MyBlackNetworks's Blog

Source: MBN Exclusives Submit the words "Blacks," or "African Americans," in combination with "Long Tail" to the Google or Yahoo search engine, and discover quickly how finding the most relevant topical information sometimes can be elusive even for the Internet savvy. One might reasonably conclude that although African Americans represent 12% of the U.S. population, or 38 million individuals, they are nevertheless often a long-tail play when it comes to online search. "Long tail" is a reference to a phrase coined by writer Chris Anderson in his October 2004 article of the same title in Wired Magazine. The hotly debated premise of Anderson's article is that the Internet has lowered the costs of distribution to the point that it now makes sense for merchants to address the pent up demand of niche groups for better tailored goods and services. Supply and Demand or Heads and Tails? Most would agree it is relatively easy to search by Black or African-American in general and find rich content. However, try searching "Black owned restaurants in Chicago" for example and you are likely to be largely disappointed or even worse misled. Given that there are 22 million African Americans online, it begs the question why topical search about them has not advanced past its present state? My Black Networks, LLC (MBN), a social media network company based in Austin, TX, believes there are three primary forces at play. First, although recent studies suggest the digital divide between black and white households has closed, MBN states the relatively late adoption by blacks may explain the historical neglect to create the kinds of centralized taxonomies characteristic of Web 1.0. "Incentive to distribute content will naturally be lower if a sufficiently large and accessible audience to receive it does not exist" states Elbert McQuiller, co-founder of MBN. However, MBN concedes that the convergence of the development of Web 2.0 applications such as blogging software, the commoditization of PC's, the wide spread availability Web-enabled cell phones, and the emergence of the first African American major party nominee for President have resulted in a recent and substantial narrowing of the digital divide. Secondly, MBN believes the lack of advertising targeting African Americans is also partially to blame. According to a Nielsen study published in January 2008, overall advertising spend targeting African Americans reached $2.3 billion during the 12 months between October 1, 2006 and September 30, 2007. This figure, however, represents less than 1% of total U.S. advertising dollars. MBN maintains that the relative allocation gap in online media is even greater. This places African American publishers and content at a competitive disadvantage. Mr. McQuiller states "The availability of content is partially dependent upon the ability of publishers to monetize their sites and advertising revenue continues to be part of the dominant business model." Finally, search engines rely primarily on key words to interpret data. Although progress continues to be made in terms of more nuanced, semantics search, the algorithms driving search engines continue to give greater weight to word matching and literal or denotative meaning. Publishers who desire to target the African-American market must optimize their sites in ways that increase their likelihood of discovery. For example, the website of a "Black-owned restaurant" will probably need to include keywords or tags that identify it as such, if the goal is to be easily discovered by someone searching for those types of restaurants. Vertical Branding Meets Vertical Search MBN is launching its portal site www.myblacknetworks.com in an effort to address the fragmented state of the data that it believes is culturally salient to its target markets. MBN describes itself as an ecosystem of informational websites targeting unique segments of the African, African-American and Caribbean community or the African Diaspora. MBN begins its quest by launching The MyBlack Urban Vertical. The first phase of the launch includes unique websites for 20 cities with large African-American populations. Each site includes the MyBlack brand and offers relevant national and local news, a Black-owned business directory, small business resource center, a wealth-building section, an events section, as well as special interest areas for lifestyle, health and romance. Each city site is accessible from the portal and is also connected to a shared social networking platform. MBN eventually expects to expand to include over 200 major cities around the globe including major urban centers in the U.S., Africa, Brazil, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe. The portal site will include links to such destinations as myblackchicago.com, myblacklagos.com, myblackriodejaneiro.com, myblacktoronto.com, myblackkingston.com, and myblackparis.com. MBN's objective is to facilitate vertical search by its target markets by employing vertical branding of relevant content. In the near future MBN hopes to partner with a vertical search engine or create its own. MBN believes that the opportunity for social networking among the African Diaspora is ripe given the current and projected growth in internet-enabled mobile devices in its emerging online markets and believes that MyBlack can be a dominant player in the space. When asked what MBN intends to do after reorganizing the Web, Mr. McQuiller shrugs and replies "Watch the tail wag the dog." ABOUT My Black Networks, LLC - My Black Networks, LLC is a social media network company, headquartered in Austin, TX, whose primary service is an ecosytem of informational websites targeting unique segments of the African, African-American and Caribbean communities.

Father's Day is a time to reflect on the importance of the role our fathers play in our lives. It is a time to express our love and appreciation for their commitment to us. Of course, many of us would agree that everyday ought to be Father's Day, but the reality is that we reserve this time as a society to remind ourselves that the role of father is not to be taken for granted. Upon reflection, we are able to synthesize innumerable daily acts into lifetimes of cherished memories and lessons. On this Father's Day, I thought I'd share five real lessons my father taught me. Of course the list below is grossly incomplete, but it is evidence of the love and affection my father has shown me. Let's call the lessons empirical examples of how Black fathers can and do raise their sons to become men capable of becoming responsible fathers themselves. So, if you'll permit me this indulgence, perhaps there are lessons for all of us. Dad, this letter is to you. I remember the first time you took me fishing. It was just the two of us. I was just 5 years old. In retrospect, I know you spent more time watching me than actually fishing. I caught nothing that day except maybe a small knot on my head when I ineptly cast my reel back only to hit myself with the attached weight sinker. That day was awesome! Lesson 1: Catching "the fish" is often less important than just "fishing" or spending time with those you love. I remember when Procter & Gamble transferred you (us) to California for a two year assignment. I was 7 years old. We moved into a neighborhood where we were the only Black family. I was uncomfortable with the idea of making new friends. I remember how you bought me a soccer ball, but before you handed it to me, I stood and watched as you wrote all over the ball with an ink marker. When you handed me the ball, I read the several notes you had written. They were words of support and encouragement. You told me how important I was not just to you, but the world. Lesson 2: Our thoughts become our reality and fathers can help children realize their potential by reaffirming it with words and deeds. When I was 9 years old, I began to assert my independence by earning money. I would mow yards in the neighborhood for eight dollars. You brought it to my attention that I was using your lawn mower and had failed to pay a lease for the mower that covered depreciation, had not replenished the gas, and had not saved towards purchasing my own lawn mower. When I relay this story today, many people laugh, but it is a source of great pride. Lesson 3: Success in life requires disciplined "re-investment" in the form of planning and preparation. By the time I reached high school, like most teenagers, I was fairly opinionated. I wrote a controversial paper for AP English about presidential politics. It was just dumb luck that my teacher was the only NEA-hating Republican among the faculty (or at least I thought). My teacher became upset when I wrote a paper that referred to President Ronald Reagan as "Ronnie" Reagan. I still do not believe it should have affected my grade, but my teacher clearly thought otherwise. I remember how you and mom attended a teacher conference to defend my right to express my political position and demanded that the teacher grade my performance within his subject matter expertise. Lesson 4: Freedom of expression is not an obscure constitutional right; it is critical to your child's development and deserves to be protected. You graduated from college the same year I graduated from high school. You were 44 years old and I was 18. It wasn't easy. You attended classes at night and your job required you to travel a lot. This was long before the Connected Age of online universities. You were also helping to raise four children. I think you would be the first to acknowledge that the road was sometimes bumpy and imperfect. I am also certain that you would agree that a supportive spouse made all the difference. I want you to know how much I admired your determination. Lesson 5: Self-improvement is a never-ending process. No excuses. The media often seem inundated with stories about the absence of Black fathers. I know the stories contain some kernel of truth, but I also know from personal experience they do not represent the entirety of it. Dad, I want to thank you for always showing the will and courage to "step up" to fatherhood. Malaika, my wife, and I are pregnant with what we pray will be our first child. On this day I celebrate you and the lessons you've taught me. I am also humbled by the responsibility to share these lessons with my own child, but I am optimistic because I know I was trained by the Best. Your Loving Son, Bert This letter was written by Elbert "Bert" E. McQuiller. Bert is a co-founder of My Black Networks, LLC