Better yet, go learn to code and create stuff. Google search for “how to program” –> http://bit.ly/cUSPgD

Best to you.

Best to you.

Every large, global corporation has a digital communications division, in addition to a digital marketing division. Digital communications’ job is to communicate. Digital marketing’s job is to market.

It is evident that Gwen works in digital communications, if you read her bio and research her position. I also work in digital communications/social media. We work to “humanize” the brands we work for, engage with customers, build relationships and ideally create a sense of trust between brand and consumer. Everything we do in the space involves NON-PAID content and communications. We are hired by companies because we are good communicators, great networkers and we know how to develop relationships with people. Basically, our job in social media is to be “social”. We also work hard to strengthen those online conversations by taking them offline and turning them into solid relationships with customers. This is why we invite bloggers to events we sponsor, such as Steve Harvey and Essence Music Festival events Gwen mentioned, and why we speak at conventions and such. We do NOT touch online ad placements or revenue-generating projects with bloggers. That is the job of digital marketing and digital marketing only. To simplify: corporate communications/social media professionals spend their day being “social”.

Conversely, digital marketing spends their entire day working to place ads with online media, including blogs, websites and web magazines. They develop ads for mobile applications, websites and blogs. Again, their job is to market their brand on websites, thus providing ad placements and helping site owners to generate revenue for their blogs. They are hired because they are good marketers, and they know how to sell their brand to consumers and online influencers. They do not work to “humanize” their brands, as the communications folks do, or invite bloggers out with the intention of cultivating relationships with them. That is the job of digital communications and digital communications only. To simplify: marketing spends their day selling the product however they can.

Lacie and Pawnye West, I would advise you to seek out the digital marketing departments of the companies you are interested in working with, if you are wishing to seek ad placement and other ways to generate revenue for your blogs. You will never get anywhere by seeking out ad placements from digital communications professionals. We will provide you with products we sell and build a relationship with you. We may even allow you to keep our products, but again, everything we do is NON-paid, which seems to be where your frustrations, and confusion, lies.

As a Hispanic-American, I often get the same backlash from Hispanic bloggers harshly questioning why I, personally, do not work to provide them with ad placements that will generate revenue for their blogs. However, that is not my job, and it’s clearly not Gwen’s job either, if you read her bio thoroughly and do not assume she is responsible for marketing duties. It seems I am incessantly defending myself to my people and explaining that I am not a part of the marketing department, and therefore cannot help them in that area. It is nice to know I’m not the only one battling this struggle, yet disheartening to see another corporate professional having to deal with this sort of thing.

Not to say that any of this is Gwen's fault, but I hope and pray she’s a champion of black blogs, in particular as it relates to Ad Dollars.

What I do see in Gwen Peake is a woman who's earned her opportunity at a mainstream corp and folks tearing her down before she gets started. She's not the CEO and she's not the go-to spokesperson for black/ethnic digeratti. @Lacie, make your voice heard beyond dumping on folks randomly.

As a black blogger, no one owes me anything but a fair opportunity to consider my competence. All i fight for is to see black folks taken seriously as human beings and as professionals. but it's up to us to be as professional as possible and show our humanity. In short: “show me the door, don't block the door and i'll figure out how to get thru it.”

My message to all would be to try before you fry. Don't rip folks apart when yo haven't done your due diligence and don't have any proof of actual injustice.

It seems that a continuous problem with us (black folks) is that we are always looking to stand on the shoulders of another black person who has seemingly “made it” without doing any of the legwork ourselves. And if that person can't give us all what we want all the time, they aren't “keeping it real” or they are reduced to being a “sell out”. I, for one, am proud to see a sister in a position of power at a Fortune 10 company.

I have to disagree with your comments about Gwen being a “pawn for the white man”, when the comments you make sound as if you suffer from the “crabs in the barrel” mentality. I am pretty positive this young woman was not brought on board at Ford simply because she is black – they do have a multicultural marketing department for that, you know. Or did you submit a proposal that got rejected? Somebody sounds bitter.

Let's not forget, she's one person amongst a 500,000+ employee company. She's not the CEO or Chairman of the Board, you know. There are channels one must swim through in order to get things taken care of. Heck, even the CEO needs approval from the Board of Directors. Ford isn't some little fly-by-night company where people can just say “I feel like playing the female version of Al Sharpton today” and suddenly all the black folks in the world are getting cars and singing Kumbaya.

Instead of trying to break her down, why don't you help her out? Let's be reasonable: her focus cannot be 100% black, 100% of the time, lest she get canned for not focusing on the bigger picture: ALL PEOPLE. Then what would you be complaining about? Something else, I'm certain. In my opinion, she has done quite a bit in a very short period of time. Again, what have YOU done? I doubt that her job description calls for her to play the 2010 version of Angela Davis at Ford.

It seems to me that this woman has a hell of a career, and a burgeoning one at that. Let's be proud of the fact that we are now in a place in this country where black folks can hold down positions of power at global corporations, let alone a woman of color in a position of power. Let's celebrate the fact that this woman was probably one amongst hundreds who were considered for her job, yet shined through the masses.

I'd like to say, Go Gwen! Keep doing what you are doing, Sister! And Lacie, chill out or better yet write a better proposal next time. Who knows, Gwen may approve it. But it I were her, I'd tell you to kick rocks.

I'm sure you'll have some kind of come back to try and justify your comments or call me a sell out too, Lacie, but it sounds like you're plain old “hatin'” to me.