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Posted on 10/08/06 @ 12:32 am
So in my last Asides, I kinda threw out a bone on engaging folks on how we can make the blogging experience…well…an experience. This whole writing online thing, for all superfluous deviations from its seemingly honest original intents and non-commercial purposes, has gotten a little stale. With blogs springing up at an alarming rate of one blog per half-second every day, the amount of voices contributing to an already deafening scream of nothingness is increasing to the point where it will have to reach critical mass at some point. I was really thinking about it this year with the Black Weblog Awards and seeing the nominees come through. It does make me wonder what the future of the Black blogosphere will be in just a year's time. Right now, I can't even call it. I'd like to think that there will be more niche blogs on topics other than celebrity gossip. Maybe there will be more than two Black blog awards in existence (the other, of course, being the Black Web Awards). Hell, maybe there will even be a Black blogging conference with panels, speakers and advertisers. One thing I remember George Kelly telling me in an IM conversation was how there is more than one Black blogosphere, and that there are actually several of them all colliding at different points and providing different experiences. Knowing that, I can think that there will have to be more than one solution as to where the future of this whole blogging thing is headed for Black bloggers (past, present and future). So I'm asking you…what is the future of the Black blogosphere? Please, leave your comments and let's get a dialogue going. To that effect, I'm leaving this post here until I start seeing some comments. There's far too many eyes that pass through this page to not have some sort of opinion on where blogging should go, so start talking. Now…back to studying. Speak up! Filed under: Q&A Comments:
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Name's Karsh. 27. Country-born, city-raised, 
Quite an interesting subject. I wish that a real 'association' of sorts would be developed where we could go and identify ourselves and what genre we actually write under. There are so many pages as you say - but there are even less that write consistently - lots of doing it because it's popular etc. An organization where we could go and see who else writes in our genre and talk to others who are consistent bloggers is cool. I personally want to expand who I read. I don't know where to go to see some hetrosexual political blogs etc.
My genre is personal story - those of us that write personally would like a little more love. I totally and subscribe to all the celeb blogs but to cut and paste is kinda easy. Those that open up their lives or those that write the fascinating aricles from their mind space are what's hot.
I think that as usual, we have an opportunity to combine our resouces and forces and move the entire black blog spectrum forward - but I don't think we'll use it.
Said by pamela — 10/08/2006 @ 9:21 am
I'm giving pamela a high-five for that comment. As someone who began blogging on a personal tip, I'm disheartened by the proliferation of celebrity-obsessed blogs without the balance of personal storytelling.
For the first time, black folk are able to communicate across the globe with ease and how are we interacting in this space? Frankly, I'm more interested in how you deal with diabetes than what you think of Beyonce's new weave.
I think it will take more niche social networks to cultivate these connections. And that means we have to get more involved in programming and VC efforts. I have more ideas on this. But right now, life is kicking my ass.
Said by j. brotherlove — 10/08/2006 @ 11:07 am
The future should certainly a boomarang to the past, and the BWAs of 2008 will look more like 2005. Original content and first person writing will create the niche youre talking about. Recycled news and commentary is a stale pathway that's even taking it's final breaths on newsprint. The Black Blogosphere will draw an audience of people curious to know "what you're thinking" as opposed to "what do you think about…" Sharing our thoughts and emotions is the new black. Journalism will thrive in a different venue.
Said by Scott — 10/08/2006 @ 1:32 pm
I think blogging in the future will definitely serve as a way for us to keep connected and informed. Besides reading about our common stories, it will also allow for news that is of interest to us to get to all of us.
Said by j_most — 10/10/2006 @ 6:47 pm