icemanbaldy

Kiss My Black Ads

via kissmyblackads.blogspot.com

If you're into Black Business, then you have to be into Black advertising and marketing. Few are more invested in how multicultural advertising has evolved and whether current efforts are truly effective than Kiss My Black Ads. It's a nice blog that will keep you up to speed on how to take your message to the people.

The Best of BlackTV247.com - Episode 1

If you haven't heard of BlackTV247.com, this is your invitation to check it out:

Best of BlackTV247.com: Episode 1 from BTV247 on Vimeo.

It's Hulu FUBU.

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Announcing 28 Days of Diversity: From SocialWayne.com

Announcing 28 Days of Diversity: People of color impacting the social web. Day 1: Angela Benton

Wayne Sutton is One to Watch. Check out his blog at SocialWayne.com. As a salute to Black History Month, Wayne will feature a social media influencer of color for each of the 28 days of February. If you're trying to figure out how best to use social media in your business, this is a series you won't want to miss.

Want a PDF of any URL? Try PDF My URL

I'm Just Sharing » Blog Archive » PDF MY URL

Props to Mitch Mitchell for his post which gives credit to another for tipping him off to a really simple site that allows you to easily print a fully-formatted complete website page as a PDF file that you can save or take with you to read later. It's a great tool and if you read the comments, there's even a Wordpress plug-in that you can add to your blog to provide the same functionality to your readers for any of your posts or pages.

11th Annual “Taste of Black History” Celebrates Leading Entrepreneurs | thehustletownchronicle.com

via thehustletownchronicle.com

The Hustletown Chronicle reports that Chicago area Jewel-Osco stores are having their 11th annual Black History celebration and will honor three African-American entrepreneurs who are important vendors with the company.

If you're not reading The Hustletown Chronicle (my latest creation), check it out and be wowed.

What Do I Think of the New iPad? Not So Much.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The secret is out, Apple came through and satisfied rumors and loyal fans who have been anxiously awaiting the much debated announcement of the Apple tablet computer now known as the iPad.

Continuing the design trend of black glass and aluminum trim, the iPad has been criticized and praised for looking like a larger version of Apple's popular iPhone--it really depends on whether you like or dislike the current design theme that is also present in Macbooks and the iMac line.

I think it looks clean and is noticeably absent of distracting buttons. It's both high tech and simple. The device is slim, light and feature-rich at 1.5 pounds and a half inch thick packing a 9.7 inch screen. It looks good and is designed to feel good (and work "good" too) for as long as 10 hours.

The device is positioned to fill the space between the iPhone and a Macbook or laptop computer. It will have WiFi built in and, if you purchase a device with #G capabilities for an additional $130, you can purchase unlimited data service from AT&T without a contract for $30 a month. The device is not capable of being used as a phone at this time and I'm not sure if Apple or third party developers will add that capability later.

Accessories will include a wireless keyboard, dock and cover/case and other cables for output connection to your media systems.

But the big question is, will I buy one? The price is right, beginning at $499 (the same price as an iPhone without a contract) and equal to many competing netbook products. It will do most of what an iPhone does (except make phone calls and take pictures--which is a pretty big deal), only bigger and arguably better given the larger screen space, memory and technical specifications. It's not as large as a laptop and perhaps more portable with longer battery life.

But that's just it. If you have an iPhone and a Macbook, as much as you might drool over the device and it's good looks and all that you know you can do with it, will it really fill the space and better yet, does the space need to be filled? It does some of what my iPhone does but it's too big to be a phone and doesn't have phone capabilities. I love my iPhone because it's first and foremost a phone and then allows me to do so much more in a device that fits in my pocket. I'd love the screen on the iPhone to be bigger sometimes but that's the sacrifice I make for pocketable portability.

Since it's not as powerful as a laptop, which is what I use for the majority of my work, I would still need to use my Macbook for heavy computing and I even prefer my 27" iMac for really intense internet and business use that requires me to use multiple screens or applications at once. The iPad looks like it might be a phenomenal device but would I really use it and carry it around so that it would be available any time I needed it? As much as I'd like to think otherwise, probably not.

It could be that I already have too many devices. Between my iPhone, my Kindle 2, my Macbook, and my iMac, I've got a lot already invested in technology that meets my needs and that might be overkill for others. The iPad could replace the Macbook and the Kindle, but at significant sacrifice. It lacks the power I need, the dock and keyboard solution is slick but diminishes portability, and LED e-readers aren't as easy-to-read and are a bigger power drain than e-ink even with the iPad's ground-breaking battery life.

To add the iPad to what I already have would cause significant overlap that I can't quite justify even at the outstanding price point. For those who don't have a Macbook and who want to do more online to a greater extent than what you can with a phone or most notebooks, the iPad may be for you. It's the next best thing to having a personal productivity tool, ebook reader and versatile multi-media device all-in-one in a slim, stylish but not quite pocketable do-it-all machine.

Old school Apple Newton fans will be the first in line to get one as soon as they are released. I'm looking forward to playing with one myself, and who knows what might happen a few months from now when the 2nd generation device is released.

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One to Watch: Brother Bedford - Philosophy and Thinking of a Modern Entrepreneur

Bro. Bedford.com Black Entrepreneurship-Online Business Building, Internet Marketing, Information Marketing Marketing Strategies

Brother Bedford has been doing his thing consistently on the internet for a number of years and he has amassed an impressive body of work with a loyal following.

He is an authority on Black Entrepreneurship and online marketing whose counsel pays tremendous dividends to those who apply his wisdom to their businesses and services.

Visit his weblog for entrepreneurial inspiration and thoughtful insights.

Hustle Like a Mogul: Diddy, Daymond John (FUBU), and Jay-Z

Image via Wikipedia

If you haven't seen our outstanding videos at The Hustletown Chronicle, you need to check out some recent additions that include features from CNBC's The Big Idea on Diddy, Daymond John, and Jay-Z.

MLK the Google Way

Martin Luther King, Jr. via last.fm

I use Google almost exclusively as my search engine of choice. I'm always impressed with the way they change their logos to reflect current themes whether holidays or other current affairs. After spending the day at a celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's life and legacy and in fellowship with Fraternity Brothers who love and honor Brother King as one of our own, I logged onto my computer and saw this image on Google's homepage.

Outstanding. If you want to see more of their logos throughout the years, both official and unofficial, check this link.

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The Hustletown Chronicle presents a Facebook "Get Your Money Right" Business Party

In celebration of MLK weekend and a spirit of entrepreneurship in 2010, The Hustletown Chronicle is hosting a Facebook Get Your Money Right Weekend Party at the Hustletown fanpage. Feel free to post a link about your business and network with others on the page. I will be featuring many of the businesses at the main Hustletown site. All free, all good, all weekend. Happy MLK Day!

Stephanie Noble of Paden Noble is One to Watch

Image via CrunchBase

After checking out a Facebook Social Media party hosted by Larry Brauner--which is an excellent idea and use of viral marketing in social media--I came across a few online entrepreneurs of note. One of them is Stephanie Noble. Stephanie is the owner of Paden Noble Consulting, a web, software, and database development corporation, which boasts its own integrated social media measurement and web visibility enhancement system.

The Black Internet Marketing Forum has Added New Forum Categories for Black Online Marketers

The Black Internet Marketing Forum has Added New Forum Categories for Black Online Marketers

Given our redesign and focus on member networking and collaboration, it's fitting that we add a few new categories to our forum. You can be among the first to being posting in these new areas that are certain to receive enormous traffic as their popularity grows:

Social Media
Our social media category includes Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace and YouTube with a General Social Media area for other platforms or networks that may be popular with Black Internet Marketers. When our forum began a few years ago, some of these major networks were just beginning to take a foothold and now we find that most of our members maintain an active presence on all of these and more. Share what works for you and what doesn't in this area of the forum.

Technology
With Black Internet Marketers taking their businesses and productivity with them on the road, it makes sense to focus on continuous changes in computing technology and mobile devices that are becoming an indispensable part of getting our work done. From laptops, mobile phones, microphones and everything in-between, this is a hot area of the forum for geeks and and novices alike to better understand how technology can help and not hinder your revenue-producing efforts.

I'm also considering opening the Rockstar Internet Marketing area of the forum to the general membership. Some of the items I've stored there are solid products that merit some financial consideration, but in the spirit of providing value to assist others and build relationships, I'm leaning toward making those items free and further enhancing other products that would then be available for folks who want much more in depth information and training.

Let me know what you think and we'll keep making things better and better. I love this stuff!

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Blog2Print - Print Your Blog, Sell Your Blog Book!

Blog2Print - Print Your Blog, Sell Your Blog Book!

Ryan Hodge tipped me off on this tool for those of you who are prolific writers are who want to have a printed catalog of your blog posts. Blog2Print is a relatively cheap, easy and professional way to convert your digital wisdom into hard or soft bound volumes for your archival reference.

The Hustletown Chronicle is Featuring Profiles in Black Entrepreneurship

Check out the free publicity that black entrepreneurs are getting on The Hustletown Chronicle. If you have a business that you would like to feature, drop us a line and give us a brief understanding of what you do by answering our virtual interview questions:

Name of Business:
Owner/Founder:
Location:
How long in business:
Website address:
Contact Information:
Brief explanation of your business, products and/or services:

1. How did the idea for your business come about?
2.What has been your greatest challenge?
3. What advice would you pass on to other entrepreneurs?
4. How do you generate new ideas?
5. What motivates you or what has been your greatest inspiration?
6. How much time do you spend on managing your business?
7. Where do you see your business in the next five years?
8. What do you like most about being an entrepreneur?
9. How do you market your business and what has worked best?
10. How have you funded your business?

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Simultaneously Twittering Your Tweets and Blogging Your Blog on Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace

Image via CrunchBase

I'll cut to the chase--do this and drastically improve your online presence on some of the top social networks currently in vogue by adding your tweets and your blog to Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace

Facebook
Import your blog to Facebook. Follow these instructions to add your blog to your notes page and include blog updates as part of your profile page activity. http://www.ehow.com/how_2031202_import-blog-facebook.html

Post your tweets to Facebook or use Facebook to post to Twitter by using the Twitter application in Facebook. The application is made by Twitter and seamlessly joins the two applications together so that one updates the other no matter which one you choose to use. Get more here:http://www.insidefacebook.com/2009/01/22/how-to-sync-your-twitter-and-facebook-status-updates/

LInkedIn
Integrate your Twitter updates from multiple account and you weblog with your LinkedIn profile. Edit your profile and add applications to include Twitter and BlogLink. Now when you tweet or blog, your LinkedIn profile is updated automatically.

MySpace
You can also push your tweets to that inactive MySpace account that you still maintain because of the sheer number of users you can reach even though it may not seem like any of your friends are relevant to your target market. But then, maybe that's just me feeling that way. At any rate, this application automatically keeps your account updated with your twitter status: http://www.myspace.com/sync

MySpace also has an RSS application that you can use to post your blog updates but it's not as good looking as the Facebook application.

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