All Articles Tagged "black bloggers"
Black Blogger Month: What About Our Daughters, Ladies First
BlackEnterprise.com
Oprah has a way of inspiring people to find their greatness. In 2007, Don Imus’ negative comments about the Rutgers’ women basketball team turned the spotlight on how women of color are depicted in mainstream media. The outrage and dialogue around that on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show inspired Gina McCauley, 36, to do something about it. “I was convicted in that moment and launched What About Our Daughters with the narrow mission of getting Black women to defund foolishness,” she says. Now, five years later, McCauley’s site receives an estimated 60,000 views a month and continues to fearlessly confront negative images of Black women and the companies that support them, either directly or indirectly, such as Ford, whose spokespersonKevin Hart has been under fire for comments made about dark skin Black women.
Based in Austin, TX, McCauley has geared her career towards blogging and the digital space. She is the co-founder of Blogging While Brown (June 1-2, 2012), an annual conference in its fifth year and serves as a godmother of sorts to dozens of new bloggers building their presence online. Among her many accomplishments, she’s been named 25 Most Influential African Americans of 2007 by Essence Magazine, made The Root’s 2010 list of emerging and established leaders in the African-American community and won Blog of the Year at the 2002 Black Weblog Awards. Now, McCauley adds a Black Blogger Month honor to the list.
Read the rest at Black Enterprise
Slim Jackson of “Single Black Male” Shares the Recipe Behind Their Success
Source: Black Enterprise.com
Although he doesn’t consider himself a relationship expert, Slim Jackson is one of several authors behind the smart, tongue-in-cheek relationship blog, SingleBlackMale.org. The site has become a popular stomping ground for men who need guidance on dealing with the fairer sex and women who want a glimpse into the psyche of the uncommitted man. With topics ranging from sex, love and dating to sports, entertainment and pop culture, Jackson, 29, who serves as the site’s executive editor, along with SBM’s team of opinionated gentlemen, have cultivated a home where the Black man’s perspective reigns supreme and honest advice is dispensed in clever, easy to digest prose.
In 2011, SBM took home two Black Weblog Awards (Best Blog Design; Best Blog Post Series); was featured onEbony magazine’s Power 100 List; and appeared on The Michael Baisden Show to discuss monogamy in relationships. As part of Black Blogger Month, the Albany, NY native tells BlackEnterise.com why connecting with readers means more to him than page views, and how running a successful relationship blog sometimes puts a damper on his dating life.
Read Slim’s interview with BlackEnterprise.com, here.
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Stylish E-Commerce: Black Online Fashion Entrepreneurs to Watch
By Denise Burrell-Stinson
There was a time when many thought selling fashion and beauty items on the Internet was a big question mark — a business strategy that should be approached cautiously, if not skeptically. Would style-conscious consumers of be enticed by small labels (as opposed to prestige brands) outside of the pomp and circumstance of a cool, freestanding store in a swanky neighborhood? Now, however, that sentiment has gone the way of dial-up. Fashion lovers now flock to the web to conveniently shop for unique accessories, home decor items and clothing – and black sartorial entrepreneurs are taking advantage of this trend. The Atlanta Post has profiled seven exciting black-owned brands that are finding the lower costs associated with launching an e-commerce site ideal for breaking into the tough style arena. Meet the Top Seven Black Online Fashion Entrepreneurs to Watch.
Roslyn Johnson, a 26-year-old New Yorker, launched her online shop just four months ago. Previously, she had she worked for the boutique chainlet Scoop, interned for Sean John and spent three years working in the buying office of a major department store. Her beginning career moves gave her the confidence to start her own brand. “I saw a number of up-and-coming collections and thought I had what it took to compete,” Johnson told The Atlanta Post. For her Inkwell designs, Johnson uses Malian mud cloth dyed with plant juices, teas and mud in a process called Bogolanfini, that give a mature, classic Hollywood sexiness to her cocktail dresses and miniskirts. “I saw a void in the marketplace for an African-American heritage brand that incorporates tribal fabrics in a more all-American way,” she says of the classic cuts of her pieces. According to Dr. Angela Hausman, associate professor at the Howard University School of Business and founder of the marketing consulting outfit Hausman & Associates, the web can be an ideal starting point for someone with Johnson’s entrepreneurial spirit. “There are a lot of real costs involved in brick-and-mortar,” says Hausman. “But on the Internet, you don’t have to sign a lease, arrange utilities or build out a space.” Free of these limitations, Johnson took her idea, and ran with it.
Black People You’re Free to Move About the Globe
(Black Enterprise) — Taking a vacation can be more stressful than restful. From the cost to the tedious details of planning to finding your way through foreign cities—traveling can be intimidating—especially for the novice adventurer. Despite the hassle, getting “out there” is an invaluable asset to both your personal and professional life, raising your awareness about cultures outside of your own and giving you the opportunity to become more worldly. That’s why a growing number of black travel bloggers are stressing the importance of travel, especially for African Americans.
Design Diva Jeanine Hays
(Philadelphia Inquirer) — Jeanine Hays and her husband, Bryan Mason, are plotting the transformation of the deck off their Old City apartment for a photo shoot for Matchbook magazine. Devotees of, say, the now defunct Metropolitan Home (may it rest in peace) may not have heard of the Web-only shelter magazine, but Hays, founder of blog and virtual shop AphroChic, makes it her business to be in the forefront of the online design world. Online is where she began her journey from attorney to designer. Hays was working full time as a policy associate for the San Francisco-based Family Violence Prevention Fund when she started AphroChic in 2007 to connect with like-minded design-magazine junkies. Her mission crystallized when she noticed the dearth of African American women blogging about modern design. “I wanted to provide that perspective,” she says.
Sneaker Aficionado Turns Entrepreneur
(TheLoop21) — From Run DMC rapping about “My Adidas” to Nelly waxing poetic about “Air Force Ones,” sneakers have been a fabric in pop culture for years. Now, thanks to e-commerce and rapid fans, sneaker culture is becoming its own beast. One of the leading voices of it is G-Roc of TheShoeGame.com. For the last four years G-Roc has kept the world abreast on the latest sneaker news ranging from release dates and store openings. He’s sat down with everyone from Fat Joe to DJ Khaled to talk about footwear the same way you probably do with your friends at home. His connections throughout the sneaker and entertainment industry also allow him to give you fresh content and perspectives on footwear, unlike other sneaker sites that simply post pictures.
Why Are Blacks Missing out on Hyperlocal Ad Dollars?
(Rolling Out) — Bloggers, by conventional wisdom, should be rolling in the dough by now. After all, all signs point to victory for them. We know that the print industry is losing advertising revenue to the digital space, that is, online and mobile technology ventures. We know that the current trend in advertising is hyperlocal marketing, where big name advertisers can make a direct impact on a very specific population, right down to the zip code. And we know that big brands want to reach the African American and multicultural markets, to better reflect a more diverse society. So, why aren’t the hyperlocal black bloggers seeing more of those advertising dollars? Even in the Promised Land of new media, there’s still an old-school disconnect between the mighty advertising dollar and the active black media outlet.
Frugal & Fab: Top Black Budget Fashion Bloggers Share Their Best Tips
by Denise Burrell-Stinson
There’s nothing wrong with taking a financially shrewd approach towards personal primping. It’s the difference between feeling like you’ve been recklessly extravagant and loving to get the most for your fashion dollar. The quest for value – no matter what your sartorial sense – should be a constant balance between fab and frugal. To help you ladies on your quest, The Atlanta Post profiles five African-American bloggers who can lead you to the best budget grabs. Each of these penny-wise scribes offers frequent dispatches on thrifting, sample sales, extreme couponing, and more — all important tools for staying stylish during the economic recovery. The innovative observations of these women will help you save, even if you are a slave to fashion.
The Budget Fashionista: Kathryn Finney
Kathryn Finney’s hugely popular blog spotlighting cost-conscious couture launched in 2003, providing readers with a fashion editor’s love of the runway united with a mom’s attention to value. On her site, readers can access links to discount events with online retailers, alerts for designer sample sales, DIY craft advice, and more — a true cornucopia of advice. Finney told the Daily News the key to budget shopping is to “Focus on value. And you do that by doing something I call the cost per wear, which is the cost of an item divided by the number of times you think you’re going to wear it.” Sound advice. For more, check out her timeless book, “How to Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous For Less.”
Mediatakeout's Founder Dishes Fatherhood Advice
(CBS News) — He’s been dubbed the “Matt Drudge of African American entertainment” by the New York Times – and while he takes his racy reporting seriously, celeb blogger and former Wall Street corporate tax attorney Fred Mwangaguhunga knows that fatherhood ultimately trumps any scoop he may get. When he’s not reporting on rappers’ indiscretions, Rihanna’s latest hairdo, Beyonce’s Hot, new promo, or Chris Brown’s latest antics for MediaTakeOut.com, he’s a stay-at-home dad to three little stars in their own right – his triplets, David, Eva and Sam.
Atlanta’s Darian Aaron Goes from Blog to Book
(Project Q) — When Atlanta blogger Darian Aaron decided a year ago to take a respite from his popular blog,Living Out Loud, he wanted to focus his writing on a decidedly different format: a coffee table book. The book explores black LGBT issues by profiling 18 same-sex couples of color. With “When Love Takes Over: A Celebration of SGL Couples of Color” now out, Aaron is back to crafting new content for Living Out Loud. But he won’t promise his audience daily updates – there is a fulltime job and partner to attend to, after all. We recently caught up with Aaron, just a day after putting his hands on “When Love Takes Over” for the first time, and chatted about the blog, the book and what his day-to-day life is like now.
