Troy

This would comport with my experience. Any AALBC content that went viral on social does so because of someone else's efforts -- not mime. In each case I never was able to identify the person who first my content go virial.

I'm part of a program called Builder + Backers and am hoping to do an experience in which I can test the effectiveness of TikTok for AALBC, but I need a website refresh which I hope yo complete in another 4 weeks. As far as the lack of ads on TikTok, if they are like any other social media platform, they will be coming -- trust me. The other thing I find problematic with social is that so much of what we see is advertising. Now I don't have a problem with advertising, but it is often undisclosed and gives prominence to those with the most money. This usually ends up in marginalizing Black content not cosigned by white folks.

@Mel Hopkins, Sorry, I misspoke. I know full well that people are selling, or attempting to sell, any and everything on block chain. What I meant was that we will not see, in my opinion, use of this technology for books for sometime. Buying books with NFT;s will not suppliant the traditional way of purchasing books -- certainly not in our life time. Have you or @daniellegfny (or anyone) purchased a book on the Block chain? Even the site you linked to Mel does not sell physical books Do you, or anyone else here besides Danillegfny and myself hold, cryptocurrency? I know, with tech, things can change quickly, but the adoption rate of buying physical things with crypto faces many challenges which will imped, if not stop wide spread adoption. Most notably is the proliferation of different currencies and lack of standardization, which are two problems I see with Publica -- why are they introducing another cryptocurrency and requiring a proprietary browser extension? There seems to be very little utility here for the user. It looks like the owners benefit off the transactions of others hoping to get rich.

Hey @Delano of course you came to mind when this email to help me promote audio book came in the mail today. I clicked my sign, but failed to see the connection with me or Astrology. Does anyone's list of audio book recommendations resonate with them? Click your zodiac sign below (based on your date of birth) to find your perfect picks, which you can purchase through AALBC ! Pisces February 19 – March 20 Aries March 21 – April 19 Taurus April 20 – May 20 Gemini May 21 – June 20 Cancer June 21 – July 22 Leo July 23 – August 22 Virgo August 23 – September 22 Libra September 23 – October 22 Scorpio October 23 – November 21 Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 Capricorn December 22 – January 19 Aquarius January 20 – February 18 Looking for more? Find the full list of audiobook recommendations for each sign, plus the reasons why! See all the picks Need credits? Buy a gift membership for yourself in support of AALBC to get 3, 6, or 12 credits up front! Get credits Questions? Explore the Help center or contact us and a real, audiobook-loving human will get back to you!

@Mel Hopkins Are you seeing may folks in our age on TikTok? Did you discover Kendra Reads before you saw the CBS News article? It seems odd that TikTok, a video sharing platform, is still displaying user videos as mirror images. All the text in the video being reversed is unnecessary and irritating. (Am I coming across grumpy this a.m.? 🤨)

I can absolutely see this happening. Perhaps we will also use AI to read the books for us too 😜

While I do take what the CEO says with a grain of salt (because of his obvious bias). I don't doubt that plenty of people are looking at BookToK -- including the "tok" I posted above. I'm just not sure this is translating into buyers and readers. Consider the Tok in your post @Mel Hopkins, which I have embedded below. I think this is a much better treatment of a book than the one I posted earlier. I read the CBS News article and it said she gather 60K followers in less than 2 months. Somehow I don't think I could garner that type of following -- she is a 20-something and I', old enough to be her grandfather. But you know what, maybe I'll just give it s shot and see for myself.

Actually it is at least a century old LOL. I'm more confident the current model will persist for another century than I am the model being rendered obsolete by the metaverse. Man, I've played around with Crypto, NFTs, virtual and augmented reality, all of it -- I'm into that kind of the tech stuff. But for the same reason I don't spend hours of social media I will not be spending an appreciable amount of my life in, or engaging in, the metaverse. We are a long way away from selling books on block chains or building a metaverse where books will be purchased. Physical books will persists and will be sold outside the metaverse for the foreseeable future. @daniellegfny did anyone buy your NFT yet? I'll pass on downloading this apps -- it is not exactly revolutionary...

It is often suggested that I need to get on to TikTok to build my brand and draw more attention to AALBC. This article was shared with me, "How BookTok changed Book of the Month’s influencer marketing strategy" The article featured the following (see Below) BookTok post (what are TickTok posts called anyway, Toks?). Nothing about this appealed to me -- and I don't think it is my age. Sure, I can see that this may attract eyeballs (views on TickTok), but will this translate into readers or buyers of the books? Who is on TikTok anyway?

In a remarkable blend of historical fiction and horror, Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams is a thrilling novel about biracial twin sisters separated at birth and the reckoning that comes when they reunite. Twin sisters Charlie Yates and Magnolia Heathwood were secretly separated after the brutal lynching of their parents, who died for loving across the color line. Now, at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, Charlie is a young Black organizer in Harlem, while white-passing Magnolia is the heiress to a cotton plantation in rural Georgia. Buy Now ▶ Recently Reviewed Books Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora by Bryant Terry “Each chapter and verse, each poem, photograph, painting, think-piece, and recipe is a portal to beloved communities of plants and animals, food and pleasures, leisures, tastes, and cultures across many eras,” Terry writes. With a sumptuous modern playlist, he pays tribute, along with other writers and chefs, to the artists, activists, scholars, writers, poets, and other honored ancestors with our traditional food. Like other monumental classics in their field, Terry’s Black Food deserves a permanent place in your kitchen and on your bookshelf. Read More ▶ Look for Me and I’ll Be Gone: Stories by John Edgar Wideman Like Ishmael Reed, Clarence Major, and other legendary African-American male writers of their generation, John Edgar Wideman, at eighty, is nearing the twilight of his writing career. He, however, continues to produce work of the highest quality. Following the collected short fiction volume, The Stories of John Edgar Wideman (1992), consisting of 35 stories, the writer published three more story collections: God’s Gym (2205), Briefs (2010), and American Histories (2018). Currently, he adds another gem to his literary crown: Look For Me And I’ll Be Gone, another surprising grouping of his groundbreaking short stories. Read More ▶ The African Lookbook: A Visual History of 100 Years of African Women by Catherine E. McKinley While McKinley’s photo book is a rich visual feast (1870-1970), it serves to focus on the feminine beauty, cultural physicality, and innate resourcefulness of the African woman. Witness this magical, mythic photo album! Look at the lovely girl and the majestic women in the work of Seydou Keita, the Mali stylist. Check out the pair of hip kitties with dark glasses and cool garb by another Mali shutterbug Abdourahmane Sakaly. Dig the sleek hair-do of Eva from Ghana’s James Barnor. Take a gander at the tinted photos of the mysterious Dunau. Examine the solo and group figures of the Dakar and Saint-Louis Studios. Read More ▶ North Street Book Prize for Self-Published Books Seventh Annual North Street Book Prize for Self-Published Books Delores Lowe Friedman of Bayside, New York received a First Prize in Mainstream/Literary Fiction for her novel Wildflowers. “Delores Lowe Friedman's Wildflowers is an emotionally rich and intimate novel that follows a decades-long friendship among three Black women in New York City. Their complex and shifting relationships encompass crisis support, joys and secrets shared, estrangement, and jealousy. This story celebrates the power of women's bonds, but also shows how intimacy can be shattered by projected insecurities. A lost friend can be as life-defining as any romantic breakup. Wildflowers explores this truth in honest detail.” —Jendi Reiter Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd US Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers Susan Taylor “Susie” Baker King (August 6, 1848 – 1912), teacher and nurse, achieved many firsts in a lifetime of overcoming adversity and helping elevate others out of slavery. As the author [in 1902] of Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d United States Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers, she was the only African American woman to publish a memoir of her wartime experiences. Read an excerpt from her memoir, Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd US Colored Troops, Late 1st S.C. Volunteers ▶ Website Dedicated to Black History Tops a Million Visitors From Black Past’s Founder, Quintard Taylor “I am pleased to announce that as of midnight last night (Feb. 23), BlackPast.org (www.blackpast.org) crossed the one million mark for visitors in the 23 days since February 1. Specifically, the count was 1,016,614. This is an all-time record and we are going to have our first one-million-plus month in the fourteen-year history of BlackPast.org. Credit for this accomplishment goes to numerous BP board members, the support team which now includes people on two continents, and of course the nearly 1,000 volunteer contributors from six continents who provide the accurate, reliable content that’s now used by thousands of visitors each day. As we write these words, hundreds of people around the world are accessing the incomparable information found on BlackPast.org.” I've run AALBC.com for almost 25 years and have nothing but admiration for Black Past and what they have accomplished over the years. Blackpast.org has also been identified as one of the Top 50 Black-Owned websites ▶. Advance Screening of the Last Days of Ptolemy Grey Join Us for an Advance Screening of The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey The Virtual Screening will take place March 9th at 9:00 pm EST / 6:00 pm PST Based upon Walter Mosley’s novel, The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey, Ptolemy Grey is a 91-year-old man forgotten by his family, by his friends, by even himself. On the brink of sinking even deeper into lonely dementia, Ptolemy experiences a seismic shift when he's given the tremendous opportunity to briefly regain his memories and uses this precious and fleeting lucidity to solve his nephew's death and come to terms with his past. RSVP and let them know AALBC sent you! You’ll also receive a free promo code from AppleTV+ to continue watching the series when it premieres on AppleTV+, on March 11, 2022. Use the RSVP link, in this Newsletter, and be entered to win an autographed copy of the book. Award-Winning Illustrator Ashley Bryant Passed Ashley Bryan (July 13, 2021 – February 4, 2022) grew up to the sound of his mother singing from morning to night, and he has shared the joy of song with children ever since. A beloved illustrator, he has been the recipient of the Coretta Scott King—Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award; he has also been a May Hill Arbuthnot lecturer, a Coretta Scott King Award winner, and the recipient of countless other awards and recognitions. “He had turned 98 on July 13, 2021, and continued to recite poetry from his vast repertoire — especially Shakespeare’s sonnets — up to the very end.” Dear Troy, I urge you to sign the petition to exonerate Marcus Garvey and encourage the members of your communities to do so too. We now have only hours remaining to get one hundred thousand (100,000) signatures needed within the February 1- March 2nd 30-day period. Reaching this goal will result in an official response from the White House. Always remember Troy, you are why we’ve been able to make AALBC the premier online platform for books by, or about, people of African descent. Your paid subscriptions, book purchases, suggestions, engagement on the site, commenting, social sharing, and advertisements help support AALBC’s mission. Peace and Love, Troy Johnson Founder & Webmaster, AALBC.com This message is sponsored by Kelly McWilliams Consider sponsoring our eNewsletter or a dedicated email. ★ AALBC.com eNewsletter – March 1, 2022 - Issue #352

Elon never struck me as someone who cared that much for addressing the need of the common man. Tesla's are nice but I can't afford one... I have wonder why does he care. All I can do is wonder because Twitter will never reveal that. Even at $4 per gallon for premium, in neck of the woods, gas is still pretty cheap relative to the other countries and relative to our own past. Unless I take a road trip I don't have to fill up my take for at least three weeks. I doubt I'm unusual. Honestly, I think gas should be more expensive for a variety of reasons but mostly to push down consumption. Most people around here drive gas guzzling trucks on their way to the convenience store to buy lottery tickets and beer. Meanwhile, Amazon trucks are driving around major metro areas, polluting the air, delivering things to people too lazy to go outside, walk across the street and buy at their corner store.

@daniellegfny, I'd argue that I'm more tech savvy than your typical person -- even the so called social media influencers people like to talk so much about, as I actually build with technology. In other words I'm not a luddite. That said, I'm in @ProfD's camp meaning that I will not be joining the Zuck's metaverse either. Now I will poke my head in from time to time to see what is going on, but the idea of going into a fully immerse environment controlled by someone solely interested in exploiting and manipulating me for profit is not something I'll be lining up to sign up for. You through people were being manipulated by social media now, wait until you we are in the clutches of the Metaverse 🙄

So now you want me to prove negatives You are incorrigible Danielle. "Snobbery" is an interesting way to describe a desire to seek reputable sources for news and information. Again, sources matter.

@nels sources matter. I too am not convinced you are what is known as a troll. Some trolls troll because they get their kicks riling others up. In the social media age trolls are even paid, as they help spread propaganda and misinformation to confuse the public. I'm not sure what your motivation is, but when someone demonstrates zero interest in intellectual honestly they are indistinguishable from a troll. Would you entertain the idea and consider Lifezette is a questionable source?

@Stefan the problem with comparing the Jewish Holocaust (as done in the article you shared) and the African Holocaust in terms of reparations is that we were talking about living survivors. The same goes for the Japanese-Americans who victimized during WWII. While there is at least one surviving child of an enslaved African (see video below) the vast majority of us are generations removed from slavery. As a result it is hard for people to see why we should be compensated. The other problem is that the American public is so poorly educated about American slavery most people think we were put in a better position by being brought here -- seriously! Then of course you have the population of white people, who despite their advantages compared to Black people, are struggling. They deserve help too, but Black people deserve so much more. This discrepancy leads to jealously and just plan hate. this will be virtually impossible to over come. Maybe instead of cash payments. How about a life time of not having to pay federal income taxes and a refund of taxes previously pad with interest 🙂

Sci-fi may be my favorite film genre. There are so many that I enjoyed. Generally the first film in the most popular franchises (The Matrix, Predator, Aliens, Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminator, etc) as well as one offs like Ex Machina are films I enjoyed I have never seen an alien, as far as I know. I do believe there is intelligent extraterrestrial life. I would absolutely pay to board a UFO and go to another planet especially one with superior technology (and hopefully behavior). From the link you provided @Stefan I discovered Son Of Ingagi (1940): the first all-Black horror film. I will watch this on my TV later -- Thanks! I watched most of the other films, most of them I did not care about very much. I did enjoy seeing Black Panther, but thought The Matrix was a far better film.

Yeah the problem is it caused money to produce journalism and the web has created the perception that this is produced for free. As a result many people consume "news" via instagram and uninformed. First is has not gone "well" for Black folks so far. But you indirectly bring up a good point. The money should come from a private fund. The government, technically, does not have money they can only levy taxes or borrow it. The vast majority of the wealth accrued from slavery went to "the 1%" and their wealth has increased generationally. Maybe they should pony up a small percentage of their slavery derived wealth and fund reparations for Black people. They are the only ones with the money to pay for it anyway. As of March 2021, the wealth of US Billionaires was 4.18 trillion it is surely more in 2022. Would the wealthiest give up just 10% of their wealth to make this problem go away? 😉 The truth cash money to individuals alone will not solve the problem. The structural problems also need to ne remedied.

Embedding @daniellegfny Instagram post (below). How do you vet the information you dig up on the web and chose to believe? BTW none of the information you posted above even suggests that Kapenick wants to kill police officers. Have you decided to back off and admit your assertion was false?

JOIN US FOR AN ADVANCE SCREENING OF THE LAST DAYS OF PTOLEMY GREY The Virtual Screening will take place March 9th at 9:00 pm EST / 6:00 pm PST Director: Ramin Bahrahni Writer: Walter Mosley Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Omar Benson Miller, Al Mitchel, Tim McAdams Ptolemy Grey is a 91-year-old man forgotten by his family, by his friends, by even himself. On the brink of sinking even deeper into lonely dementia, Ptolemy experiences a seismic shift when he's given the tremendous opportunity to briefly regain his memories and uses this precious and fleeting lucidity to solve his nephew's death and come to terms with his past. Premiering only on AppleTV+ on March 11, 2022 RSVP link for the advance screening of the first episode Let them know AALBC sent ya! RSVPs will receive a free promo code from AppleTV+ to continue watching the series on the platform once it launches! Look for a link in my next newsletter to enter a contest to win a free autographed copy of The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey Mosley once said The Last Days Of Ptolemy Grey was his best book: Check out the trailer:

USAFacts is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan civic initiative making government data easy for all Americans to access and understand. ...for those of you who facts matter.

One of my kids got a Con Ed (NYC Utility company) for over $400 -- for a small studio apt! She said there was an across the board hike. So it is not just rents.

@Stefan I followed the link you posted above It illustrates the problem with the web and how it adversely effects Black Enterprise. The article, "If your credit score ever falls under 700..." is embedded placed in BE's site just like any other article. I clicked the link. which send me here: https://partners.thepennyhoarder.com/700-credit-score-prt/ The article included the text: "James Cooper. He didn’t know anything about credit, but Credit Sesame showed him the exact steps he needed to take to improve his score — from a 524 to 801.*" On it's face this is highly unlikely extreme, only then did I question what I was reading. I trusted Black Enterprise. The article sends people to Credit Sesame. The asterisk at the end of the statement provided the following disclaimer (assuming the reader noticed and bothered scroll to the end of the page). "Credit Sesame does not guarantee any of these results, and some may even see a decrease in their credit score." The also indicate that less than 50% will see an increase of 10 points (which is a negligible increase for someone to pay to achieve). Black Enterprise was paid to link to The Penny Horder and the Penny Horder was paid to link to Credit Sesame. All of this is done through deceptive tactics and the reader is just misled and ultimately ripped off. This is what Black Enterprise has become.

Embedding Danielle instagram post (above) I'm sure you have insulted me more times I have insulted all the other combined. Again you are just making things up again. @Pioneer1, tell Mzuri how often have I insulted you. @Mzuri you conflate disagreement, and a challenge of your ideas, as insulting.

Amen.

Well I'm super glad that you all have refuted the propaganda and outright lies that Daniellegfny and others relentlessly to post. @daniellegfny it is crystal clear from this post that you are not interested in advancing your knowledge. When you first posted that Biden was giving away crack pipes it was clear that you did not read the grant. Your posts about Colin Kaepernick and Critical Race theory were similar: you make an false statement, you are shown the truth, then you react by bring in more erroneous information while never addressing the original false statement. A reasonable person would acknowledge the error and move on -- but you continue to push the lie (it is a lie now because you know the truth). The question one is forced to ask is, why? Why do you continue to push something that is clearly a lie, like saying Colin Kaepernick called for the killing of police? (Did you remove that comment Danillegfny?) What are you trying to accomplish? Why continue to push the idea that Biden is handing out crack pipes? What is in it for you? There is plenty one can critique Biden on without making stuff up. Honestly, what is your motivation?