This is a project about online communities: how to create them, grow them, and keep them healthy. It’s a collection of interviews, stories, tools, tips, and wisdom from people who out there on the wild, wild internets doing this kind of work. It’s a place to share ideas and practical advice. It’s a place to find help and get work. And it’s a place to hang out with a people-geek like me.
The project comes just in time, for me. I’ve been having numerous sidebar conversations with community managers and content creators about the nature of the beast. Creating consistent, quality content is not an easy feat. Creating a space that fosters great communication between creators and consumers of that content is even trickier. Or, is it. I hope to contribute to Culture Conductor as soon as I can string the proper words together.
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I’m proud of the outcome (although, there’s a fistful of things I’d do differently, given the chance). It was my first time speaking at SXSW and the experience was both nerve-wracking and rewarding.
Partly responsible for my wracked nerves: Thirty minutes before the panel, my MacBook Pro (with my moderator notes) suffered a hard drive failure. Even worse, my latest version of the notes on Evernote never synced with my iPod Touch and the Evernote servers weren’t responding properly to retrieve the latest info.
Yeah.
Despite those obstacles, my years on the web and attending panels provided enough guidance for my rockstar panelists to deliver worthwhile information. Of course, none of it would’ve been possible without my dynamic panelists Deanna “Dede” Sutton, Gina McCauley and Maurice Cherry (who submitted the panel idea). They rock!
I’ll admit I wasn’t prepared for the number of audio and video recorders pointed at me for an hour! Also, the amount of post-panel questions from people all over the world (Africa and London, holla!) was awesome. I’m still receiving emails. Clearly, this is a topic a lot of people are interested in discussing.
The phrase “Black Blogging Rockstar” could mean a lot of things. We approached it from how the average person can use blogging to either fulfill their personal life/interests or further/elevate their other pursuits.
Some key points:
Determine what you want out of blogging (personal, business, etc.)
Know your worth (don’t allow for-profit entities to take advantage of you)
Stay consistent and stay focused
Network with others in your local area as well as… everybody
Help others (which, ultimately, helps us all)
If you weren’t able to attend our panel, Adria Richards (another blogging rockstar) was gracious enough to record it.
