What's Cookin': BlogDiva of Culture Kitchen

With so much noise in the blogosphere, it's good to see that someone is keeping an eye on the ball. The blogger-slash-publisher known as BlogDiva is both sassy and intellectual- and isn't afraid to show it. She REALLY isn't. We thoroughly enjoy her political and cultural writings on both Culture Kitchen and Daily Gotham . She has a keen sense of what's on the horizon and a fantastic ability to advance stories other people cover but don't dig into. One look at either of her blogs and you'll see that she's not afraid to pull out the charts and graphs. (See this week's post on a wack new theory from the global warming deny-ers ). She keeps her site going with almost daily updates.


Besides all of that, if we can be shallow for just a moment, she has really great swag for her site. We're already eyeing her mugs for our morning tea. BlogDiva is also planning a major a tweetup (more information on Culture Kitchen) so if you're in NYC we would strongly suggest you get with. When it comes to sisters who are doing it all, BlogDiva is tops.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/blogdiva

Blogs: Culture Kitchen
Daily Gotham

Practically Sweet: HoneyBrownSugar

There is no lack of beauty/style blogs on the internets. But we think HoneyBrownSugar has a great way to set herself apart and we aren't even sure if she does it intentionally or not. She's one of our favorite beauty bloggers and tweeters because she really does "keep it real". What we mean is that she offers loads of tips and product reviews for the times we're living in. Her blog is one of the most down-to-earth you'll ever read. For example, when she talked recently about hair care and keeping tresses moisturized, she could have promoted a posh high-priced product already touted by magazine editors (and plenty of bloggers do just that). Instead, she explained the virtues of a product we hadn't considered before- abundant and affordable raw coconut oil. Instant bookmark.

We like that HoneyBrownSugar reminds us of things we may have forgotten like, well, how to do our own hair and nails. (Yes, we can!) She not only details her successes but also her failures because, hey, sometimes things fall apart. She even throws in a little love-life advice for good measure. What's more, you'll find that HoneyBrownSugar goes above-and-beyond to promote other people playing in the same pond. And as everyone has already heard by now, that's a tremendous key to success.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/HoneybrownSugar
Blog: Spiced Honey

Happy Mardi Gras!

Even blogging divas need to take a little downtime. But our break is now over. We are furiously putting together more profiles of the Twitterati. Stay tuned!

TheDad: LamarTyler

You know you have to bring it when you deign to call yourself "TheDad" on your Web site. LamarTyler is another Twitterati who must be creating a wrinkle in time to accomplish everything he does in a day- like holding down a high-pressure communications job, blogging, banging out some serious online promotions, and orchestrating all the social media that goes along with it. He runs and promotes one of the top-notch family-oriented African-American sites on the internet, with a great layout and solid contributors. BlackAndMarriedWithKids.com combines news and tips with down-to-earth commentary about the issues facing Black families. Each day BMWK offers insight into raising children and keeping that "spark" alive with your spouse while you do it. If you're Black and Married with kids, or aspire to be, make LamarTyler's Web property part of your weekly reading.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LamarTyler
Web: http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/

Happy Valentine's Day/Black Love Day/Self-Care Day!

Whatever you call it, however you celebrate it, whether you ignore it... have a GREAT one! We will be back next week with a full schedule of Twitterati profiles we are putting the finishing touches on.

Just Say "Don't"

OK, here's the drill: You get a tweet from a trusted Twitter friend that says "Don't click" and is followed by a tinyurl link that - it would seem - would offer details. What do you do? What do you do? Well, as many people found out this morning on Twitter, you do not click. It's all part of a faux-virus virus that replicates and retweets itself through your account. There are a lot of different opinions about the damage and the scope. But even if it's a harmless prank, why let yourself be part of the flock?

RealBlack = Real Shady?

If you've been surfing black blogs over the last few months you've undoubtedly seen those big, bright pink Essence ads taking up prime Web estate. If you do a quick search of the ad outfit that alternately calls itself RealBlack, Fatvine, or CustomerForce, you'll see that Black Web 2.0 was sounding an alarm early on. Last August, when many African-American Web site owners were being lured to CustomerForce through its association with Essence magazine, blogger Jade Davis wrote this:

"Contrary to popular belief, RealBlack.com does not appear to be Essence’s ad network based on their user agreement:

Real Black is owned and operated by Customerforce.com. By using Real Black you signify your acceptance of all terms, conditions, and notices contained or referenced herein (the “Terms of Use”)."

Now, months later, many of those ads are coming down. Several bloggers and webmasters have informed the Black Twitterati that they've either been underpaid or haven't been paid at all for running the ads, despite running this company's ads since. What's more the network has been running the same one or two ads, leading to a severe cut in clicks and interest. The author of a family-related blog told us last week, "It was a crappy deal to begin with, because it turns out they were only paying for clicks and not impressions." Others say they get the impression that owners of the most popular blogs were paid while everyone else was ignored, despite delivering an unprecedented amount of ad space. One thing remains clear: Essence has received a massive amount of extremely cheap (and in some cases entirely FREE) advertising- all at the expense of mostly Black bloggers. There's nothing RealBlack about that.

Pure Dynamite: Danamo

Sometimes, when we find out how much a fellow twitterer is doing, we just cannot fathom how a person can keep so many plates spinning at once. For example, how does Danamo manage to be a novelist, participate in panel discussions, put together podcasts, and work as editor-in-chief of Vibe Magazine? Her Twitter stream is a veritable ticker tape of fashion, news, celebrity tidbits, and inside scoops. But there's one more reason why she is on everyone's list: She is a pure pleasure to follow. This sister is so NOT a Twitter snob and seems to really like people. Hate to say it but that. is. rare. Without knowing her personally, it's easy to see that although she's about business she also knows how to smell the roses. You know what? Maybe that's the secret to how she keeps her energy up. Well, that and her famous Pink Bull. *wink, wink*


Twitter: http://twitter.com/danamo
Blog/Podcast: http://danyelliott.wordpress.com/

The Mack: BillCammack

Don't let the nice guy exterior fool ya. BillCammack is a new media monster. He probably doesn't even think so. But in a very understated way, he manages to spend a good part of the day sharing his knowledge with Twitterers and blog readers. Bill calls himself a New Media consultant and freelance video editor. Right there he's added two things to the list of things we've already caught him doing. In just the last week we spied him advising Web newbies on their content, then telling them how to code up the graphics, too. Anyone who asks for his opinion should be ready to take notes, though, because he is precise- down to the pixels.
So, let's take a look at the Web project that's been tickling the back of your brain. Do you have the skills to see it through from start to finish? If you don't, you just might have to go out and get those skills OR seek out someone like Bill Cammack. It turns out lots of busy folks have no choice but to do the latter.
The thing that makes Bill's blog so refreshing is that he gives a glimpse into the life of a person who lives so much of his life online- as so many of us do. In fact, we joke that if you don't identify with his series on Office Hours you're probably not doing enough. Also, be sure your S/O gets Bill's memo on The Top 10 Valentine's Day DON'Ts.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BillCammack

Blog: http://billcammack.com/

Sparkling Jewel: StarLITpr

So many successful brothers and sisters on Twitter, so little time to profile them all. Today's example is a true star. StarLIPpr's tweets and blog posts give us all a great peek into the world of public relations. She gives the inside scoop on what's happening in the industry and what you might have missed on Twitter. We don't know where she finds the time to blog since StarLITpr doesn't just work in public relations, she owns her PR company. That makes her a public relations whiz and an entrepreneur in one. Can we be her when we grow up?

Blog: http://starlitpr.wordpress.com/
Web Site: http://www.starlitpronline.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/StarLITpr

The Black Twitterati Congratulates...

No, not the Pittsburgh Steelers on their Super Bowl win. Two of our musical favorites on Twitter are today the parents of a new baby girl.
Congratulations to singer Erykah Badu ( Fatbellybella ) and producer Jay Electronica ( Jayelectronica ) ! Best wishes to a very lucky baby and her happy parents.
LimeLife has a cool article about Badu "twittering" through the birth.