Shutterstock

Everyone is looking for great advice when it comes to careers and personal finance. Always. In the African-American community, there are several super-smart bloggers who have figured some things out and are willing to share the wealth, figuratively.

Looking for a new job? Want to branch out and start your own? Having trouble saving money or getting into investing? Check out these nine blogs and hopefully you can learn about something new.

Source: iStock

These days more and more connections are starting from online communication. Whether that be because of Twitter, Facebook, or the comments section of a popular blog, the hook ups are happening almost at the same rate we saw back in the days of Blackplanet and AOL/Yahoo chat rooms. Keeping that in mind, the next logical question is, exactly how far can these connections go and is it really possible that a romantic relationship could be spawned from these connections? I say yes. In fact, I think that your chances of finding love or potential dating partners are just about the same if not better when dating online. The obvious criticism of online dating is that you don’t really know the person behind the computer; however, that’s really no different than meeting people is person.

Logically speaking, you may meet someone in a bar or even at a bookstore but you really have no clue who they are, and typically your next interaction will come a lot quicker than it would in an online relationship. How many times do you hear a story about a woman who is dating a man only to later find out that he has a wife or existing girlfriend? Now think about whether the chances of that happening are actually greater when dating someone you met online versus in-person. There’s really no real way to say either is safer or a surer bet.

I had a friend ask me if I’ve ever seen a romantic relationship develop between the readers of my blog, SingleBlackMale.org. I told her not only have I seen relationships develop, I’ve seen them prosper. I’ve seen everything from casual encounters all the way to marriage. Yes, there are people who meet in the comments section of a blog who go on to end up connecting with each other and then dating to the point of marriage. I also went on to say that dating people you meet online allows you to create buffers that aren’t always afforded in in-person connections. When you meet someone in a coffee shop and you’ve already seen one another, you’re likely to move towards seeing each other again as soon as possible. However, when you meet someone online you’re likely to email, Gchat or Skype a few times before you actually decide to have an in-person date. That’s a great advantage.

The other thing that these online connections benefit from is their ability to allow you to get to know each other by doing your research. Typically, when we go out and try to find information on a potential partner we ask mutual friends or we set up group meetings so that we can bounce our impression off that of our friends. When you meet someone on Twitter or Facebook, while I don’t recommend stalking, you have the ability to see the full body of work of a person. You can obtain a bird’s eye view into their sense of logic, humor, and values. This is all provided that a person doesn’t use their Twitter account to be someone that they’re not, and that’s something that most can determine just by noting the personality consistency over various mediums of communication.

Just to circle back to a previous point and expand for a moment, for anyone who might be interested in dating someone they’ve met online let’s be clear: You can’t use online platforms as a crutch for real contact and communication. The only thing that is going to change when you date online is the medium in which you meet the person. The opportunity to share a few emails and Gchat sessions gives you a chance to get to know one another before you’re having an awkward coffee date or sharing a meal together. It is not an excuse not to use traditional communication tools. There should still be phone contact, there should still be a genuine interest in meeting one another in-person, and while most of us love Gchat we have to find ways to transition to platforms like Skype or a video chatting platform. My reason being is that Skype is one-on-one attention as opposed to Gchat where you can hold multiple conversations at the same time. The point is that the online dating creates a buffer between the initial contact and the time which you meet in-person or actually decide that you like this person enough to take things to the next level.

I agree there are creepers everywhere. The internet used to be a safe haven for them to prowl. What I’m seeing lately is more of an interest from Twitter followers and Facebook friends to notice consistencies in a person’s online persona versus their real-life persona. When you meet online, you take away the potential that your relationship grows because of a physical or sexual attraction without getting to know each other mentally and emotionally. Those are the real predators and creepers. In my opinion, there’s no real difference between receiving a surprising DM in your Twitter inbox and walking through a lounge and being hit on by a random. The only difference is that, if you decide, one of those people can be ignored and the other is standing in front of you threatening to ruin your night.

Dr. J is a writer for the men’s blog Single Black Male. Dr. J’s inspiration and motivation for writing comes from a desire to provide real and honest advice to all. His approach is no nonsense and rarely sugarcoated.  Follow him on twitter @DrJayJack.

Source: WENN

If you hadn’t already noticed, Kenya Moore is going to be a handFUL on this season of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Interestingly after telling The YBF that she hopes her “presence [on the show] will raise the bar” — whatever that means — the reality TV newbie took some very low shots at her castmate Cynthia.

Writing on her Bravo TV blog, Kenya called herself clearing up her behavior at the Jet Beauty photo shoot, but what she really ended up doing was explaining why she thinks she’s earned the right to be rude to the girls trying out and why doesn’t see eye to eye with Cynthia. Here’s what she wrote:

“[I]t’s obvious Cynthia does not read, watch television, and has been under a rock when I exploded on the scene years ago. I made history being crowned the second black woman to win Miss USA and I was fifth place in The Miss Universe pageant. Let me refresh hers or anyone else’s sluggish memory…

“If you don’t know, you better ask somebody. I’m also that girl whose been on the covers of and modeled for over 30 magazines from Essence to Real Health to Maxim magazine. In fact, the very audition she held for the Jet Magazine Beauty of the Week, I was chosen as a Jet Beauty. I also have a Jet Magazine cover. Do you have a Jet Magazine cover, Cynthia? NO, you don’t.  Additionally, I’m that girl who has had multiple endorsements including my very own Pantene hair commercial, print ads, cosmetic campaigns, as well as numerous fashion layouts. Yep me.  However, models usually retire around 30-years-old. Even though Cynthia is a beautiful woman, at 45, maybe Cynthia should retire her dusty old wigs and worn out makeup brushes that are just as worn out as her welcome mat from the modeling industry.”

I’m no fan of Cynthia’s but at 45 she’s still landing modeling campaigns. In fact I just caught her in an INC ad in Glamour this past weekend. As for Kenya, she’s still trying to remind people of things she did 20 years ago. It’s all fine and well to have that success under your belt but she needs to turn it down just a notch. Her face might be cute but the ‘tude is not.

Whether you’re new to the natural game, want to switch up your style or trying to grow out your relaxed hair, there’s something for you. Here are some of the best bloggers and vloggers out there for every hair need:

Afrobella

Since 2006, Afrobella aka Patrice Grell Yursik, has been dishing advice and style suggestions on her blog for natural-haired divas. She was the keynote speaker at Fro Fashion Week, has been featured in the NYTimes and even attended the 2012 Oscars. If there’s anyone you can trust to give you great hair tips, it’s this lovely lady.

Source: Me with the silkies...

Just a week ago, folks were talking about the locs Rihanna wore for her performance on “American Idol.” Always one to change up her style, no one was shocked by the transformation, but it was definitely an interesting look, even for her. But Rihanna made it known that she’s not jumping on a bandwagon. In fact, she said that she’s wanted locs since she was a wee gyal:

“Their HOT! [I wanted them] since I was 14, but mama Fent’z wasn’t havin it!”

And while most people thought she looked great with them (aside from the awkward straight bang), I couldn’t help but notice that a few people weren’t feeling the look. Not because she looked a mess of some sorts in their opinion, but because they felt that rocking fake locs was an attempt to make a fad out of dreadlocks. And they weren’t having that.

“Not to[sic] fond of it. As a person who wears locs, I don’t consider it a style but a natural way to treat hair. When we wear it for “show” it makes it a fad. My locs are not a fad.”

I knew at least one person was going to have something to say against the look on her, but this individual’s comment struck me because I could see where she was coming from, but also could see how harmless wearing fake locs could be as well. You could say that I’ve been on both sides of the fence.

I remember when I posted a picture of myself with locs last summer on Facebook. People loved them! People were giving them all kinds of nice compliments, but boy oh boy were they shocked when I revealed that they were fake. Folks who had rocked dreadlocks for years thought they were real until I told them to touch ‘em (most were men with short attention spans of course). People would tell me they loved my hair until I quickly let them know that they weren’t real. Even though I wasn’t REALLY trying to fool anybody since that wasn’t my reason for getting them, I was fooling a few folks indeed.

The deal was, I had just recently gone natural a few months before, and as part of an old summer ritual, I was looking to protect my hair, and of course, looking for a break from doing it. After doing some research into different options, I ran across silky dreads and thought they looked amazing. I had always wondered what I would look like if and when I decided to lock my real hair, so spending $300+ on this temporary option sounded like an expensive option, but one I definitely wanted to try. When I did, though I got off to a rough start, I was able to style them in funky ways, able to guard and protect my hair, and when I took them out three months later to prepare for a wedding (though they could have stayed for 6 months or been worn until I grew my own locs to a good length), my hair had grown immensely. The greatest thing about them was that they pushed me to quit faking it and start making it by transitioning to real locs.

By Makula Dunbar

Aliya S. King is and has been a major player in the publishing industry for years. Known in the magazine world as someone who “isn’t new to this, but true to this;” as a freelance journalist, King has managed to land positions and bylines in publications including VIBE, The Source, Essence, US Weekly, Upscale and others. As co-author of two memoirs, Faith Evans’ Keep the Faith and Frank Lucas’ Original Gangster— in accordance with book and magazine writing genres, she’s written it all.

In February King released Diamond Life, the sequel to her urban fiction novel debut Platinum. Read on to learn what she had to say about the business of freelance journalism, transitioning to book publishing and the logistics in-between.

The Never-ending Hustle

You’re always pretty busy. What do your days consist of now that you’re just coming off of a book release?

I’ve been doing a lot of publicity for the book. I’m working on an investigative story for VIBE right now. That’s been taking up a lot of my time. I’m also trying to figure out what the next novel is going to be, which is kind of nerve-racking. I’ve always thought, ‘What if this book is the last one.’ I’m always kind of scared. I can’t speak for other writers or authors, but I never take anything for granted. I’m always hustling like I just started.

Do you mean in terms of coming up with new material or the way things play out in book publishing?

In terms of the publishing industry. I don’t know for sure that I’ll get another deal. I always have my eye on what’s next. I feel like I have to work as hard now in 2012 as I did in 1998 when I got into this game.

I don’t think people understand how much of a hustle freelance journalism is. Can you compare it to something or elaborate on that?

It’s like juggling 10 different fruits in the air —and not of the same kind. There are all these different editors and magazines that have preferences and deadlines. It’s challenging to keep your eye on each one, because if you drop one you can damage your career.

How did you get into writing?

In 1998 I was teaching and I was reading an article about the Columbia Publishing Course. It’s a course for people who want to move from any career to publishing. I signed up for it and got accepted. You learn everything there is to know about publishing and from there they try to help you get a job. After I finished that I got a job at Billboard magazine. From there I went to The Source. In 2000 I left The Source and started freelancing— and have been ever since. I’ve taken little jobs here and there in social media and marketing, but for the most part I’ve been freelancing ever since.

On the Business of Freelance Journalism

For people wanting to move into freelance, what’s a misconception about the business that you understand now?

The biggest misconception is how you have to nurture the relationships with editors. Other than the quality of your work you have to be in their faces. I don’t always like to go out to the album release parties and different functions, but I have to. Sometimes I’ve gotten assignments because I made it my business to get up, go into the city and see somebody. It’s been a long time, but I’ve gotten to the point where I can e-mail an editor and say ‘Hey it’s Aliya, I have a great story for you.’ You want to be on their radar and know you’re going to get that e-mail back right away.

Source: caribbeancelebs.com

I can recall reading Charing Ball’s very deep MN piece on today’s beauty standards of black women and thinking to myself: “Let the church say AMEN!” It’s hard being a sistah in these streets with a less than bountiful booty when that seems to be the gold standard. You can squat, eat like a swimmer or do the Beyoncé booty dance in the mirror as long as you want, but if you weren’t meant to have it, it probably isn’t going to pop up on your backside. However, it’s definitely just as difficult to be blessed with a lot of booty and in other places too, which can provide a lot of thirsty eyes from men (and possibly judgmental eyes from women). It sucks if that’s not the kind of attention you are looking for. Yep, it’s hard being an everyday woman with your features being ogled and commented on. But I can’t imagine what it must be like to be an everyday woman with the same body issues, but thrust into the spotlight, where hundreds of people can critique and ridicule you. Especially other women.

While surfing a gossip blog not too long ago, I came across a picture of New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz and his girlfriend/mother of his child, Elaina, at a New Jersey Nets basketball game. When I saw the photo of the two of them, him cheesing and waving at his many fans, she looking as though she would have preferred to be in the house, and my first thought was–”Damn, he’s got a girlfriend???” My second thought though was, her outfit is cute! Bright yellow blazer, black jeans, some high fashion black and yellow boots and a white T-shirt. She wasn’t doing the most like some chicks on a baller’s arm, she just seemed content being with him and being with him in public at that (take notes Fabolous). It was cute. But when I scrolled to the comments, the commentary of readers wasn’t cute in the least.

Women conveniently hiding behind avatars on the site said everything from, she looked like “a basic looking black girl,”  and that she was “mad regular looking,” to saying she needed to put on some Spanx, she had a “pop” belly, was “busted,” and all in all, was “basic.” Now, on this particular site, commentators tend to be especially over-the-top at times, but they tore girlfriend up from head to toe for absolutely no reason. It was almost like she was receiving shade for NOT being a Kim Kardashian wannabe, and for not opting for fake boobs, a plastic behind, a weave down her back and a face full of makeup. Someone made a point of pointing out that now that she’s decided to step out with her man, she’s pretty much fair game and needs to look her absolute best when the cameras are around. This very passionate discussion about the girl’s face, hair, attire and stomach (she had a baby right before the Super Bowl) made me think of Charing’s piece about beauty standards and self-esteem, and it made me ponder the thought: are we way too hard on each other?

Natural hair can be a wonderful thing as well as a tiring struggle. While many women are pros at their daily hair routine and know all the right products to use, some of us have lots and lots of questions. When that’s the case, it’s always nice to run to someone who has many answers (not all though) about hair in general. If you’re one of those women who could use some guidance when it comes to your locks, check out our short list of hair blogs for natural hair that have been known to save women from bad hair days more than once.

Black Girl Long Hair

If you hit their “About Us” page, Black Girl Long Hair lets you know that they are dedicated to helping women of black, Latina and multi-racial backgrounds get their hair right. We respect their site because aside from giving the regular hair tips (like how to air dry your hair fast, which is a constant issue for me), they show love to the everyday fierce hair mavericks with coifs of all backgrounds, and they tell you their backstory. It’s always nice to see women who look and go through the same exact things as you get props, and tell you how being natural affected them. Plus, the design of the website is fly too…

Hair Milk

Transitioning? I had to give this blog props because of the fact that you get to go through your transitioning journey with someone else who also is, or make that was–Dani. She shows you her over two year journey to natural hair from trying to get it to grow with wigs, twist outs, braids–all of the things you can think of. And on top of that, she also provides links to great accessories for your new look, as well as different products to use to get the best results for your head. Check her out, please.

Afrobella

Uh, who hasn’t heard of Afrobella? If you haven’t that’s cool too, but you should check out the popular hair blogger’s site, because it’s fabulous. She’s got giveaways, hits up the hottest events, recommends dope products and makeup looks and more. The blog was started in the hopes of helping women celebrate natural hair and its beauty, and since it started in 2006, the site has reached major heights. She better work!

Curly Nikki

A psychotherapist, the creator of the blog Curly Nikki says that in her daily work counseling women, hair comes up more often than people think. Interesting, right? We’re thinking that was part of what influenced Miss Nikki to start Curly Nikki, and help women learn how to take care of, and love their naturally curly hair. She covers issues with image based on your love (or lack of love) for your hair, and provides tips on all different types of styles, as well as advice on life issues in general. It really is hair therapy.

K is For Kinky

I love how this website not only gives you hair advice, but they give you fashion and life advice as well. From how to deal with your child’s natural hair, to the significance of good and bad hair days and more, everything you’ve ever thought about your hair you can find these folks saying on this beautifully executed blog. And I love the “I Want Her Hair” parts with awesome photos of women with amazing hairstyles. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this site.

Which blogs would you also recommend?

More on Madame Noire!

• It’s My Nappiversary: 7 Things I Learned Since Going Natural
• 7 Celebrities We’d NEVER Date
• Sisters In Hiding: Not So Famous Sisters of Famous Celebs Part II
• Where Have All The Good Black Men Gone?
• I Do….Again and Again! Celebs Who Keep On Walking Down That Aisle
• A Final Word: What Drove Whitney To Bobby?
• Karrine Steffans, Please Have a Seat and Delete Your Twitter Account While You’re at It
• Uplifting Nuggets of Wisdom From Maya Angelou

(Black Enterprise) — Every small business owner should position his or herself as a thought leader in their industry or arena of business. Launching a business blog can be an important part of any successful entrepreneur’s business strategy to help meet their business goals. The Internet is driven by links and every blog post is a unique listing in Google, so it’s time to establish social proof of your business acumen by blogging. While blogging has been around for a while some don’t know the intricacies of being successful at it. Here are eight basic tips to get you started on the right track.

Read More…

I can remember searching around frantically for a mobile theme to install on my blog. With all the smartphones that were becoming increasingly popular a few years ago, I saw the need to accommodate their limited browsing capabilities.

Periodically, I still see blog posts, such as on Famous Bloggers, encouraging bloggers to accommodate their mobile viewers. Don’t miss out on mobile traffic! Don’t miss out on an opportunity to monetize your mobile theme! Blah Blah Blah!

What I’ve come to realize as a mobile browser is that I actually hate mobile themes! I dislike the limited functionality of these themes. I immediately look for the “switch to desktop” or “turn off mobile” options. All the while I’m losing the few precious moments that I had to check out blog updates.
As I’ve grown more frustrated with these themes, here’s why I believe mobile themes are no longer a necessity:

-It’s a waste of time for readers like me who quickly search for the “desktop” button.

-This should probably be number one, because it’s my biggest pet peeve – there is no Twitter button in many mobile themes! That means I can’t share your post without jumping through 50,000 hoops (which I don’t have time for, BTW). No sharing on Facebook, Stumbleupon, Google+ – nada! Most mobile themes remove the sharing buttons that are otherwise available on the regular version of a blog. I have no problem using the Tweet button from my phone otherwise, and in order to tweet a post, I have to first switch to the regular version if the option exists.

-The ComLuv plugin rarely works properly, if it’s even an option. So no “last post” benefit is available unless I waste time switching to the regular version.

-They are outdated! Many people have more updated phones now that are capable of viewing blogs in their regular state. And for those who can’t – there’s still the Opera Mini App that pretty much let’s you see a site in its entirety.

-It ruins your branding and makes your site look like everyone else’s. It’s visually uninteresting and most bloggers tend to use the same boring mobile theme. That’s right, even my favorite sites like Problogger and Famousblogger look alike in the mobile world. The visual elements that make those sites unique are no longer present.

-Mobile themes sometimes strip images from the blog post. Yeah, those cool images that usually draw the visual learners in are no longer there. All that time taken to format and perfectly size images, wasted on the eye of the mobile viewer.

-Videos may disappear in the mobile version. So if you skip the intro and explanation of your video, mobile users won’t even know what they’re missing. So much for optimizing your blog for mobile…

-Unless you have a major site, there are no real benefits to mobile monetization, Adsense for Mobile clicks are generally less than a dollar. Besides, when I view the regular version of a site, the regular Adsense ads display just fine.

So really, I don’t see a need for the mobile version anymore. Maybe last year this would’ve been still an essential component, but not anymore. With all of the tablets, iPhones, and Android powered devices, mobile viewing isn’t as limited as it used to be.
I opted out of creating a mobile version for WeBlogBetter. What do you think about this? If you view this blog via a mobile browser, are there any drawbacks I’m missing? What about you, have you optimized your site for mobile? What’s your experience with mobile monetization?

View the original post

Kiesha is the author of Be a Blessing She is a blogger, writer, editor. Read more of her work on We Blog Better, where she aims to teach others how to blog and build stronger online communities. Connect with her on Twitter or subscribe to her newsletter.