Dominick Brady is an independent multi-platform journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He has spent the majority of his career working with online content on the web doing a number of things such as web design, radio documentary, audio and video features just to name a few. Check out some of his thoughts on online media, technology, and journalism.

BW20: What are some of the things you do in the online space?

DB: Online I do a few things:  In-depth feature articles and profiles in a narrative non-fiction style, for The Smoking Section; audio features and audio portraits for Baller’s Eve on East Village Radio; I recently completed an 8 part audio documentary series for Brooklyn Radio, I’ve blogged for CentricTV, Creative Loafing (an Atlanta alt-weekly) and VIMBY.com.  I’ve also done online video features for Creative Loafing.

BW20: What are some of the advantages and disadvantages to working with online media?

DB: I’ll start with the disadvantages.  I interned doing news spots at WCLK in Atlanta, GA. for the Reggie Gay Gospel show but I really got my feet wet producing content online. Working online often means working in niche content. For me this has been something to be mindful of when I’m pitching content to publications or channels of distribution with a broader audience.  Sometimes this can be easy to forget and editors won’t always remind you why a piece will not work.

BW20: What are your thoughts on how technology has affected journalism?

DB: It’s deepening our toolboxes.  This may sometimes bring up issues surrounding ethics– an example would be when to report and how to fact check breaking news. Is fact checking important with breaking news? Has handling this been redefined with social media? Why or why not? 

New possibilities in technology mean we have new ways to engage with and retain audiences.  What organizations are finding out is that each medium needs tailored content. It isn’t reasonable to push content from your website or blog to twitter without a customized tweet or to Facebook without customized layout and expect click-throughs.  Content producers also need to work hand in hand with development and content management teams. 

What device is your audience using to view your content?  What is the best delivery system for that?  Is your site optimized to adapt to the device, do you give the end user a choice on how they experience your site and content. Technology always brings as many potential questions as it does solutions.

BW20: Do you think that upcoming journalist almost have no choice but to be multimedia/digital journalist?

DB: Sure. If you graduated from a J-school or undergrad with a degree in communications you need to have multiple skill sets.  Writing, no matter what venue, will always be key.  Copy is king on radio, TV, print and online. You need to know how to code HTML and Cascading Style Sheets.  You should be learning HTML5 and CSS3.  If you can write either action scripts (will be less and less important as HTML5 continues to be adapted) and javascript programs for computer-based reporting you’ve made yourself more valuable. Skills in the areas of photography and videography are a plus and are simple to begin learning.  Using applications and platforms for content management systems (CMS) or image manipulation and creation like Photoshop, Illustrator and others can only help.  Being able to edit and capture both audio and video also are becoming increasingly important.  Life as a journalist is increasingly about living life as a freelancer–everyone is wearing several hats.  Be ready.

BW20: What new projects are you working on personally?

DB: I’m currently working on shooting a documentary called Headland & Delowe with two partners; Artemus Jenkins and Kamal Secret. The focus of the film is an in-depth look at Atlanta’s hip-hop scene from the late 1970s through the 1980s.

If you want to know how to build a start up, your best bet is to ask first place New York City Start Up Weekend winner, Cavaughn Noel. New York Start Up Weekend is an intense 54 hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of one weekend. Being one of the few black people to present, Cavaughn, with the help of his team, won with their mobile application Tagify.

Tagify crowd-sources your contact management across all the networks you already use. It allows you to search friends’ public tag cloud curated by all the people that know them best or create private tags that are just for you.

“I learned a lot at start up weekend and gained a lot of exposure, but it was my team that made it a good product to become first place,” says Cavaughn.

In the midst of all the excitement, Cavaughn closed out NYC Internet Week with his own launch party “Out of CTRL” for his new start up called UntappedNet, set to officially launch tomorrow afternoon. UntappedNet.com is a resource to find and learn about minority start ups. The content oriented site will feature businesses in the digital space owned by minorities and give the background of what is and does.

“It is a very simple solution to a simple issue which is exposure, says Cavaughn. UntappedNet.com will work to give visibility to minority businesses that exist, but others may not know about.”

UntappedNet.com works as an encyclopedia of talented entrepreneurs. Being a content based site, UntappedNet.com will get their material by owner’s submission of an application. If you are a minority that adds value to the entrepreneurial space, the site will provide instructions on how to apply, if accepted your business will then be featured on the site for anyone to view.

In addition to being the NYC Start Up winner and founder of UntappedNet.com, Cavaughn works with digital strategies and product development at IcyVisions LLC and is in the works of launching a technology blog called DigiDuels.com. The blog will center around the competiveness of the technology world. Comparing different products, DigiDuels.com will hash out which is the better app, gadget, etc on the market.

Cavaughn ‘s hardwork in the digital space has landed him much success thus far and even more to come in the future. Make sure to check out UntappedNet at www.untappednet.com launching tomorrow and DigiDuels at www.digiduels.com set to launch late summer.

Jabari Johnson wears many hats but overall has made a living from creating online content in the form of digital video. He knew he wanted to be an on air personality, but after auditioning and being denied by numerous networks, he decided to create his own show, which would later be named Jabari Presents.  

Jabari knew this is what he wanted to do, but realized it would be very difficult to get it on television, so he figured the next best thing was to put it on the web. Jabari Presents is a web series where Jabari documents and interviews entertainers from a different perspective. He didn’t want to do just your average sit down interview, but wanted to have the setting be original and capture the actual lifestyles of the people he spoke to. All episodes are posted only on the web and allow the audience to view each interview directly from the website and share with others via social networks.

Looking to expand, Jabari sent his show to BET to potentially pick up his web series for their network. Instead, BET later asked him to host a brand new web series they had created in hopes to reach their young audience online. Face to Face is very similar to Jabari Presents in that it is solely on the web and involves Jabari interviewing various talents from the entertainment industry.

Outside of these two big projects, Jabari also works in digital marketing at Capitol Records, a position he landed shortly after graduating from Howard University in 2009. He also works as a producer and director working with familiar artists such as Trae the Truth, Wiz Khalifa, and more.

Jabari plans to continue working on creative projects; short films, working with brands in video projects, and of course, interviewing.  He is currently working with U.K. artist Tinie Tempah on a web documentary and other directorial work with other artists. Jabari continues to offer the digital space creative perspective and talent at the same time being one of the youngest and best to do it. Be sure to check out Jabari Presents at www.iamjabari.com and Face to Face at www.bet.com .

Watch as Jabari catches up with Diggy Simmons in an episode of Jabari Presents :

Follow Jabari on Twitter : @jabari

House of Mikko is more than just a concept.  Kimberly Dillon has worked since January to launch the site in beta form single handedly.  Not to say she didn’t have help, she did, but when it comes to Founders it’s just her.  While her previous background is also impressive, she use to work at various digital agencies, and after graduating with her MBA decided to move west to work for a year, and then launch her own business.  She is still working full time while running House of Mikko and has gain some traction while she’s at it since its launch in March.

House of Mikko sounds like an uber expensive haute couture house, but it’s not.  The name comes from Miko which means pretty girl in Japanese.  And the sites focus is pretty (no pun intended) simple.  Its goal is to provide intelligent recommendations on beauty products and make-up to women of color.  It’s recommendation engine took about 3 months to develop solely and also gets smarter the more it is used.  Right now it matches you on complexion, skin type, hair type, and beauty goals and eventually it will also provide recommendations on products from her best girlfriends OR just other chicas with the same style sense or even skin tone as her.

Dillon, plans to monetize the site by providing vendors in the beauty biz a targeted audience to distribute their samples to.  Women on the site will be able to choose which samples are relevant to them and go to town.

Plans for expansion in 2011 include integrating Beauty School content (videos, tutorials, and blogs)  and the ability search across all products not just your recommendations.

You can sign-up for House of Mikko at www.houseofMikko.com or follow them on twitter @HouseofMikko or Kimberly directly @prettylittleCEO

The concept of blacks spending free time in the outdoors might be the butt of an occasional joke (have you seen the black hiker video starring Blair Underwood?) but connecting with nature is a way of life for many people of color across the country, and OutdoorAfro.com is a central meeting place for many of them.

Since launching in April 2009, site founder Rue Mapp has been building a community “where black people and nature meet” across the web. Her site has become a destination for people of color looking for information about outdoor activities. While the activities aren’t all specifically tailored to African Americans, just seeing images and video of black people taking part has been a critical icebreaker for those who haven’t engaged with nature previously, or who want to do more.

Social media is a critical element of Mapp’s outreach. In addition to her main website, Outdoor Afro has more than 2,300 fans on Facebook and nearly 1,000 Twitter followers. Mapp also maintains an active Ning site with more than 300 members, and uses Flickr and YouTube.

Mapp, who grew up between her foster parent’s home in Oakland and their farm in nearby Lower Lake, Ca., started out using the Blogger platform, but switched to WordPress a few months later so she could more easily incorporate additional functionality and engagement with social media platforms.

“Social media is a big part of my strategy,” said Mapp. “I got involved with the social media community at a critical time–going to Tweetups, attending WordCamps. It was important that I could promote Outdoor Afro, but I was also talking to the larger environmental movement about using these tools to reach new audiences.”

Analytics show that readers are almost two-thirds female and predominately African American, and boast a high concentration of advanced degrees and high incomes. Readers are located along the coasts in California, New York, Virginia and Atlanta.

Beyond the information on top hikes or summer camps for kids, OutdoorAfro.com has also become a place for people to discuss stereotypes about blacks and nature, proving that many people of color ski, swim, hike, and engage in myriad other outdoor sports. The site also links to services that people can take advantage of across the country. The site is a great starting point for people seeking more information on outdoor activities for themselves and their families.

Sigh, the title of this article saddens and annoys like being forced to watch “Jersey Shore”, “For the Love of Ray-J”, and any show involving Tiffany “New York” Patterson in one sitting. Ugh! The answer is we’re right here. We’re busy at work making the next whoozit or whatzat that’s destined to turn the world on its collective ear. We’re out and about adopting the latest new tech trends and sending our thoughts via the latest social networking tool. Or if they’re like me, they’re working for a publication they believe in and are putting the spotlight on their fellow black techies.

So why does the question continue to be asked? Why do African-American tech-heads continue to be placed in the same category unicorns, leprechauns, and perpetual motion machines — the stuff of legends? Or better yet, why is the new school of black techies, slept on harder than a posturepedic mattress? What we’re good enough to buy all the smartphones, video games, servers, and routers but we’re not good enough to create them? With that said, let’s march in the usual sorry set of excuses.

There aren’t any influential people of color in tech. Really? What about John Pasmore, the CEO of Vonage.tv? How about Promise Phelon, CEO of UpMo? And check out Deanna Sutton, Founder and CEO of the Sutton Media Group. Speaking of founders, check out Oo Nwoye, Founder of interactive business card service One Page who just wrote an interesting blog post on OoTheNigerian asking “Are there renowned internet startups with black founders?” To which I answer with an emphatic yes.

Blacks aren’t that interested in tech. I know there aren’t that there aren’t that many of us in Silicon Valley, but does that mean we’re a bunch of Luddites? African Americans are some of the biggest consumers in the country spending billions and it stands to reason that some of that money is going towards gadgets and other forms of tech. As the government continues to work towards closing the digital divide, maybe more of us will catch the tech bug like Ashton and Ryan Clark, the entrepreneurial twins who started their first business at 13. With groups like 100 Black Men of Silicon Valley mentoring the next generation, mainstream stream media will have no choice but to recognize us instead of giving us the V.I.P. guestlist snub a la the Vanity Fair “Young Hollywood” issue.

Thankfully we don’t need the Mashables of the world to get black tech news. Thanks to Angela Benton and Markus Robinson we have Black Web 2.0, where we’re dedicated to giving black techies the props they deserve. Stay tuned as we continue to bring you the latest and greatest in African Americans in tech.

An integral part of any successful business is marketing and promotion. Look at the crazy amounts of money spent for a few seconds of commercial time during the Superbowl. From creating a recognizable brand to finding creative ways to get the word out to the masses, companies that have the budget to spare hire professionals to spread the gospel of consumerism. That’s where companies like Commonground come into play. Started six years ago by Sherman Wright and Ahmad Islam, Commonground is a full-service marketing agency that deals with the new marketplace.

So what exactly is the new marketplace? According to Wright, the new marketplace was a term that was coined to describe “the space of the world today…in the new marketplace we see a convergence of culture and technology in regards to how people interact…It’s more psychographic than demographic. You have to understand mindsets and how consumers are engaging technology.”

If their client list is any indication, Commonground’s understanding of this new marketing frontier is paying off. Big name clients include Coca-Cola, MillerCoors, and Nike. The co-founders also have an impressive list of accolades including being named in Crain’s Chicago Business Magazine’s annual Top 40 under 40 list for 2009. And while the agency covers all facets of marketing, including the traditional means of advertising — print and television they also recognize the importance of a strong digital campaign and the powers consumers wield through social networking.

“We believe in integrated marketing so it’s not either or” says Wright, “you see a lot of positive results when the two work together. But I think that digital and the internet has proven itself to be sustainable as a standalone in regards to reaching consumers. You can reach millions of viewers with a 30-second spot on the Superbowl. Obviously digital isn’t that broad, but you have more of an engaged audience so you can gather more intelligence about that product. It’s very macro versus micro.”

Speaking of macro, when discussing Commonground’s success and methodology its best to look at the bigger picture rather than get caught up in semantics. While the company is minority-owned, it doesn’t want to be pigeon-holed into being a minority company. You know, the companies mainstream companies use when they’re trying to reach a specific minority demographic. Starting with their name down to their staffing Commonground is a marketing agency that deals in diversity. Utilizing a multicultural staff with differing backgrounds and perspective keeps the company on the cutting edge of the industry. At the end of the day, Commonground’s number one job is to provide creative solutions that will draw consumer attention.

“Clients really want an agency that listens and understands their brand, an agency that has a level of accountability.”

I recently had the chance to have a talk with Brandon Sheats, consultant and new media strategist for the National Black Arts Festival. Sheats has established himself as a social media and web development professional through his work with the Henry W. Grady Debate Foundation, Appfrica Labs, the Ujima Project, and other non-profits and educational institutes. Sheats is also a WordPress supporter and developer, and co-organized the inaugural WordCamp Atlanta.

Brandon Sheats: I’m a web strategist and I consult clients on content and usability. I’ve been working on the web since 2005 in various areas, including front-end design and some PHP coding. My background is actually in print media and design, theater, music, literature, and gender studies. After being frustrated with how hard a friend of mine made it seem to code, I took those design and UX skills and started building websites.

Right now, I’m consulting the National Black Arts Festival on their overall technology strategy. They completely understand that the web and the mobile web are essential to the future of arts festivals because it exposes more Black art to the world in new in interesting ways. While I can’t say too much about the work I’m doing, I can say that the Festival itself will be more interactive and accessible from wherever you are in the world. It’s a large undertaking, but it’s an exciting one.

MC: You’ve also done non-profit work with agencies in Africa. How do you see Africa developing on the web in the next few years?

BS: Africa has a lot of potential to be a very substantial force in mobile development, especially with making mobile access cheaper and faster to develop. One thing I saw while working on the Question Box site was the way that wireless was used to do a lot of good. The idea that someone can stand in a town and ask a question to someone miles away at a computer and get an answer that may change how they eat, how they purify their water, or anything that we in the US can easily look up on a search engine, was nothing short of amazing.

From what I see, the mantra there is simple – you might not have a computer, but you’ll probably have a mobile device. Let’s meet you where you’re at technology-wise. Mobile access in Africa has a much more significant impact than in the United States with regards to simple access to information and what it means for African businesses. Since it’s much easier to put up a wireless tower than it is to lay cable in some regions, infrastructure is easier. Just watch over the next five years at how things grow. I see Africa as the future.

MC: This year was the first WordCamp Atlanta. What did you learn from that event with respect to the WordPress community?

BS: WordPress users have a lot of passion. The WordPress community is more open about it’s problems and what it takes to solve them than many other open source communities I know. Jane Wells, our keynote speaker and user experience developer at Automattic, acknowledged the gap that not only exists between men and women developers, but also in terms of race in the community. The newly formed WordPress Foundation and the increasing number of WordCamps make for a more open and inclusive environment. I also think that the hard push to make theme and plugin developers make their code open via the GPL allows for more innovation and easier points of entry to the community. Automattic is making smart, future-oriented moves to keep WordPress as open and available as possible.

MC: I should note that you are a young Black male (21 years old) who is very active in this tech sphere. Give us your perspective of where and how you see African-Americans in the future in this space.

BS: It’s all about pushing awareness into the public now. It has to be. One thing I’ve observed is that now that we have a mixed president, we’re supposedly “post-racial”, and we’re moving on from prejudice. That’s the problem; instead of embracing differences in perspective or lifestyle and how that connects to our common experiences, we’re erasing it for the sake of creating a common human experience. That’s flawed. No one should feel like they can’t be open about perceptions or lessons learned due to race. We seem to accept the gender argument concerning the lack of women in X or Y, but not race, when I think it’s now more important than ever.

That said, the conversation among Black people in tech now needs to shift from “why aren’t we being featured more in X publication” to “we’re going to make it more than apparent that Black talent, startups, deals, etc. exist and people are missing out on a largely untapped market with more buying power than imagined.” We need to fill in those blind spots for people that don’t know. The only way to push against real and perceived bias is by pushing awareness of the tools that Black people have developed that power your experience on the web. That push starts on sites like Black Web 2.0, but must continue now in person, on mainstream sites like TechCrunch, and among local communities. People need to know the stories of people like Paul Judge, or the Dime Wars creators, and realize the power we have in the larger tech community.

The future also has to think about how gender relates to race. One of feelings I had last year was somewhat reminiscent of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. Where were the visible black men? What are we doing? Why aren’t we more aggressive about visibility? This is not to say that it’s better for black women in this space by a long shot. We can’t make that comparison. One thing I do notice a lot though, is the language and blind spots shown by people that think we’re solving the problem by finding and focusing on only gender (in this case, black women). But we should take a closer look at how race connects to gender when it comes to awareness, talent, and growth of Black people on the web. I don’t think the answers are out there (I certainly don’t have definite ones), but let’s intensify that part of the gender and race conversation. The future lies in being more engaging with conversations, and engaging in the larger world more. 2010 is the year to do it.

MC: Do you have any projects you’re working on now to share with Black Web 2.0?

BS: This is going to be a busy year. In March, I’m on Kaliya Hamlin’s SXSW panel, “What Guys are Doing to Get More Girls in Tech!”. Right now, I’m starting a interactive firm called tenpeach with a web designer. Planning for WordCamp Atlanta 2011 has already started; we listened and caught every tweet about the event, and are already planning some additions that stretch past the traditional perceptions of WordCamps. In addition to the Festival, I’m working on and talking to people about starting something similar to Blacks in Tech NYC, to raise awareness and simply connect with others. The most important thing to me this year is the fact I’ll be writing more.

This year is a very important year for Atlanta as a tech scene; the community has way too many meetups/drinks/roundtables, but I haven’t seen much success come from that. We’ve become communities of one – one person stakes a claim and says “this is what the community will be” and people flock to it. It’s a maddening recursive loop. We talk too much and don’t act. That’s going to take some honesty on all parts and there are growing pains. So I’ll be a more active participant in the community, as well as asking questions about what it all means.

You can follow Brandon Sheats online on Twitter or visit him at his website to find out about his latest work.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Andre Barnes, technology director at !mpact Church in Atlanta, GA. Barnes is responsible for helping establish the church’s technology infrastructure, as well as overseeing the church’s website and technology outreach efforts. Here’s a brief intro about Andre:

Maurice Cherry: Tell us how you got involved with working with Impact Church in your current role.

Andre Barnes: I was introduced to !mpact through the former Marketing Lead, Alicia Ingram. I got interviewed several times before I was selected because !mpact was looking for someone that was forward thinking and that would always keep them on the edge of new technology. Furthermore, I did attend !mpact’s Worship Experience before I got the job because I wanted to see if this organization was for me.

MC: A lot of churches, particularly Black churches, are starting to catch on to using the web to get information to their congregation and to reach out to prospective members. What are your thoughts on this, and how has having an active web presence helped !mpact Church?

AB: Here at !mpact we converse a lot about “convenience”. Technology has be to as convenient for people as possible and this is true for churches too. Getting the message of God to as many people as possible in an effective manner is the key and utilizing web technologies such as social networks, blogs and email is the way to go right now.

By having an active web presence, it has helped !mpact with getting more people to hear the word of God and see the word of God work through people. In the technology department we go by the three “Cs”:

• Connecting: We believe that the web gives us the ability to engage with people that would probably never step foot in our Worship Experience. However, we know that we can offer them the same level of engagement if they were with us physically.
• Continuing the Conversation: Church does not end on Sunday nor does God’s word. It is important for us to make sure that people are receiving God’s message 7 days a week 24 hours a day.
• Convenience: As simple as making things convenient is, churches do not do this enough; especially, on the web. For example, a church should not just email out their newsletter, they should post it on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks so their community does not have to go to their inbox all the time. The web is a big circle, what goes around comes around. It you post your newsletter on Facebook have links that will take your community back to your website.

MC: There are some who say that churches have no place online and should be be used as a substitute for in-person fellowship. What are your thoughts on that?

AB: Here at !mpact, we just do not say that were “Doing Church Differently”, we do it!
We understand that what we do is not the best way for all churches; however, for us having a strong online presence works great. Similar to lifechurch.tv, we would be totally satisfied if we have the majority of our community online watching our Worship Experience and giving than having them physically present.

MC: You’re also very active in the Atlanta chapter of the Black Data Processing Associates. Tell us about the work you do there.

AB: Currently, I am the Lead instructor for their High School Program that teaches students web technologies. Effectively teaching others what I know is a passion of mine and I have been blessed with this opportunity.

MC: Do you have any projects you’re working on now you’d like to share with Black Web 2.0?

AB: I am working on a few projects that will be coming out this year. However, one that has recently launched is called bvers.es. It is a short url service which currently gives people the ability not only to share a link but a bible verse too. My personal website is www.drebarnes.com.

You can find out more about !mpact Church and Andre’s work, check him out on Twitter. Also, check out their website, and follow them on both Twitter and Facebook.

Tristan Walker is the Vice President of Product Development at Foursquare, the location based social network that incorporates gaming elements while helping the user discover new venues throughout the city the are currently located.  On January 7, 2009 Blackweb 2.0 talked with Tristan about all things Foursquare.