Troy

For a few years now I've had serious issues with the quality and the nature of information as it appears on Wikipedia. Most recently I took issue with Wikipedia's citation for the African-American author Zane. This is not just a mental exercise. I believe the nature of some of Wikipedia's entries, as in the example below, actually hurts Black people. Wikipedia also allows corporate sites to promote themselves while not extending the same benefit to independent sites. The real travesty however is the fact that Google has evaluated Wikipedia's website by, giving it disproportionate exposure and influence by ranking it at the top of countless search results, regardless of the relative quality of alternative websites or even other encyclopedias. I contend the following text does not belong on an encyclopedia citation for for Zane: In 2014, she was cited by Comptroller of Maryland Peter Franchot as one of Maryland's top tax cheats, owing the state $340,833.58. I believe the information is not relevant to Zane's work as an author. If some knows anything about editing an encyclopedia, or can otherwise justify revealing personal, and obviously sensitive, information about this author I would be really interested. I don't think similar information, for everyone else cited in else in Wikipedia is revealed. I would also be willing to bet that if we looked at amount of negative or scandalous information ascribed to people cited in Wikipedia one would find Black people are disproportionately represented with negative information. Well I tried to remove the irrelevant information. Here is what I experienced a history of what happened before I got there. Immediately after the story, about Zane's tax liability broke in the Washington Post someone named Dcoleman123 added to Wikipedia. A few days later someone named JAllen removed the Tax information

DT I agree. Unfortunately, the top Black site reporting on Zane's troubles often persue traffic (revenue) in the same manner corporations do buy posting information on Black troubles and dysfunction. It is very difficult to generate revenue with a platform that strives to uplift Black people. This is happening to Zane for two reasons; (1) People share the scandalous news about Black people to get traffic ($) and (2) There are people interested in hurting Zane. Unfortunately, in America, the goal of hurting Black people and generating profits are often perfectly aligned.

A Goodreads user, Rochelle D. Carter (the President/CEO of Ellechor Media LLC and the author of The 7-Step Guide To Authorpreneurship), after reading my story removed the tax information fro Zane's profile. This is the troll who updated Zane's page with her tax information. Needless to say, their identity is hidden under "Lobster Girl."

Chris, I agree taking the best characteristics of a discussion forum and better integrating it with the site's content be a good idea. But I have yet to see any website execute this. I think the strength of AALBC.com is the fact that it is not Wordpress based. I can maintain the website myself. I am free to implement any technology I want. The site is modular and standards based I'm not locked into a template, a design, or even a company. Now I like WordPress and have built a few sites using it (my blog is wordpress based, using the default template, but hosted on my website and heavily customized). You should be able to get email alerts from this fourm, but that is a feature don't use. I basically check on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and here using a new posts link. Again, if the real content providers, the 5% who generate 75% of the content (a Twitter statistic), had their own websites and could integrate them. Then all we would need to do is check out own platforms. Readers however would still go primarily to social, but they would HAVE to come to our platforms to actually see the content we provide, which would be most of the content that is generated! I'm not familiar with Buddy Press but I will look into it.

Mel consider the following thought experiment: I believe the success you are enjoying on Facebook is not as great as it would have been before social media, utilizing you own platform. Of course I can't prove this but I suspect it very strongly. If I knew how much time you spent on Facebook and how many book sales were generated as a result I would be better able to make an assessment. Many authors I find greatly underestimate the time and over estimate the resulting sales. One thing I know for certain is that your activity on Facebook enriches Facebook and that comes at your expense. See you don't own or control Facebook. Imagine if you controlled all of the information, conversations you created for Facebook. You could even use that information to generate advertising revenue. See Mel, you are attractive, vivacious, smart, passionate, personable, talented and articulate. There was a time you could more easily capitalize off of these gifts with your own platform. But those days are over. Today people feel compeled to use social media-- but that is because there are no other options. When they generate sales they are happy, but they don't they would have been much better off before social media took control. But my main thesis is that not only are the individual authors losing out, collectively, we are all losing.

Sorry for all the typos in my original messages. Of course Cynique, Facebook is simply a better website and easier to use; it really is a technical marvel. Ivy League schools are "better" than HBCUs. When given a choice our best and brightest will typically choose teach at and attend an Ivy league school. Meanwhile, the HBCU's languish with a lower quality student body and faculty. As result they are least able to delivery an education as well as in the past. We have to invest in those that will support us. You see Goodreads benefits from Amazons deep pockets and a very high ranking on search thanks to Google. They also benefit MOST from countless people who contribute free content to their website. The fact that AALBC.com's content on Zane is far superior to Goodreads makes no difference, I simply do not get nearly the same support. In reality, I and everyone else trying to do what I'm doing is operating in a hostile environment, and have been for a few years. We survive despite Google. I hear you regarding Facebook and technology in general. The pace of change has been frenetic over the past 20 years. The implication on us culturally are profound as Turkle describes in the video. Mobile is a big deal right now. Eventually you have to get off I never liked being accessible 24 x 7. I virtually never answer my cell phone. I figure if the message is not important enough to leave a voice mail then I don't need to talk to you. It is not uncommon for me to walk with it turned off, only turning it on when I need it. I consume social media the same way. I have still not become accustomed to people who are engaged with their cell phones in the company of other people--I pray that I never do. Marketers are driving us to be attached to technology 100% of the time, not to make our lives better, but sell us things. This is so sad, because it is working too well.

Kam will be interviewing the first Brother Mark Obama on Monday about his new book, Cultures: My Personal Odyssey of Self-discovery

Cynique, the controversy is probably helping Zane's sales. Zane is the victim of so much hate (did you see the comments on the Washington Post article?) I suspect she is immune to it, at least as far as any feeling person can be. The idea of the Washington Post hosting a platform to allow so much vitriol against Zane is problematic. I think the Washington Post should hold them selves to a higher standard that you run-of-the-mill gossip site. A far as Wikipedia is concerned. You probably know I have had problems with them for sometime now, partially because they are ranked so high by Google and many, if not most, consider it authoritative. In any event, Wikip[edia is on of the top 10 of websites visited on the web. For Christ's sake Google RANKS Wikipedia 1st with the bull-sh-t about Zane?! There is no justification for that when so many more sites providing more and better content on Zane. Sure, technically, anyone can edit Wikipedia, but have you ever tried to edit a Wikipedia page? I have and it is not exactly easy. Also your changes can be overwritten and rejected by one of Wikipedia editors. Many of my entries have been rejected for, in my opinion, very subjective reasons. Whatever rules Wikipedia have the are inconsistently applied and favor large companies. Further 85% of all Wikipedia updates are written by white men. Despite the pretense and Google's exultation Wikipedia does not represent the people.

"...it will take more people to actively comment on posts ON OUR SITES instead of commenting solely on social media platforms." This is true, but more importantly we have to STOP contributing to social media. And this will not require many to do it. The VAST majority of contributions, made on social media, are made by a small percentage of people, and we would not even need all of those folks to stop. Imagine if every Black author decided to post here on AALBC.com instead of Facebook for a week. I'd have to upgrade my servers hire developers to optimize the website, and I could use the extra revenue to review more books, shoot more videos, improve the site--imagine! Imagine if authors wrote on their own Blogs and we shared links and comments using our own virtual social network. Applications from companies like Disqus help make this easy. If you want to share selfies, play Zinga games and mess around with your friends fine, but independent business owners, authors and entrepreneurs can not benefit from social over the longer term. Our participation only benefits the social media platform, not the other way around.

Chris, the same holds true for lack of engagement on Facebook. Just because one does not engage another does not mean they do not support you. Similarly just because someone clicks a "like" button does not mean the are a true supporter. Just this morning someone who contracts for me asked if I'd been on their FB wall and noticed that they make an important accomplishment. I had not seen it. I only see what Facebook presents to me. Which, like search, is a problem, because they increasingly get it wrong, because the algorithm factors in revenue generation, and is driven by commerce. And even if Facebook were righteous and sincerely trying to present to us what we really want to see, they can't get it right because people never put their true selves online. The best Facebook reflect a fake you. I have also noticed that if you include a link to an external site, your engagement goes down. This was not always the case on Facebook, but it is true today. I have been able to get around this by paying for promotion on Facebook, but this does not usually make sense for me. As the Facebook ads cost more than the any commission on Book sales generated by an advertisement. One also buys an ad for branding, but my budget way too small to buy enough ads on Facebook to have any impact on branding. Large corporation might benefit, but the ads on the site are easily ignored and the ads embedded in the feed, photos,comments are irritating. I also have the ability to directly compare ads on AALBC.com versus ads on Facebook. AALBC.com out perform Facebook on engagement, consistently, by two order of magnitude. on the click through rates. The only difference is Facebook can deliver far more impressions than AALBC.com but if no one is clicking the advertisement, or merely liking it, where is the value? "Likes" have no value. They stroke your ego until you know better. There are solutions But they require a willingness of website owners to be truly independent of social and supportive of each other. The solutions require website owners to stop sending people to their social platform before their own websites. I've stopped telling people to go like me on Facebook, because once I send them their it is a wrap, because is really good at keeping people on their site--Not unlike a junkie in a crack house or opium den. I like the social share buttons, because they are up votes for a website and they also tend to send people from social rather than the other way around. We also have to go back to supporting each other, they way we did before their was search or social. Check out my article to find out what social media is doing for Zane.

The video above was done in jest, but it is funny and somewhat sad because it is so true. I was talking to someone the other day and was trying to explain that anyone who thinks they know me based upon my Facebook profile is a fool. I have actually stopped using Facebook for personal reasons because what originally started out as an ego stroke no longer works. I now recognize that Facebook is literally pimping me to make money with a complete using a complete false version of who I am. I'm also tired of reading everyone else false images of themselves. I prefer the flawed, imperfect and occasionally inspired people you encounter in the real world. Sherry Turkle authored a book called Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology And Less From Each Other. which explores how Twitter and Facebook and constant connectivity impact us.

A couple of people have asked me why don't get on the Washington Post for bringing of Zane's Tax issues. The Post's motivation is plain; they are using scandal to sell newspapers. The additional issue of hurting Zane at worse was a goal, at best was of no concern. Wikipedia and Goodread Badreads motivations are not as plain. Wikipedia asserts itself as a egalitarian, open, free, encyclopedia of the people. It constantly demonstrates that it is not. Despite this, Google has elevated Wikipedia above all other sources, while using Wikipedia's content for its book pages. The only rational explanation for Badreads behavior is malice. I'm all ears if someone can provide and alternative explanation. Again Google have also elevated this sites.

Yeah I heard about this before. In fact NPR spoke about it yesterday as well. Of course the inability to delay gratification is a problem. Some people can not lose weight with diet and exercise but rather fall prey to any gimmick promising fast effortless fast weight loss. Others rush to have children way too young rather than getting themselves established first. Some folks opt to spend money as soon as they get it rather than saving for the future. I'd imagine all of us are guilty of some form of this behavior in some aspect of our lives. Rich people, of course, are immune to the ill effects of this behavior, so we focus on the poor. Folks in the majority will bend over backwards looking for any reason, other than centuries of institutional racism, to explain differences in outcomes for Black people and themselves.

Zane used to be a contributor to this discussion forum during it hey day BSM (before social media). I was just running a simple query on her name and all this stuff about her owing the state of Maryland hundreds of thousands of dollars popped up quite prominently. I though to myself well that is messed up that a state like Maryland likes putting people personal problems stuff on blast. I guess they figured it would shame someone into paying up. That tactic would just piss me off and make me want to pay them that much less. Putting something on the World Wide Web is entirely different than putting it in a newspaper. Things spread quickly online and never really go away. At any rate, I was content to forget about what can't be a comfortable situation for Zane. And despite the extra traffic it would bring this site, I would never consider sharing the information. So I continued my search. Then i stumbled on Zane Goodreads entry-- which mentioned the tax liability. I really could not believe it. Knowing that Amazon now owns Goodreads, I decided to check Wikipedia -- low an behold Wikipedia mention Zane tax liability too! I was not only floored I was angry that some sanctimonious "free encyclopedia" of the people. Would feel it necessary to highlight Zane's tax issues. Neither Goodreads or Wikipedia made any attempt to relate Zane's many accomplishments. I wrote this article to call these two sites out for their insulting citations for one of America's most accomplished authors. Why are Goodreads & Wikipedia promoting Zane's tax liability rather than her literary accomplishments? So while I did not want to give Zane's tax liability any more attention, I thought it was more important to expose Goodreads and Wikipedia even more. Besides Zane tax story was now on the verge of going viral. I also wanted to use the opportunity to demonstrate how Google conspires in all of this and why the internet worse off as a result.

We welcome the books of Martha Kennerson, Terris McMahan Grimes, Orey Brockington III, and GG Renee Hill on AALBC.com. To join them visit http://aalbc.it/bookonhome

In partnership with MahoganyBooks, the official bookseller of the Power List we are offering autographed copies of Congressman and Civil Rights Icon John Lewis' new book, Across that Bridge at 20% off the retail price. The deal is not available anywhere else—including Amazon.com. Act now this offer ends on Sunday, February 8th or until we sell out. Although it has been decades since the historic social upheavals of the 1960s, Americans continue to look to the Civil Rights Movement as the apotheosis of political expression. With an engaged electorate once again confronting questions of social inequality, there's no better time to revisit the lessons of the '60s and no better leader to learn from than Congressman John Lewis. In Across That Bridge, Congressman Lewis draws from his experience as a leader of the Civil Rights Movement to offer timeless guidance to anyone seeking to live virtuously and transform the world. His wisdom, poignant recollections, and powerful ideas will inspire a new generation to usher in a freer, more peaceful society. The Civil Rights Movement gave rise to the protest culture we know today, and the experiences of leaders like Congressman Lewis have never been more relevant. Now, more than ever, this nation needs a strong and moral voice to guide an engaged population through visionary change. Congressman John Lewis was a leader in the American Civil Rights Movement. He was chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and played a key role in the struggle to end segregation. Despite more than forty arrests, physical attacks, and serious injuries, John Lewis remained a devoted advocate of the philosophy of nonviolence. He is the author of his autobiography, Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of a Movement, and is the recipient of numerous awards from national and international institutions, including the Lincoln Medal; the John F. Kennedy "Profile in Courage" Lifetime Achievement Award (the only one of its kind ever awarded); the NAACP Spingarn Medal; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, among many others. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia. "The most important lesson I have learned in the fifty years I have spent working toward the building of a better world is that the true work of social transformation starts within. It begins inside your own heart and mind, because the battleground of human transformation is really, more than any other thing, the struggle within the human consciousness to believe and accept what is true. Thus to truly revolutionize our society, we must first revolutionize ourselves. We must be the change we seek if we are to effectively demand transformation from others." ---from John Lewis's Across That Bridge

This is such a crazy story. It is hard to image people are still this crazy and evil http://www.texasobserver.org/old-wounds-missing-man-jasper/ Yeah Hacker activity is the bane of my role maintaining this website.

It took 2 seconds to find this on Google's Youtube. Now if I was looking for something more positive I'd need a flashlight an a search team: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIUpvtIqgKw Now Google gets bent out of shape with an excerpt from one of Hickson's novels and stops me from serving advertising, but Black people acting crazy 100,000 views a week. Sadly Harry there are countless videos on youtube depicting violent behavior by Black children...

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lissa Woodson or Raine Bradley Tel: 281-214-3787 lissa@browngirlspublishing.com raine@browngirlspublishing.com NATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHORS LAUNCH A MEGA-POWERHOUSE COMPANY THAT WILL TAKE THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY BY STORM Fresno, Texas—February 3, 2014—Brown Girls Publishing, the brainchild of Simon & Schuster’s national bestselling authors, Victoria Christopher Murray and ReShonda Tate Billingsley, launched their new boutique publishing outfit on February 3, 2014. Brown Girls Publishing will focus primarily on digital content, while still providing printed books and other outlets. The founders, aptly named, the publishing industry’s “dynamic duo,” have more than two million books in print between them. This new endeavor is something near and dear to their hearts—helping to build the next generation of writers, while at the same time, spotlighting some fan favorites such as national bestselling authors: Naleighna Kai and Dwayne Joseph, both former Simon & Schuster authors who have the first titles releasing with Brown Girls Publishing. Kai’s Open Door Marriage, a provocative novel that plumbs the depths of an impossible love triangle, and Joseph’s mystery thriller, In Strict Confidence, are sure to blaze up the industry trails and set the stage for even more success to come. Fans and media alike will recognize names on their roster: media darling and Tom Joyner Morning Show producer, Nikki Woods, bestselling authors, Virginia DeBerry, Nina Foxx, and a host of debut and seasoned authors from different ethnic backgrounds who write in a variety of genres. Victoria, a former successful entrepreneur, also holds an MBA from New York University. ReShonda is a former Television journalist and marketing professional with over 20 years of experience. In addition to their successful solo careers, they combined their respective talents in a highly popular series, which not only gives them an edge on choosing quality works to present to the reading public, but also the marketing and promotion savvy to create and produce the type of work that hits the national bestsellers lists. Contact Lissa Woodson at 281-214-3787 or lissa@browngirlspublishing.com for Brown Girls Publishing media kits or interview requests. Visit Brown Girls Publishing on the web at www.browngirlspublishing. # # #

Join the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Celebration of International Women’s History Month Saturday, March 8, 2014, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Enoch Pratt Free Library 400 Cathedral St. Baltimore MD 21201 410-396-5494 Misty Copeland – Life In Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina (Touchstone; March 4, 2014) Deborah Johnson – The Secret of Magic (Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam; January 21, 2014) Sujata Massey – The Sleeping Dictionary (Gallery Books; August 20, 2013) Lauren Francis-Sharma – ‘Til The Well Runs Dry (Henry Holt and Co.; April 22, 2014)

An Evening with Poets Honoring the Lives of Poets Jayne Cortez & Amiri Baraka - Hosted by Rashidah Ismaili and Walter Mosley - Check the line up! Sandra Esteves ● Linton Kwesi Johnson ● Felipe Luciano ● Haki Madhubuti ● Arthur Pfister ● Sonia Sanchez ● Askia Toure ● Quincy Troupe ● Ted Wilson ● Marvin X

Our January eNewsletter is out: http://aalbc.it/booksjan2014 full of information on books, authors, film, events, articles & more.

I actually stumbled across this on Facebook. One of the things I used to enjoy about this discussion forum, when there was more participation was having my opinions challenged or challenging those of others. Actually it is not a matter of having more people, but having the right people. Not everyone can have their opinions or world views challenged without getting bend out of shape and taking it personally. The problem with Facebook is that it strokes the ego and fosters a false sense of self-worth. Also what appears on your wall is designed to display what Facebook believes you will want to see. As a result, diversity of opinion is loss and the site becomes one big echo chamber of the same ideas. There isn't even a dislike button. Having your casual musings reinforced, with a click of a like button, is very addictive, having it done scores of times is an opiate. I remember the first year my birthday came after joining Facebook, scores of people wished me happy birthday. I was quite pleased and happy about it. I thanked everyone individually for being so thoughtful. By the second year it was several hundred folks, by then I noticed Facebook prompts you to wish folks a happen birthday. Again, it is still a nice gesture, but requires no more effort than clicking the like button. By the 3rd year, it was well over a thousand happy birthdays and Facebook now prompts you to buy gift for folks with the convenient advertisement, for flowers or gift cards. I've never received a gift, but at this point I've removed my birthday date, so any one who wishes me a happy birthday is someone that actually remembers it. I'd rather get one sincere birthday than 1,000 provided by a Facebook prompt.

Walking down 125th Street in Harlem I ran into "ALL CAPS" Hickson