Mel Hopkins

@Pioneer1 between @Cynique handling you with facts and @Del beating you with first hand experience... do you really want me to mix it up with you too? Lol! But don’t think I didn’t see you trying to use the ole “continent” defense to support your argument.

@Troy Never said it was about “survival” So, you’ve clearly missed the point of what I’ve written so we’re even. Again, match...this is exactly how I felt when you didn’t condemn elijah muhammad for sleeping and impregnated young black girls in his charge. Your words “l never make any moral judgments” @Troy December 16, 2018 so, please spare me your “highminded-mess”

@Cynique Thank you! Although this explanation is bittersweet, it's perfect.

Brought over from this thread "I stand alone on a pedestal and even betta still my mic is hyper than hype if you like I'll take you to a level of heights domain where I dwell excel, drive you all insane  cause no man or band or clan can rock fans or stand beside MCM 'cause I am the incredible, unforgettable, A capella dwella like Spinderella, I''m not a fella but Imma ass-kickin' hellafied microphone high take it to heart when I start to perform, I can knock a brother's rep down, make em wanna step down … even a cutie is bootie cause he slept now" ~ I do Damage @Delano you're right! Good Ear!!!. That was shaping up to be a rap battle! This is a verse from my past. Like you mentioned in the African American Culture thread "call and response" is our from our culture as Is "the dozens" much of which dates back to GRIOTS from West Africa.

"I stand alone on a pedestal and even betta still my mic is hyper than hype if you like I'll take you to a level of heights domain where I dwell excel, drive you all insane cause no man or band or clan can rock fans or stand beside MCM 'cause I am the incredible, unforgettable, A capella dwella like Spinderella, I''m not a fella but Imma ass-kickin' hellafied microphone high take it to heart when I start to perform, I can knock a brother's rep down, make em wanna step down … even a cutie is bootie cause he slept now" ~ I do Damage @Delano you're right! Good Ear!!!. That was shaping up to be a rap battle! This is a verse from my past. Like you mentioned in the African American Culture thread "call and response" is our from our culture as Is "the dozens" much of which dates back to GRIOTS from West Africa.

@Troy one thing I will back up off you for - is this: I realized when you went off on that tangent - that’ may be your MO (how you operate)... And Im in no position to fault you for being efficient. You may not care about the twitter nuances because you don’t need to use them. Although you didn’t admit it I get it. But myopic educators get my panties in a bunch. [NO I’m not saying you teach like that but it is my trigger] i just hope when you’re teaching the co-eds - you share with them it’s your method. When I was at LIU, I had a professor who refused to see from any other perspective but her own. I was taking a mandatory advertising class with her and she refused to see that having all white women dressed in white in a tampon commercial sent a message that black women are unclean... (something like that. I was 19) She told me I was overthinking the assignment... and then it was on and popping...i ended up taking the class with an openminded prof. He gave me a “B+ on my final assignment and an “A-“ in the class. He said he would have given me an “A” but I was “overthinking it” So, see you’re not the only one who sees the invisible hand turning the wheels of social engineering ... but it turns both ways - especially if someone doubts everyone’s intention that appears different than their own.

@Delano ok that made me laugh out loud!!! He must have been! I was enjoying the convo too! Doggone it!!!

Most likely -but 15k in a 11 years that’s kind of low. Welp, I did have facebook back then too so that makes sense. Anyway, Yes I have discussions on twitter and have since 2008 - especially when I was flying around the world. You say you’re not gaming social media - but really you use it to drive traffic at the expense of engagement. But like I wrote your limited use is based on your knowledge and goals.

What does this have to do with your question? i know how automated tweets works - BUT we weren’t discussing your account being fake - you wrote you didn’t have any fake followers. I’m leaving this conversation now - you’re not even keeping up with your own written words. It is clear you left the discussion quite some time ago and you’re wasting my time. Depends on your goal - - if you’re just looking for drive-bys then yes but if you are looking to engage and network - it is not. Remember when you were being interviewed and you needed an audience? You don’t engage and it showed. I You don’t spend time on the site - you don’t know what they do. Exactly! But if you hashtag it... you’ll know it’s popularity immediately! Or you can query the popularity.

Absolutely dismissing it and with quickness! We can’t afford any more those folks. We need people of action . Had he not attempted to be “altruistic” and instead moved to patent his software, and monetize it there would be NO GOOGLE ... See how that works? A few months ago - you wrote a post about no longer holding the top spot in the search for African American Literature - You mentioned that GOOGLE buried you ...so, do tell how highmindedness is working for you? Twitter is valuable to me. I don’t know about society as a whole. I don’t claim to know. If I were omniscient, then I could judge the relevance of facebook and twitter. But then this exchange wouldn’t be necessary because I wouldn’t need to discuss anything with anyone.

that was in 2016, if I remember correctly. I believe you actually posted about here. No, I'm not ignorant of your twitter and social media engagement... I've been observing you since December 2015...And sending people to the site to get their initial reaction on why they would or would not spend time here. I even wrote a 41-page strategic communication plan on how you could capture and have more VISIBLE interaction. Remember, I sent you the first draft and you implemented one of the ideas - but then you told me you lost it in your files. I completed the final draft but decided instead to use it as a case study... They removed 70 million fake accounts. But there was no need for me to imply anything. You ASKED me about bots. Do you even read your post? You wouldn't know if you had fake followers, unless you did an audit. Did you audit your 6000 followers? If there were fake followers Twitter dumped them. For someone who is trying to teach me - you seem to miss out on a lot of Twitter's activities. So nah, I'd rather continue to read my twitter developer news and review their positions. I think they know how their operation runs better than someone on the outside. Even hit pieces reveal more about their operation than the paranoid-inducing theories you've submitted. And here's where we agree. It's a wrap.

@TroyYes, but if you haven't noticed - Twitter let's you know how the tweets arrive on the website. you do know that's not a lot of followers, right? But what matters is how the tweet is echoed throughout the system. You're not engaging your followers in a meaningful way - if I didn't have your notifications on - I'd never see your tweets because they aren't retweeted, liked or commented on. With almost 6000 followers you'd come up in my feed more often than those who only have 1000 but are engaged by others. By the way; Twitter dumped most of the fake accounts and bots in 2017 and more get dumped at least every quarter. That's not how learning works. You can make me aware of something and it's up to me to synthesize it - but so far you haven't shared anything I don't already know.

@Troy there were no social media networks in 1981... Maybe academic message boards but not even a blackplanet.com lol This explains why you can't grasp the appeal of social media networking. You remind me of the technologist who created the search function but missed out on being GOOGLE because of his high ideals ... Myopic folks tend to judge what's valuable or worthy. I can't see that far into the future to know if facebook or twitter serves society... I haven't even decided if AALBC serves society. BUT If I'm participating then it's serving me. I can't speak for others. Money is NOT a goal but it is one of the measurements of a successful business. Successfully scaling a process to keep a cost low is another measure of success. I know you know this because you've worked on WALL STREET. So please spare me your attempt of money-shaming. The goal for any business is to provide something that people want. That's how you create wealth. I don't know any business operation that doesn't have customers. Without customers it's just an expensive hobby. So, of course I'd take Kylie's class over your class. Knowing WHY something works provides far more wealth than HOW something works. This thread started about upcoming lecture on ecommerce - not HTML or CSS and after taking Kylie's class if she were to give one, I'd be able to pay someone to code for me.

@TroyYou don't know how it works ... if you did you would have understood how I saw Tariq's tweets without them appearing in my feed. In fact, just by the way you discuss most things about social networks - shows you don't know. You may think you're using Twitter - but if you think it's about drawing traffic to aalbc...then you aren't using it very well. We both started twitter in 2008 - you in your birthday month and me in my birthday month - It's easy to get followers - but what's not easy is to get them to retweet you or like your tweets... You have almost 6000 followers yet your tweets average the same ratio as mine and I only have about 1800 followers. I don't post that much - I tend to retweet and like post, but mostly I'm gathering information and looking for trends. But using something effectively requires understanding it. You are a product on twitter but your blinders are preventing you from getting more than what you're giving up. @Cynique thank you! - I don't feel I shared much. Twitter does incremental changes to its design practically every quarter ... so you're right it can be complicated especially if you don't use it every day. It's a natural social network for writers and journalists especially broadcast journalists. You'll find a lot of legislators and politicians on there because of the ratio of journalists /writers / news publications. But it's perfect for me because I can connect with magazine editors and literary agents to see what's on their manuscript wish list or what type of pitches they're looking to publish in their newspapers or magazines.

@TroyI don’t think you know how twitter works ... I asked but you didn’t answer. I have to literally look for his tweets in trending topics -NOT every trending topic. And if you look at anyone’s tweets and know enough about Twitter - you definitely know who is going to end up in Twitter Jail. But you don’t know enough about twitter for us to have this debate - i’d have to spend too much time explaining it to you. I’ll just say this he doesn’t show up in my twitterfeed because no one I follow follows him. I see every thing you do on twitter because I turned on your notifications -so if we are on at the same time - I can retweet, comment and like what you ever you do on twitter.. You can say blue pill or red but take it to heart because these social media networks are mirrors of us and the folks we hang with.

Exactly! So, stop doing it! Making generalizations about something as personal as an algorithm that requires personal input is ridiculous. Like life, it is ALWAYS going to return different results for each person. I’ve been teaching since I was 15 3/4 when I got my first job as a camp counselor. But I suspect that’s not what you were looking for...So stop... If your lesson plan consists of downloading a social media app; uploading a big booty woman -in one day then concluding that you can’t sell books on the app - it doesn’t matter if you’re a tenured professor. Your students are better off taking a class with Kylie Jenner. At 21, she’s figured out how to become a billionaire selling make-up. Oh wait... the algorithm was set up so she could make money because of her famous sister with great assets.. is that correct? I registered my first domain in 2001... I’ve been online since 1997... When we still had to type in numbers to find certain web addresses. I want to say my first account was with netscape but I think that was actually my second one.. i’ve had more websites than I care to admit ... and I was a media marketing cofounder of a very popular tech startup (2006), that we grew our audience to 100,000+ We started on myspace took it to facebook then to a standalone lifestyle digital publishing platform. We did this while hosting a weekly live 2 hour broadcast on blogtalkradio.com where we’d interview celebrities and business mover and shakers. Our show remained in the top shows on blogtalkradio for nearly two years (2007 - 2009) In fact, you were probably in school when I started working in broadcast media. I was uploading news packages and downloading feeds via satellite coordinates to and from CBS newspath and CNN Newsource — I was writing scripts, voicing and producing 30 minute newscasts -and short documentaries AND putting them online” in 1999... It was just a larger production back then... So while I only know a little HTML (adv beginner) and may not know how to code; I doubt if you know much more than I do when it comes to mass media, digital publishing, social media, the “internets” et al because this isn’t my first tech rodeo. OH WAIT! I’m a “certified” SeedTech Instructor! For two years, I taught basic computing and internet skills to adults in the USDOJ Weed & Seed target area in WV! lol! Don’t test me... @Troy

@Troy, no I don’t. Do you know how Twitter works? I only see his tweets when I go into trending topics. That’s when I see how he provokes folks. As for 45, I muted him when he was elected. The only time I see his tweets is when I watch. “Deadline” I don’t follow Farrakhan but I do follow 2 women who follow him. I had to mute one of who seemed enthralled by his rhetoric. But she has since calmed down. See how that works? We can decide who and what we see.

Thank YOU! Exactly!!! I still don't know why some folks are surprised Farrakhan got the boot. I can't believe Hidden Colors Tariq Nasheed is still on twitter.

Ok Pinocchio, clearly neither can you...so there's that. Maybe in the book of @Troy ..but also check in a book on behavior... If there's no inclination there's no influencing. You see big booty women because you are attracted to them. AND you have a habit of making it about "THE SYSTEM" ... However there is only US in a two person conversation - and there's only our experiences. They indicate what is going on in YOUR world/ My World . We can not prove what others experience because we are not living their lives. Now bringing up anecdotal "evidence" to share YOUR worldview is a waste of everyone's time. It doesn't change the fact that YOU are providing INPUT to get the OUTPUT. No one else. If you're going "teach" a lesson about Instagram - please at least say it's your experience.

@Troy No software program; pimp; drug dealer or advertising can influence behavior that doesn't exist. You seem to want to blame everything on outside factors. Before it was the billboards in the 'hood that influenced black folks to drink beer and smoke cigarettes ... Now you go on Instagram set up an account and it's their business practices that promoted a woman's big booty in your feed - a WOMAN that you decided to follow. It's amazing how it's never your decisions that cause you to be at odds with something ... Instead it's the system. A system that only seems to affect you. But then you think the rest of us are clueless because we recognize cause and effect LOL ... OH wait that's right! You don't believe in free will nor cause and effect either. MKay.

Again... porn has NEVER turned up in my feed on Twitter either... Wow @Delano ! I think you may be on to something

@Troy You know I don't know you as well as the "internets" does. It is an example I used to illustrate the definition of the algorithm. It wouldn't have been as effective if I used the name "tom" ... But you make me laugh. You sound like my mother who believes if she doesn't do online banking or check her medical records - the information isn't available about her. So yes, delete the app, but that's like removing the mirrors from your home because you don't want anyone to see how you look. How you appear to the advertisers isn't going anywhere. The only way you can get away from these privacy bandits is to go off the grid period. Remove yourself from the system. No credit cards, no television, no voting, no banking, no cell phones, nothing electronic that is collecting data...And then only you'll know about how you feel about big booty women.

@Pioneer1 a mother responsible for the financial well-being of her children is not a matriarchy. Nor does that qualify as a social/political/financial system. It's simply called survival. For matriarchy to exist it would have to be a social system. At present one does not; nor has ever existed. Even in the UK with Queen Elizabeth currently reigning, it's still a monarchy not matriarchy. But back to my original point' since the Tuareg Tribe still maintain a lot of their socio- cultural system - it is easy to trace their activities to some Africans who live in America. If I didn't make myself clear - I was specifically referring to some African American women and how they CHOOSE to live that mirrors the Tuareg Women. As for the Tuareg tribes, their history reveals they are indigenous to Africa - but this brings us back to appropriation . I'm hoping this thread will shed light on what is unique to Africa and what we brought with us - not some european historian saying the Berbers were "white"...Sure we've always married other ethnic groups - but that doesn't change who is indigenous to the land. Tuareg tribes exist in egalitarianism-matrilineal model of culture. NOT patriarchal which is a social political system that's been in place for about 15,000 years; a lot of it due to colonialism. As for Alpha "men" I don't even know what that means. If you're making a comparison to wolves ...that report has since been discredited because the "researcher" only observed wolves in captivity but not the wolves who are free. It appears when wolves are enslaved they become aggressive - and go crazy. They attempt to dominate something or someone since something or someone is dominating them.

@Troy those algorithms are based on OUR input - There's no purpose to put a woman in your feed if the algorithm doesn't expect for you to remain on the app. You've taught the program that you will be titillated by a scantily clad woman and thereby will remain on the app to see some ads. Algorithm - A step by step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end. Troy has show a proclivity for big booty women . A photo of a big booty woman will hold Troy in rapt ... Troy will remain on the app to see more big booties but the program will throw in some ads about where Troy can spend money to get more big booty women. It's not rocket science. Change your behavior; your Instagram feed will change too.

It appears you’ve decided what appears in your feed. You’ve chosen to follow her. Who we follow dictates what we’ll see . Kai has 62 likes and she posted 1 day ago. If you logged in at 1020 PM then your timing put her right at the top of your feed. if you logged in this morning, it is possible her photo was still the most popular so you’re going to see it. Aside: (NY TIMES is currently running a series “The Privacy Project” on privacy (or lack thereof) The algorithm is based on our own behavior. Intrusive? Yes. but definitely it’s our world reflecting back at us. Instagram’s business model is advertising - so was there an ad under that photo?