Part one: Times up.
I knew Destee from way back in the wild west days of AOL and Prodigy (anyone remember those?) Back then I railed many chat rooms because it was my opinion that they were wasting power. Long before Frienster, MySpace and eventually Facebook and Twitter chat rooms were all the rage. Online service had a set niche but you could also create your own. A chatroom could hold between 15 and 30 people. And on the Black oriented rooms you had a LOT of chatters, day and night - almost any time. Some became regular hangouts, you'd see the same user names over and over again. And, of course, the plight of the Black race was ofter discussed and debated.
It was my supposition that there was more one could do with these Online Services then complain or discuss the latest Black issue. 30 people in a chat room was enough to form a self supportive body that could do a lot of things. If you added that to the number of chatrooms all focused on the same niche- then you had power.
Well color me psychic as right now Social Networks are proving everything I used to say on a level beyond what I thought it could ever be. Not that I didn't expect it, but I never saw where it would go. Right now people are using Social Networks as inter-support vehicles, where any one with any idea could get it implemented because like minded people or people who just believed in the idea are willing to support them in the most important way there is - with money.
When I first joined I noted two things. 1. There are 30,000 members on this site. 2. There is a premium membership that is only $10. I introduced myself by saying I started a business whose intentions were to celebrate women using the internet and Social Network towards the goal of independence. I was asked by some of the more, let's call them "tense" members what I meant by "all women." (Even if English is obviously the language we all speak therefore the words rather defined themselves) I explained I mean ALL WOMEN. Any race, creed, religion, profession - what ever. I said I would not narrow my focus on Black people as I feel they are impossible to make significant money with unless you sold very specific products. That last statement has been examined and quantified ad nauseum - I didn't make it up.
Here's simple proof. There has been "buy Black" campaigns practically every year since integration. Black people, it seems, are the only group that have to be urged to buy from each other. I've watch Black grocery stores go out of business in a blink and when urging friends to help them heard the diversity of excuses why they would not. I've seen Black millionaires, know the history (there were Black millionaires as far back as Reconstruction) and know what happened to most of the Black businesses, movements etc. So I believe I have a solid foundation for my feelings.
This site is the very example of what I speak to. I was told that I was "new" therefore did not know "everything." Well I see the chat component that appears on the home page, see that it is running on a single server along with other components. In 15 years of existence it should be a server farm with a dedicated crew helping out. But that costs money. I don't have to see the back end to know that the percentage of people who are premium is most likely a joke to anyone looking on from the outside. (There are comic book fan websites that have a premium membership component, and the numbers of "free" vs "paying members" a would make your eyes pop.
Not to mention I look at all the topics that get replies and stay alive. There's the usual "racism" "inter-group sexism" current events on who Black got the shaft this week, discussion on conspiracies, history, and the stuff I used to hear about when I was part of the United African Movement and Our Children's Incorporated.
Know what I don't see? Business, networking nor - and this is the most important part - CROWD SOURCING. People, for real? You have this many members, enough to make every single body on this site very comfortable if just 10% got together and did it - and you guys ain't doing it.
You can scream at me for saying it. You and protest my supposed ignorance. You can play starving artist and tell me how money is the root of evil - but the one thing you cannot do is RESCUE ME IF I'M WRONG. If you cannot get 10% to shell out a measly $10 buck, I'll bet you dollar to donuts there isn't any cogent networking going on.
And here's the kicker: Any reason why this is not happening is an excuse.
Right now white geeks who want to make a comic book are asking perfect strangers to help fund in and are getting $10k, 30k and in many cases 100K from people who are not part of a website like this, or even part of the comic book. This happens in 30 to 60 days. Go to Kickstarter.com and see if I'm wrong.
So you mean perfect strangers can do it, but on a website that has a steady membership this is. . .what? Hard? Impossible? A flight of fancy?
I got to ask? Are you guys serious? 30,000 members - and you are having discussions that - while they have their importance - are not going to get you anything but the good feeling of having a discussion. Surely this cannot be happening here while in places of less significance people are supporting each other hand over fist and doing it almost automatically. Let me be really clear on this question: You mean to tell me a half-naked lady on facebook can get 10,000 people to shell out $5 for a picture she already posted for free (it's signed, you see) and this site can't muster up the crowd to do exactly the same thing.
Surely you lot cannot be serious? (Surely you can show me I'm 100% mistaken?) Surely there is a lesson in this for those who understand.
I knew Destee from way back in the wild west days of AOL and Prodigy (anyone remember those?) Back then I railed many chat rooms because it was my opinion that they were wasting power. Long before Frienster, MySpace and eventually Facebook and Twitter chat rooms were all the rage. Online service had a set niche but you could also create your own. A chatroom could hold between 15 and 30 people. And on the Black oriented rooms you had a LOT of chatters, day and night - almost any time. Some became regular hangouts, you'd see the same user names over and over again. And, of course, the plight of the Black race was ofter discussed and debated.
It was my supposition that there was more one could do with these Online Services then complain or discuss the latest Black issue. 30 people in a chat room was enough to form a self supportive body that could do a lot of things. If you added that to the number of chatrooms all focused on the same niche- then you had power.
Well color me psychic as right now Social Networks are proving everything I used to say on a level beyond what I thought it could ever be. Not that I didn't expect it, but I never saw where it would go. Right now people are using Social Networks as inter-support vehicles, where any one with any idea could get it implemented because like minded people or people who just believed in the idea are willing to support them in the most important way there is - with money.
When I first joined I noted two things. 1. There are 30,000 members on this site. 2. There is a premium membership that is only $10. I introduced myself by saying I started a business whose intentions were to celebrate women using the internet and Social Network towards the goal of independence. I was asked by some of the more, let's call them "tense" members what I meant by "all women." (Even if English is obviously the language we all speak therefore the words rather defined themselves) I explained I mean ALL WOMEN. Any race, creed, religion, profession - what ever. I said I would not narrow my focus on Black people as I feel they are impossible to make significant money with unless you sold very specific products. That last statement has been examined and quantified ad nauseum - I didn't make it up.
Here's simple proof. There has been "buy Black" campaigns practically every year since integration. Black people, it seems, are the only group that have to be urged to buy from each other. I've watch Black grocery stores go out of business in a blink and when urging friends to help them heard the diversity of excuses why they would not. I've seen Black millionaires, know the history (there were Black millionaires as far back as Reconstruction) and know what happened to most of the Black businesses, movements etc. So I believe I have a solid foundation for my feelings.
This site is the very example of what I speak to. I was told that I was "new" therefore did not know "everything." Well I see the chat component that appears on the home page, see that it is running on a single server along with other components. In 15 years of existence it should be a server farm with a dedicated crew helping out. But that costs money. I don't have to see the back end to know that the percentage of people who are premium is most likely a joke to anyone looking on from the outside. (There are comic book fan websites that have a premium membership component, and the numbers of "free" vs "paying members" a would make your eyes pop.
Not to mention I look at all the topics that get replies and stay alive. There's the usual "racism" "inter-group sexism" current events on who Black got the shaft this week, discussion on conspiracies, history, and the stuff I used to hear about when I was part of the United African Movement and Our Children's Incorporated.
Know what I don't see? Business, networking nor - and this is the most important part - CROWD SOURCING. People, for real? You have this many members, enough to make every single body on this site very comfortable if just 10% got together and did it - and you guys ain't doing it.
You can scream at me for saying it. You and protest my supposed ignorance. You can play starving artist and tell me how money is the root of evil - but the one thing you cannot do is RESCUE ME IF I'M WRONG. If you cannot get 10% to shell out a measly $10 buck, I'll bet you dollar to donuts there isn't any cogent networking going on.
And here's the kicker: Any reason why this is not happening is an excuse.
Right now white geeks who want to make a comic book are asking perfect strangers to help fund in and are getting $10k, 30k and in many cases 100K from people who are not part of a website like this, or even part of the comic book. This happens in 30 to 60 days. Go to Kickstarter.com and see if I'm wrong.
So you mean perfect strangers can do it, but on a website that has a steady membership this is. . .what? Hard? Impossible? A flight of fancy?
I got to ask? Are you guys serious? 30,000 members - and you are having discussions that - while they have their importance - are not going to get you anything but the good feeling of having a discussion. Surely this cannot be happening here while in places of less significance people are supporting each other hand over fist and doing it almost automatically. Let me be really clear on this question: You mean to tell me a half-naked lady on facebook can get 10,000 people to shell out $5 for a picture she already posted for free (it's signed, you see) and this site can't muster up the crowd to do exactly the same thing.
Surely you lot cannot be serious? (Surely you can show me I'm 100% mistaken?) Surely there is a lesson in this for those who understand.
some of the more 'radical' members seem to not want to support the house…….
... Thanks for joining us AND becoming a Premium Member! 
... I am honored. Please make yourself right at home! Much Love and Peace.
