(ThyBlackMan.com) The month of May has been christened Black Blogger Month to celebrate the dynamic abilities of Black Bloggers and Bloggers of Color. Representative of the importance of sharing content that engages, excites, inspires and importantly teaches creating content that is positive, progressive and diverse.
History of Blogging
The history of Blogging can be traced back to the emergence of blogs in the late 1990s,as technology grew so did blogging in its outreach and popularity. Web publishing tools allowed for the expansion of the writers ability to post content. The history of Black Blogging can be traced over a few years from 2004 to the present.
The perception is, writing is not seen as a passion that Blacks would engage in by the general white literary society, this perception is totally incorrect with the vast interests of Blacks in many facets of technology, Social Media,
fashion, relationships, natural hair, parenting, fatherhood and the list continues to grow.
As with any successful venture when Blacks started to excel in Blogging, non-Blacks tried to replicate these successes by imitating, copying and even trying to hire Bloggers that could duplicate Black Blogging styles without hiring Black Bloggers.
Transpiring Skill
Blogging is a natural transpiring skill, even before the advent of technology, looking at the writing history of Blacks all that needs to be done is to mention the names of Dunbar, Wright, Johnson, Ellison, Haley, Balwin. Names respected in the literary field for excellence.
Lets’ not forget nor dishonor the names of sister writers that paved the way for female Bloggers of today: Giovanni, Walker, Hansberry, Angelou, Brooks, Morrison and Hurston.
These are names of men and women of writing prominence, there are more. In their own ways they are iconic and literary geniuses throughout time and global influence. Their writing essence can be found on Blog sites in text and through video. Continuing to influence future generations of Bloggers, allowing for growth and maturity and an new generation to be take the lead.
My Motivation
My own Blogging did not start until 2006, a young lady making the comment to me in my Educational Technology class at a local HBCU, that there were no intelligent and progressive Black men. This made me angry because I knew my intelligence, engagement in my community, my school where I teach technology, involved in my church and my involvement with my children as a caring and supportive father.
These elements are important because they define me to the world. They show my willingness to be engaged in events in my world, the level of my humanity, what influences my Blogging. Life experiences and life’s relationships define our perception and reaction to the world. Black Bloggers are important because of their “Voice” in the world, thus for me “My Quest To
Teach” was born http://MyQuestTTeach.WordPress.com/
Connections
Blogging and Social Media platforms allow writers to connect with people of like mindset.
The traditional writing/blogging, to the developing micro-blogging of Twitter and its 140 character limitations now integrating several seconds of video through Apps, the use of audio podcasts and the growing video podcasts that are being used to Market and Brand people not just businesses. The use of YouTube and Vimeo video platforms that allow anyone to be directors, producers, actors, news anchors.
The limits are only limited by the imagination for Blacks in creating content. Additionally, Blogging has transitioned to the realm of Blog Talk Radio where thousands of channels are available to digest, dialogue, diagnose, and dissect issues important to Blacks that traditional media refuse to cover or only with negative content.
Blogging has gone ballistic in the past few years because of the passion Blacks have in their abilities, talents, and shedding of their fear of using technology to express their passions.
The growth of developed online communities that allow Blacks to share content, to release their passions through digital text and with advancements of the web now text has transformed.
Transformations to multimedia elements that provide almost an emotional and religious relationship. Black Bloggers bring several dynamics to Blogging, one of them is passion, this passion brings an emotional connection. Because Blacks are people of emotion, passion, zeal
and enthusiasm.
If you performed a Google search on “What is a Black Blogger?” the search results would bring forth sites specifically for Bloggers of Color. Eager to share their ideologies, the passion for life and living, experiences with children, families, husbands, wives, the dynamic and sometimes complicated relationships that we are involved in. Blogging allows “Blacks to tell their story” and “create their own Scandals.” Listening to the great Nigerian writer and story teller Chinua Achebe, he states that “no one can tell your story better than you can.”An Evening with Chinua Achebe (Youtube) Library of Congress 2009.
Spreading the Word
The sharing of knowledge and wisdom comes in many forms, when Blacks unite, collaborate, coordinate it is now outside of the church house, school house, barbershop, and hairsalon. Black Bloggers are now leading Meetups, Conferences, Workshops and online sites for Bloggers of Color. Growth in a talent is not active alone it takes the sharing of ideas, creating the atmosphere of learning, creativity, innovation and unity.
May is an awareness month to the diversity of Black Bloggers and Bloggers of Color. United in multiple digital environments that transverse the World Wide Web, Blogosphere, Internet, WWW3 or other terminology that seems relevant to Social Media platforms that Black Bloggers can Bless with their content.
A New Era
This is the beginning of a new era in Black communication and the power of Social Media.
Just as the poem “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou. Black Bloggers rise from the darkness of traditional media, creating content that represents the struggles, challenges, successes, victories, and achievements of Blacks. No media run by any other culture can share the passion and heart of Blacks and People of Color than Black Bloggers. Their value and importance is immeasurable.
Staff Writer; William D. Jackson
Find out more about this talented writer over at; OCS For Education.
Also check out; http://www.About.Me/WilliamDJackson