a network and/or rep firm (a more established means of filling volume that has been around much longer than the internet and exists in every medium). At least this way us planner/buyers can become aware of your site and at least put you on the the radar because we really don't have time to chat with publishers with small reach no matter how aesthetically pleasing your website is.
- Network, Network: It's hard to link-share with the big bloggers and websites but everyone has to start somewhere. Link share with people on your level and it will probably work out overtime.
- Don't participate in content snatch programs like the one mentioned above in exchange for creating branding for the aggregator (if they want a fixed logo on your site…make them pay for it as an advertiser)