Reddit and the future of the internet, with a thought to aalbc

[richardmurray]

Reddit's ceo admitted what most, who know how many modern media or tech firms history are, already know. 

Reddit has been around for 20 years and never made a profit. Same as Netflix who only made a profit after seven years without, and has financial wobbles since. 

Same as Tesla motors that was not profitable for years , until it was, and has financial wobbles since.

Twitter again, is highly used and has never been profitable. 

Netflix is trying to end sharing passwords. 

 

What is my point? Not the following

Websites are costly, people for some reason don't think they are. But if you have a financial loaning network behind you , you can grow while unprofitable. 

 

What is my point? A question and I ask all of us regulars on this website , to aid  @Troy  who has posted about this website a number of times. 

What do you think can be done to aid AALBC financially ? 

 

It is clear that many larger websites are being pushed on the path to true fiscal capital profitability and in that journey the decades of cheap or free or financially dysfunctional actions in a fiscal capitalistic assessment have generated an online populace that has problems accepting an internet that pays for itself. 

 

What do you think can be done to aid AALBC financially? 

[ProfD]

I'll gladly make a donation to AALBC.

 

Brotha @Troy  just let me know a preferred payment method.

 

However, I don't write paper checks anymore.

[Pioneer1]

Just send the brutha some money.....lol.

As soon as he posts the P.O. Box again so we can.

Unless he has some sort of APP that I can send money directly through a credit card WITHOUT having to register my personal information on it.

[richardmurray]

@ProfD @Pioneer1

so you guys suggest donations , on the resources webpage tools to make revenue exist but not a direct donation. 

Resources for African American Writers, Authors and Readers (aalbc.com)

do you guys think he should set up his own donation service on aalbc, restriccted to the usa or even the northeast of the usa? or use one of the others like kickstarter or indiegogo , gofundme, patreon, or similar? 

 

I wonder @Troy are you willing to do domainnames or website hosting  for black entities not authors? 

[Troy]

AALBC's address is:

 

African American Literature Book Club

15310 Amberly Dr

Suite 250

Tampa, FL 33647

 

Financial assistance it greatly appreciated.

 

As @richardmurray suggested AALBC has never had the luxury of operating at a deficit.

 

I worked for a Wall Street firm called Bankers Trust there was analyst at the time Anthony Noto, I believe, who covered Amazon.  Amazon was losing billions but this guy always recommended them. I figured it was just collusion between the analysts and the investment bankers.  What I missed was the Noto knew Amazon was an emerging monopoly. I would be wealthy today if I held onto my Amazon stock... I simply could not Invision what Amazon would become. The would narrative that they were selling books out of a garage and grew from there was all BS obscuring the real plan.

 

In the last few years, a lot more funding has opened up for Black-owned startups. So things have gotten better in a way but not nearly as it has been for the Jeff Bezoses of the world.

 

The web is incredibly difficult to navigate if you are mission driven and want to make money.  The web is optimized for "World Star" rather than "Emerge."  I get over with your support, energy, hard work, luck, and little intelligence recently augmented by AI.

 

AI is THE biggest threat right now. AI which can make websites, as we know them, obsolete.  AI is the biggest thing I've seen on the web since it was opened to the public, and I've been on the web before it was available to the public.

 

In the hands of greedy suits AI can become far more harmful than what we have seen from social media.  I'm fairly certain this well happen, because this is what always happens.

 

But after 27+ years of building website I know change and greed is part of the territory.

 

Thanks for thinking about AALBC

[richardmurray]

@Troy One of the reasons I joined this site wasn't to simply be a member of a black owned website but to see it grow . The worst case scenario for the black community in the usa is to have no black owned website as a standalone firm

[Pioneer1]

richardmurray

I started a few threads suggesting that we support brother Troy and turn AALBC into an actual bonafide certified INSTITUTION that will be around for many many decades even after Troy himself is no longer here.

If I had it my way, not only would AALBC be online but he'd have an actual physical building full of books and rooms where authors can be interviewed or give lectures to promote their products.

I'm talking Smithsonian level.

And to help maintain this....besides the profits received from the institution itself there would also be an ENDOWMENT from the more successful authors who had their careers launched by publicity from AALBC.

....and yes, Troy and his children including his brand new daughter should GET RICH from this!

I personally give ZERO FUCKS about people thinking you should dedicate your life to building an institution and providing services for people but not get rich from it.
That's not MY religion.
If somebody has a religion that tells them they should go around building institutions and helping people but not get rich or not collect money to enjoy themselves or not live a lavish life for their efforts....they should keep THAT religion to themselves.
I will NOT be a part of that religion.

In my opinion, If Troy dedicated so much of his life and sacrificed so much of his time and turned down careers in corporate America just to provide a separate space for Black authors to have a voice and get their works noticed,  then he should be REWARDED HANDSOMELY for this!