Black Web 2.0

It seemed as if the only way to get your face/content on the Tube was to either live in Los Angeles, join the cast of a reality TV show, or know someone in the industry, but as the popularity of online video increases (up 66% over last year according to ComScore) the more people are opting to forgo conventional methods, and creating an online viewership. This phenomenon has become especially important in the black community where TV and Film executives are still having difficulty funding black content, despite that fact that Mara Brock Akil, John Singleton, Spike Lee, Tyler Perry and many others have proven and continue to prove that there is a market and demand for it. Now today’s aspiring black video producers can bypass the network executive approval process with tools and video distribution platforms at their disposal. Producers have complete creative freedom, allowing the success of their content to be determine by the people instead of executives.

Here are just a few people making waves using video distribution platforms.

Andre Meadow, the self proclaimed “Black Nerd” is just one of many Youtube members leveraging the platform to enhance his careers and express his ideas to the masses. (more…)

BlackBlogWatch is a very cool site I came across a little while ago. The site tracks black blogs via RSS feeds. We all know that there is a wealth of info…great info out there in the blogosphere. BlackBlogWatch helps you track that info and posts that relate to a specific Black Blog. It also makes it extremely easy (more…)

So if you haven’t heard yet Clutch Magazine is having their 1st Annual Blog Academy this summer. Along with others Black Web 2.0 will be partnering with Clutch to share social media tips on how you can succeed online in this Web 2.0 world. The academy will last for 2 months and will include how-to’s and advice. You can vote on what you want to learn over at Clutch. Oh I almost forgot the best part, It’s FREE!!!

WordPress released the latest version of the ever so popular blogging software. Wordpress 2.5 includes a completely redesigned backend, with a new user interface, a customizable dashboards, full screen writing, enhanced searching features and an auto suggesting tags feature. Wordpress 2.5 also includes multi-file uploading capabilities, for those image latent posts, and a new galleries feature which allows users to easily embedded photo galleries (thumbnails and captions) onto each page.

Check out the video below for details or visit the Wordpress Blog. (more…)

Shirley B. of Dallas, Texas is the winner of the 2008 Black Weblog Awards theme contest. Her theme’s inspiration was pulled from 1940s Russian propaganda. Here is a peak at what to expect: (more…)

Black Web 2.0 was recently ranked among top 6 blogs in the world by TLC Studio, a design studio that monitors and critics web 2.0 with special emphasis on Africa. The full list is as follows:

1. TechCrunch

2. ReadWriteWeb

3. Black Web 2.0
(more…)

I came across an interesting post yesterday at The Blogging Journalist about this list originally posted by The Guardian. Some rankings and listings are to be expected…some aren’t.

1. The Huffington Post
2. Boing Boing
3. TechCrunch
4. Kottke
5. Dooce
6. Perezhilton
7. Talking Points Memo
8. Icanhascheezburger
9. Beppe Grillo
10. Gawker
(more…)

Time Magazine lists the 50 best websites of 2007. Here are the top 10.

1. Mozy.com
2. StumbleUpon.com
3. Last.FM
4. Weebly.com
5. Etsy.com
6. Wotartist.com
7. Fatsecret.com
8. Netvibes.com
9. Chow.com
10. OhDontForget.com

No Facebook, No Digg, No Meebo.
See the full list and tell me what you think.

With citizen journalism taking mainstream news sources by storm the Black Blogosphere (AKA Afrosphere) is now more than ever a viable voice of black people. From fighting injustice to celebrating achievements, the Afrosphere is now as powerful as it has ever been. Enter the Blogging While Brown Conference (BWB). The BWB Conference gives bloggers of color the opportunity to share ideas, resources, and tools through a number of enlightening panels.

The Blogging While Brown Conference will take place in Atlanta, GA July 25-27, 2008. Early registration ends November 1, 2007! The first 100 people to sign up will receive a discounted registration price of $100. If your interested in registration, or for more information visit the Blogging While Brown Website.

Lots of microsites and online mini-branding campaigns going on in hip-hop right now. The most recent addition is Kanye West’s UniverseCity microsite. The site features his blog, music, videos, and appearances. Yes you heard right…Kanye’s blog. The other areas of the site are the typical fan-fare, though his blog I would say is the most interesting.

Kudos if it is actually him posting and not someone else (which I don’t doubt that it is him because it sounds like how he speaks). Younger generations are already technically savvy enough to engage in online activities such as blogging, lets hope Kanye’s blog can help his older fans to embrace a technology that many seem to be “standoffish” about.

Source:
Rocawear Lifestyle