Troy

Faith will be my motto for 2015.

Hey Chris, most people who visit your site will not transact or engage, but you don't need all of them do so. Yes they may do so in the future, as they become more familiar with your brand. This is why we engage in the effort of attracting visitors. It is interesting to compare our mix of traffic. 73% of my traffic is due to organic search, which is why I'm so vulnerable to Google search results. This past October Google made an algorithm change that resulted in a doubling in traffic, from search, compared with the previous year. This is really good news for me, but I'm guarded as Google can take away just as easily as they give. My referral from social is only 4%. Now I get 8% of my traffic from other sites. In other words, links from other sites, is responsible for twice the traffic I get from all of social media. It is not unusual for me to get more traffic from Wikipedia than I do from Facebook. The rest of my traffic, 15%, is direct. This is why I firmly believe we, collectively, can be much more successful by simply linking to each other's sites, commenting on other sites, and just actively recommending other sites. This does NOT mean linking to someone's social media page, this means linking to their website! I also believe we will be better served by linking to each other is because this worked better for us long before social media was invented. I could very easily get rid of the, 4% of my traffic coming from social media, they do not convert as well as direct traffic or traffic from referrals. In fact in 2015 I'm going to invest more effort with working other sites rather than social media. I also agree that affiliate programs could help a great deal. Affiliate programs, by their very design expands your reach and helps everyone profit. This is a strategy that Amazon has exploited brilliantly. But we have three major problems as they relate to affiliate programs; We simply won't use affiliate links For example, the vast majority of authors who send people to Amazon do NOT apply an affiliate links. I have tried to explain the benefits of this to anyone who will listen, but even after explaining, most authors continue to link to Amazon with applying affiliate codes. I find this too baffling to understand. I've written so much about this I've grown tired (see point #3). We are won't buy buy from indie websites Implementing an affiliate program can help, but we, as a people, have to be more willing to actually make the purchases. Indie sites don't have enough traffic Revenue generated from commissions earned from affiliate programs will be quite low as most sites don't have enough traffic to generate meaningful sales. All of the problems above can be easily addressed by indie sites working for closely with each other. I think it would also be helpful if we stopped giving social media so much free promotion and content, and just leave social media for people who want to boast, play games, and share celebrity gossip and funny videos. Chris if I could sit down with 10 other people who run websites and share the type of information you shared, off the cuff, we could all benefit. But most webmasters sophisticated enough to do this won't, because we also are way too competitive with each other and way too supportive of those ready to bury us..

Chris I could see why you liked this article. Talib thinks like us :-) Yes the article was very interesting, of course I see parallels in what is doing as an artist and what I;m doing here with AALBC.com. At the end of the independence is key. It took him a long time to come to that conclusions. In my space I always understood this to be true, but in my case there were no alternatives to independence. It is worth mentioning Talibs site: Kweliclub.com of course I'll be inquiring about an affiliate program

Yeah Chris I was going to add a hyperlink to the authors website, but I could not find one. Often I'll come behind posts like this and add missing information I think would help.

I have to say I'm not a fan of this album. I don't have time to critique it in in more depth, but when I listen to track number 10, for example, and think of Sinéad O'Connor's version, I can't think about how much worse Aretha's treatment is. Dare I say, O'Connor delivers the song with more soul Listening to, "At Last", just makes me wanna get out Etta Jameses album.

Hey Chris, though we disagree from time to time, we share a similar thought process. I read the analysis of the results of your kick starter campaign, that you shared on your website I found it very interesting. But the thing you left out was the impact of your video. I think your video was excellent. You came across as someone we just wanted to support. You appealed to people emotionally--people would feel good about themselves by supporting you. It was a great approach for crowd funding. Now if you were trying to obtain funding from some VC folks, you better have some figures. Del, most of the time people use anecdotes or personal beliefs to support their arguments, not facts. In fact, people will often use anecdotes to refute facts. When people start arguing over facts I'm learning to abandon those arguments.

Chris we call that a drive by promotion. I don't mind this at all; it happens so infrequently, and I learn something from every contributor. Plus it has only been a 4 days, sometimes I go this long without replying to a post. What actually is more interesting to me is that fact that this does not happen more often.

Hey Cynique, I'm glad you enjoyed Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin. Since I have no recollection of the year 1962, the year I was born, your relationship to Aretha is very different than my own. Her album Young, Gifted and Black was one of the few albums my family owned. I listed to it countless times. Still, even in my book, she is the "Queen of Soul." Talented, Black, adult, female singers don't seem to have the same level of support today as they did back then. I'm not sure when any other woman will approach the same level of multi-generational admiration as an Aretha Franklin. Aretha's first collaboration with Ritz, Aretha: From These Roots, was an AALBC.com bestseller back in 1999. This book however is very controversial; Aretha Franklin calls the book "trashy" and "full of lies." "As many of you are aware, there is a very trashy book out there full of lies and more lies about me. ... (The writer's) actions are obviously vindictive because I edited out some crazy statements he had the gall to try and put in my book written 15 years ago. Evidently, he has been carrying this hatred ever since." (source) I could not find a direct source of her full statement. This reaction does not surprise me however, David Ritz, despite his very impressive resume chronicling Black people, does not have the best reputation. But Aretha is a "diva" so who knows what is true. A some point, unless some criminal activity is involved, I believe people have right to maintain their privacy. But we live in a country where someone can make a lot of money by writing a biography, against the subject's wishes, which contains information (true or not), that they don't want shared. In my mind, something is fundamentally wrong with that. Aretha just released an Album: Aretha Franklin Sings The Great Diva Classics Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics (Full Album) Tracklist: 01. At Last 02. Rolling In the Deep 03. Midnight Train To Georgia 04. I Will Survive 05. People 06. No One 07. I’m Every Woman _ Respect 08. Teach Me Tonight 09. You Keep Me Hangin’ On 10. Nothing Compares 2 U

Del, perspective is everything, everyone is different, and facts are irrelevant. Trying to change the beliefs of others based upon information, is largely a waste of time unless they are actually trying to learn and are in search of the truth--which is a rare characteristic. It is not opposition to you Del, it is human nature. Appeal to people's emotions. They don't care about "better results," they care only about the way something makes them feel. @Harry if you are reading this, this is why the Black preachers you often decry are so successful--they are expert at appealing to people's emotions.

I believe the E-Drum predates AALBC.com. If not, it has been around about as long as I can remember, and I'm on my 18th year running this site. E-Drum has been on Yahoo Groups for 7 years and was on a list-serve before that. Famed poet, historian, activist, and father Kalamu ya Salaam run the E-Drum for our collective benefit. You may subscribe here: kalamu-subscribe@yahoogroups.com E-DRUM - January 3, 2015 - 3 publishing opportunities + 8 other posts POETRY: MY NAME IS KALAMU - http://bit.ly/1xsBKIo VIDEO: Pharaoh Sanders Quintet - http://bit.ly/1Bw1Byl VIDEO: Ahmad Jamal - Jazz session 1971 - http://bit.ly/1xsBx84 PUB: 92Y "Discovery"/Boston Review Poetry Contest - http://bit.ly/1Bw1nXX PUB: The 2015 William Matthews Poetry Prize - http://bit.ly/1xsBh9i PUB: 2015 San Francisco Book Festival Call for Entries - http://bit.ly/1Bw1eUw INTERVIEW: Conversations with Anqélique Gakoko Pitteloud and Wanuri Kahiu - http://bit.ly/1xsBaKF VIDEO: 50 Years Of African-Caribbean Funerals In Pictures - http://bit.ly/1Bw17II VIDEO: American Drug War: The Last White Hope - http://bit.ly/1xsB1XG REVIEW: BOOK—Never Been A Time - http://bit.ly/1Bw0Zc9 HISTORY + VIDEO: The Goal: To Remember Each Jim Crow Killing, From The '30s On - http://bit.ly/1xsAWn3 Subscribe: kalamu-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Hi Salena. Welcome to the forum and thanks for changing information about your book. I noticed that you sent people your your page on Amazon. i was wondering if you had a website? If not why not?

Thanks Del. I would be inclined to agree with you if "readers/thinkers" were a larger part of our community, or if this community were prominent enough to impact the larger community more significantly. I've already written how little acknowledgement I get from Black media. I have also written how similar efforts in the white community are elevated and promoted. What we as Black people value and praise does not serve us very well. We simply do not strive for unity. We talk a good game, but our collective behavior says otherwise. Of course there are great exceptions, but in general this is the case. Cynique I would suggest that unity is not abstract, it is a concrete reality. I can give countless examples of where unity comes into play. Whether it is the Irish in the NYC police department or Jews in the NYC board of education, different groups have come to dominate certain areas. This domination accrues benefits to those groups and disadvantages to those not in those groups. Black folks do not dominate or control anything. Every corporate job I have even obtained was due to the largess of a white person. The few Black folks in a position to hire anyone are concerned about holding on to their own jobs to benefit any other Black people. Again any exceptions are too few to matter. The only hope I see, when I'm discouraged, is when I get support from someone, a kind word, a check, or a volunteer effort. This type of support always from an individual is that gives me hope for the future, not a church or a politician. Harlem literally has a church, or two, or three, on every block. Black folks have lost Harlem, but the reality is that we never owned it in the first place. The churches and politicians (we have had a Black congressman for at least 50 years) made little difference.

I understand Harry's statements. Indeed, I often consider the time I invest working for Black unity. My rational side tells me it is a fool's errand, a waste of time. My emotional side tells me I have no choice but to fight for unity, so I fight. The issues surrounding the lack of Black unity never became so obvious until I became a full-time entrepreneur. Linda! Where you been? Missed you. What I don't understand in your reply is why you would agree with Harry so strongly on Barkley and Carson, but disagree with the rest of his points. We, for example, have gained thousands more Black politicians since the civil rights era, but as a people, one could easily argue we have lost ground. I completely understand why there are so few Black owned businesses today-- we done integrated ourselves out of business. No Del, we don't have a country. We do however have a continent, and as the name implies, it is Africa. Countries are artificial boundaries created, usually by Europeans, without regard to the cultures of the people already there.

...but all these astrological techniques in the west and east are collectively called Astrology and within western astrology there is disagreement, right? But back to my original point, astronomers tell us that heavens are constantly changing. This is a fact. !00,000 years from now, the night time sky will be very different than it is today. It would seem to me that a system which is based upon the position of cosmic bodies would need to change as the positions of those bodies change. We do know that when astrology was invented no one knew about the Planet Pluto. When Pluto was discovered it was added to the Astrologer bag of tricks Now that we know Pluto is not unlike other large rocks orbiting the sum, and was demoted to a dwarf planet, should we discount Pluto or consider the other objects too? If I understand you correctly Del, this is not the case. The position of the constellations, which are in a constant state of change, does not change astrology, and certainly not magic.

I did not heard about this movie until a couple of days ago. This is no surprise, despite the critical acclaim, it grossed less than $60K at the box office. I guess this is what happens without Black media.

The Trials of Muhammad Ali is not a conventional sports documentary. Befitting its extraordinary and complex subject, the film examines Ali's life outside the ring, beginning with the announcement of his deeply held and controversial Islamic religious beliefs, and the decision to change his "white man's name" of Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. The film explores his refusal to serve in the Vietnam war, even after his status as a conscientious objector was denied, on the grounds of protesting racial … More Rating: Unrated Runtime: 1 hr. 34 min. Genre: Documentary , Special Interest Directed By: Bill Siegel In Theaters: Aug 23, 2013 Limited On DVD: Apr 21, 2014

Chris, you know you may man, but you ascribe far to much to hip-hop Bruh. Have you considered that a Questlove may do something because he has in interest in it, that was informed by factors other than hip-hop? I would argue he may have been motivated by simply a love of music, Black people, Fela, whatever.

Oh thanks man. I was not sure how you meant the statement, as in the same sentence you wrote "affluent Blacks." I'm far from affluent.

Del that is true for many things including religion and science. Both scientific and religious practice taught us that Black people were talking animals, worthy of enslavement. Neither practice represents science of religion. No Del, I can't tell you how Astrology works, but it is clear there is some disagreement on how it is practiced. This is clearly region's biggest problem. It is also a problem for science as well, but to a lessor extent.

Del, you and I are relatively smart. Hunter-Gault may be actually be brilliant. Still, the opportunities that were afforded all three of us, almost 1/2 a century ago are largely gone today. The are a large numbers of Black people, the majority, that will not likely ever benefit from the minimal advantages afforded us. They will not have a chance to get a good education. The the major urban centers the number of decent paying jobs and housing are are largely out of reach. The likelihood of a fulfilling job, that pays the bills is virtually out of the question. There are communities where most of the women are obese from a shit food supply, and most of the men have been involved with the criminal justice system. Del it is not about romanticizing a situation. I'm actually being practical and realistic. Working as an entrepreneur and a teacher serving Black people, and living in Harlem for the last 15 years has allowed me to see these things first hand. None of this is evening being by any diversity initiatives.

I agree completely with you Cynique. In fact I would suggest what drives the Black community apart more than anything else is class. Today I was on twitter looking at the engagement on a post of an interview I published with David Oyelowo about the new film Selma. Twitter often suggest celebrities to follow. I always ignore these suggestions, because I don't follow celebrities. For some reason I took a look a Samuel L Jackson twitter account. I don't know what I expected to see, but I was struck by the number of white people in the photographs he (or his publicist) posted. In fact, one could easily assume this account belong to a white person, were it not for the fact that Samuel himself. The point is Samuel L. Jackson lives a very different live than most Black people. No, we are not monolithic. As a result, it is extraordinarily difficult for us to pull together, as so called Black people. One thing I like about diversity initiatives is that it acknowledges the fact the suffering of poor people, for example, transcends race. If poor people of all colors pulled together to do something about the increasing wealth gap in America we could be more effective. It is just that, in practice, I have not seen a diversity initiative that has actually benefited Black people.

What do you all think about this meme? For some time now, well over a decade I've been thinking about the term "diversity" in the content of what it means to Black people. Basically the assumption is that if something is diverse Black people are included, but this is not true. I recall reading a brochure about a private school my kid went to, in which the school proudly described themselves as 20% diverse, but my kid was the only Black child in her class of 40. The same was true in most of the corporations I've worked for, on paper they were very diverse, but that diversity was not evident by the number of African Americans in the offices or cubicles. Now diversity is a great thing. I seek it in all facets on my life from the people I engage, to the food I eat, and the places I visit. But when it comes to advocating fro Black people. I find "diverse" efforts lacking. You see diversity includes the LGBT community, Muslims, Christians, Women, atheists, the physically challenged, poor people, hispanics, Asians, native-Americans, mixed race and yes Black people. Usually the Black representation in diverse groups are token representation. In fact, the Black people are often part of multiple groups. Imagine a disabled, gay, black, female member of a diverse group; who are they advocating for? Indeed forget the individual, is it possible for a group to do advocate effectively for all the disenfranchised groups? Diversity is the new Black, but Black people have been "Blacked Out" of these diversity initiatives--especially Black men...

Harry, that was definitely a good pick! I have not thought about this book in years. Fred passed away in 2013. Christmas In The Big House: Christmas in the Quarters

Libraries are much more supportive of self-published authors and eBooks than they have been in the past. Indeed, I just learned two days ago that the Queen Public Library offers FREE self-publishing services -- including editorial Your book is also made available via their eBook loan program. It is a good way to get exposure. I will write about this shortly. Yes Chris individuals can by direct from Lulu, but I'm sure they don't sell many books for the average author, and again booksellers have no incentive to carry the books. Dog Ear Publishing, who offeres self-publishing services published a price comparision (they seem like a nice outfit and have advertised on AALBC.com in the past): http://dogearpublishing.net/the-competition.php Chris what you do youthink of this coparision? Cynique does the description of Lulu mesh with your experience.

Parke Kunkle, an astronomy professor at the Minneapolis Community and Technical College and a board member of the Minnesota Planetary Society, told a Star Tribune of Minneapolis journalist (badly designed site) that Earth's wobbly orbit caused a shift in the alignment of our planet with the stars. The Earth is no longer aligned with the stars in the same way as when the signs of the zodiac were first conceived by the Babylonians (pro-astrology) some three thousand years ago. Here are how the sign should map if astrologers and astronomers were on the same page. Aries = April 19th - May 13th Taurus = May 14th - June 19th Gemini = June 20th - July 20th Cancer = July 21st - August 9th Leo = August 10th - September 15th Virgo = September 16th - October 30th Libra = October 31st - November 22nd Scorpio = November 23rd - November 29th Ophiuchus = November 30th - December 17th Sagittarius = December 18th - January 18th Capricorn = January 19th - February 15th Aquarius = February 16th - March 11th Pisces = March 12th - April 18th This list from is pulled form this Heaven can Wait Blog (interesting article on this subject). I did find some quotes from Shelley Ackerman, an astrologer and spokeswoman for American Federation of Astrologers "This doesn't change your chart at all. I'm not about to use it," "I've told all of them not to worry about it. Every few years a story like this comes out and scares the living daylights out of everyone, but it'll go away as quickly as it came." "...there are an infinite number of ways to divide the constellations, and that scientists are continually discovering new stars or a new solar system. Astrologers don't change their systems for every new change". "Just as in medicine when there are new discoveries you don't change the entire system, you just work with it to see if and where it fits into existing system" Del you know how my mind works. This new information (new information to me), contributes to my doubt about how astrology is practiced. I don;t understand how one can be presented with new, factual information, and not change their perspective.