Second, talk to Chris Rabb http://www.afro-netizen.com/ and Liza Sabater http://culturekitchen.com/ from what I hear, they are already thinking about forming some sort of organization or conference for bloggers of color.

Other next steps, if personal bloggers want more love, personal bloggers have to go out and make more friends. Celebrity / gossip blogs are viral. Personal blogs — not so much so. If the personal blogger wants to be noticed he/she has to make it so. Back in the days, there used to be blog rings and people could ring up with blogs of similar types. Not sure these kind exist.

Also, personal bloggers perhaps need a conference where they can learn more about SEO — if they are actually looking for readership.

But on this organization and conference tip — most of the younger bloggers I have talked to of the African American and Latino Nations — really don't give a damn about an organization or a conference.

Forms of associations aren't too difficult to develop and, in fact, already exist to some extent. The problem is few people outside of these ad hoc web cliques are aware of them. That makes it hard for interested people to find them.

A large-scale, black social network would be a solid step in the right direction. Those take a lot of work to develop and cultivate. However, they would spark a sense of coummnity and afford the opportunity to group blogs by subject matter (if they wanted to be grouped) so people could find like-minded expressions of blackness.

Programming knowlege is critical for us to create the types of digital avenues needed to build membership and attract advertising (annoying, but necessary). We have some great resources in Negrophile, Code Z, culturekitchen and Brave Soul Collective. Those sites embody the spirit of what a black digital community could offer the web. We just have to improve the levels of interaction and awareness as we move forward.

But you asked for a Next Step…

I think it's important to gauge the level of interest and dedication to the cause. I believe a focused discussion on what is needed and who can provide those services is paramount before attempting to develop a square wheel. We could also discuss how to add more interactivity to our existing communities. This could be an online chatroom deal or, preferable, in person.

i agree that privacy can be an issue (how much of ourselves should we put out there?), time and committment constraints should also be considered. at this point i don't have too much by way of suggestions or solutions but i'm raising my hand to say i'm here and support the future effort.