So you have probably noticed I don't just slap any ole thing up in the forum. I recently searched for my name +journalist, and there I was splashed at the top of the Google results for my writing on aalbc. Although I have my own website, when Muckrack, the journalism aggregation website, found me -Mel Hopkins's Profile | Medium, Substack, Ebony Journalist | Muck Rack, again, it was all my popular comments from AALBC. When I write book reviews on AALBC, they become AALBC famous on the net. I've been thinking about writing excerpts from the time I flew the friendly skies - and if I were most folks, I'd probably post on Patreon and Substack - but I'm not, I'm going to post about my crazy escapades on AALBC and maybe Patreon too - but I betcha the most views will come from AALBC.   

Thank you, @Troy

In short, Claude AI had a lot to say about AALBC. But here's a snippet: "In other words, AALBC's forum is functioning as a consensus-building document for who you are as a writer and thinker — and AI search is now reading that document alongside Google."

Aside: @Pioneer1 and @ProfD y'all were genius to remain anonymous 💓

6 minutes ago, Mel Hopkins said:

Aside: @Pioneer1 and @ProfD y'all were genius to remain anonymous 💓

I don't know if I'd call it genius over just being typical men....lol

Most men like to keep a low profile.
Many of us have learned....whether it was from dating, working, or highschool homies....that the less personal information people know about you the less "ammunition" they have if they ever decide to come at you, lol.

I'm constantly getting on the females in my family about posting all of their business on social media.

Posting their pictures.
Posting their activities.
Posting their full name and family history.
Posting their children's pictures.
Posting pictures of their new house or new car.
Posting from their job letting everybody know where they work.
Posting themselves in their underwear.
Posting themselves laying in bed with a cold.
Just putting out ALL of their information.

I've warned them over and over again to stop putting all of their business out in the street like that, but most of them don't listen UNTIL something happens and they end up regretting it.

They act like their can't possibly be some creepy mofo sitting in a dark room eating mushy frootloops with chocolate milk and building a profile of them to be his next stalking victim.
The thought of it NEVER crosses their minds.

Now about that photo...........


🤔 -Seems like I saw somebody who looks JUST LIKE her....in LL Cool J's "Around The Way Girl" video....lol.

4 hours ago, Mel Hopkins said:

Aside: @Pioneer1 and @ProfD y'all were genius to remain anonymous 💓

Well sista @Mel Hopkins ...you must be a better writer or more substantive than myself.

I just sit in this proverbial AALBC armchair giving my opinions about everything. 🤣😎

12 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

I'm constantly getting on the females in my family about posting all of their business on social media.

I had not considered there may be gender component to doing this. I’ve known so many women, over so many years that post so much personal information on social, that I have long since given up even commenting about the activity to them.

That behavior will not change anytime soon, as social media creates all types of incentives for people to share as much as possible about themselves. It’s one of the reasons I deleted my original Facebook account.

But going back to the point of this conversation 🙂

I’ve considered the fact that something that I, or someone else, has written here could be taken out of context and come back to bite me in the real worl. I’m not anonymous, because it takes some effort to do it, and I’m too lazy to maintain anonymity.

@Mel Hopkins I might stop short of the word “love.” but if you consider the fact that AALBC.com is almost 30 years old with the boatload of content and there’s increasingly less competition from other website, AALBC really should rank high in search be referenced by aggregators.

But I still feel that Google search has done more harm to the web than it has to benefit it. I think AI will do even more harm so much more that it poses and existential threat to the WWW we know today.

I’m not confident what we get in return will be better than what we have today.

3 hours ago, Troy said:

I might stop short of the word “love.” but if you consider the fact that AALBC.com is almost 30 years old with the boatload of content and there’s increasingly less competition from other website, AALBC really should rank high in search be referenced by aggregators.

Yep! "Claude" mentioned the age of the site and the fact that AALBC has something like 200,000 VISITORS per month gives it incredible status Wait let me just quote Claude

"AALBC.com was started in October 1997 — which in internet years is practically Paleolithic. Founded in 1998, AALBC is widely recognized as the oldest, largest, and most frequently visited website dedicated to books by and about people of African descent, reaching up to 200,000 visitors each month. That founding date is load-bearing for everything else."

12 hours ago, ProfD said:

Well sista @Mel Hopkins ...you must be a better writer or more substantive than myself.

Brotha @ProfD I think it could be age - I've been posting here since 2010 😉

7 hours ago, Mel Hopkins said:

've been posting here since 2010 😉

2010 -- Wow!

Another thing I noticed as I get older, besides loosing someone every five minutes ☹️ is that my perception of time has really sped up! It is hard to believe 2026 is already half over!

14 hours ago, Troy said:

I had not considered there may be gender component to doing this. I’ve known so many women, over so many years that post so much personal information on social, that I have long since given up even commenting about the activity to them.

That behavior will not change anytime soon, as social media creates all types of incentives for people to share as much as possible about themselves. It’s one of the reasons I deleted my original Facebook account.

It's most certainly a gender thing.
Not totally, but for the most part.

It seems as if most women....even older mature women...don't seem to take their financial or personal safety seriously when it comes to online behavior.

I warned my stepdaughter so many times about posting all of her information online years ago, she ignored my warnings and ended up with an ex-boyfriend who stalked her and took her through an ordeal.
She told me I was right and after the drama with her ex was cleared up she started being more cautious....for maybe HALF A YEAR.....and then went right back to posting all of her shit on Meta and TikTok again!

She's her own paparazzi.

10 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

She's her own paparazzi

It is like blaming the cigarette smoker for becoming addicted; the systems are explicitly designed to illicit that behavior.

If they’re not posting they’re scrolling. And yes, I have to admit if I’m hanging out with a woman she’s far less likely to be able to put a phone down than a dude.

I don’t know if it’s something cultural or because guys are just built differently. Maybe it’s a combination of both, but if I’m sitting with a dude and he’s scrolling through and giggling at some TikTok videos trying to show me the funny ones … that would be rather strange behavior.

20 hours ago, Troy said:

Another thing I noticed as I get older, besides losing someone every five minutes ☹️ is that my perception of time has really sped up! It is hard to believe 2026 is already half over!

Oh, yes, the longer you live, the more you lose. I often wonder about those centenarians - it has to be difficult. I just saw a post about a 108-year-old woman offering advice on longevity. She has really seen a lot of folks leave this dimension.

6 hours ago, Troy said:

If they’re not posting they’re scrolling. And yes, I have to admit if I’m hanging out with a woman she’s far less likely to be able to put a phone down than a dude.

17 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

I warned my stepdaughter so many times about posting all of her information online years ago, she ignored my warnings and ended up with an ex-boyfriend who stalked her and took her through an ordeal.

@Troy, I could be wrong, but are you dating or speaking about younger women? I can't imagine anyone my age scrolling while in the company of friends or paramours. And wow, @Pioneer1 I don't think I ever heard you speak about being in a committed relationship before - it is so beautiful that you have a stepdaughter. Aside: A lot of us learn a lot about men from what they post online. At least those of us who pay attention. I was always surprised by women who got catfished online. If you pay attention, you'll hear men tell a lot about themselves. I know you might think you're being discreet, but discreet and anonymous are two very different things. You, men, tell more than you think you do - BUT the difference is some men hide their identity, which I think is genius!

Glad you're posting again, Mel!

I never have a problem with online predators.

To me, anonymity is a red flag...

I love it when you call me "Baby".

7 hours ago, Troy said:

If they’re not posting they’re scrolling. And yes, I have to admit if I’m hanging out with a woman she’s far less likely to be able to put a phone down...

There is no way a woman hanging out with me would have time to be scrolling & watching videos on her phone. She would be too busy talking to &/or listening to me.😁

Admittedly, I don't like younger women so that probably helps too. If a seasoned woman exhibited that type of behavior...she wouldn't be a passenger in my truck.🤣😎

8 hours ago, Mel Hopkins said:

@Troy, I could be wrong, but are you dating or speaking about younger women?

I’m talking about women across the board in general all ages including our age but as they get older than us not so much.

I remember years ago I was out to dinner with a group of people in Brooklyn next to me was a writer who is very well known now and her face was buried in her phone and I asked what she was doing. She said she was on Twitter. I asked her what that was and she explained you you just read the posts when you’re bored and need something to do; I was like “you mean as in right now.” she understood what I was saying and put her phone away.

Today, if I’m with someone one-on-one, I will wave my hand between their face and the screen if I think they’re devoting too much time to it rather than our conversation.

Younger women tend to be in their screen while watching TV. I was at a comedy show recently, and the person was in their screen during a comedy show. I just never seen guys do this. It’s always women.

Now, of course, I’m not saying all women do this and I’m not saying guys who never do it. I’m just saying that the vast majority of the times I’m observing it it’s women not men.

7 hours ago, ProfD said:

She would be too busy talking to &/or listening to me.😁

Well, you have that animal, magnetism, women, love, and men envy.

9 hours ago, Troy said:

She said she was on Twitter. I asked her what that was and she explained you you just read the posts when you’re bored and need something to do; I was like “you mean as in right now.” she understood what I was saying and put her phone away

Oh snap! I spent an entire holiday week with my bestie, her daughters, her daughters' fiancé, my daughters, my son-in-law, and even the neighbors came over for a bit. Not one of us had our phones out (and the girls are millennials and Gen Z). (wait there was a moment of PCs to school work but that was it) I guess I live in a smaller world where folks still engage with each other. @Troy, because you truly are a mover through various worlds, I will trust your observation.

17 hours ago, aka Contrarian said:

To me, anonymity is a red flag...

Cynique!!! Thank you! It feels so good to return to my natural state (chatting. lol) I took the summer off from school so I could write again.

I love the photo! ❤️‍🔥

1 hour ago, Mel Hopkins said:

It feels so good to return to my natural state (chatting. lol) I took the summer off from school so I could write again.

Sista @Mel Hopkins it's always great to have your presence in the proverbial coffeeshop.

1 hour ago, Mel Hopkins said:

I love the photo! ❤️‍🔥

@aka Contrarian (Cynique) has been on an AI tear lately. She's jet-setting through pics.🤣😎

10 minutes ago, ProfD said:

Sista @Mel Hopkins it's always great to have your presence in the proverbial coffeeshop.

Thank you! And yes this is a proverbial coffee shop! What's the name of it? " "Black and Hot Brew"? Oh wait! Now, I need to steal my name!

11 minutes ago, ProfD said:

@aka Contrarian (Cynique) has been on an AI tear lately. She's jet-setting through pics.🤣😎

Leave it to Cynique to come up with a theme!

@aka Contrarian You make AI look good!

18 hours ago, ProfD said:

If a seasoned woman exhibited that type of behavior...she wouldn't be a passenger in my truck.🤣😎

I can see that just from your conversation here. Same with Troy, which is why I'm surprised. Troy is wealth of knowledge and has great stories too! Pioneer, Cheydove, Cynique Harry...the list goes on I don't think any of us would spend our time together looking at screens. 😊🥳

19 hours ago, aka Contrarian said:

I love it when you call me "Baby".

Ofcourse he does.....it brings back old memories!
He remembers when you used to sit on the porch and holler out at his mother as they'd walk by when he WAS a baby....lol.

Troy

On 6/26/2026 at 9:28 AM, Troy said:

Maybe it’s a combination of both, but if I’m sitting with a dude and he’s scrolling through and giggling at some TikTok videos trying to show me the funny ones … that would be rather strange behavior.

What's funny is I used to say the same thing about men texting, years ago.
I didn't think it was very masculine to see some big hairy grown ass man sitting perched up on a chair giggling and tapping away on a phone with his thumbs.

Now it's a common sight.

11 hours ago, Troy said:

I asked her what that was and she explained you you just read the posts when you’re bored and need something to do; I was like “you mean as in right now.” she understood what I was saying and put her phone away.

Man, one of the worse ways a woman can insult me is to say in so many words that I'm boring or otherwise uninteresting.
Instead of focusing on ME she'd rather call somebody up or start texting or scrolling.

I'd rather have a full blown argument with her, than for that...lol.

Sometimes I'll talk to women at work or in the public and if they yawn for any reason I take that shit personal.

She could be just tired or have had a long day at work and is just winding down, but I'll take it as you not finding my conversation interesting.
Maybe it's an esteem issue...lol.

Mel

20 hours ago, Mel Hopkins said:

I don't think I ever heard you speak about being in a committed relationship before - it is so beautiful that you have a stepdaughter.

Well, she's not my LEGAL stepchild because I'm not actually married to her mother; but I have "stepchildren" and my own children...lol.
I rarely talk about them for a reason...going back to the subject of this very thread!

There's a whole lot of personal information about myself that I "conveniently" leave out so that the people who don't need to know....won't.

20 hours ago, Mel Hopkins said:

You, men, tell more than you think you do

I can't speak for other men, but I know EXACTLY what I will and won't say online and why I will or won't say it.
Much of it is strategic.

Although I don't lie (though I do make mistakes) I will purposely omit certain things or not fully disclose certain detail about a person or event I'm discussing, all for the purposes of not putting too much of my business or theirs out in the street so that an enemy can use it.

That's one of the reasons why you'll never see a picture of ME in a mirror taking selfies and checking my rear view....lol.

52 minutes ago, ProfD said:

@aka Contrarian (Cynique) has been on an AI tear lately. She's jet-setting through pics.🤣😎

Yeah.....wait until my man finds out what she's been doing with his images, lol.

She better have a good lawyer....lol.

12 hours ago, Troy said:

Well, you have that animal, magnetism, women, love, and men envy.

I don't know if it's animal magnetism but I don't put up with rude behavior regardless of gender.😁

1 hour ago, Mel Hopkins said:

Thank you! And yes this is a proverbial coffee shop! What's the name of it? " "Black and Hot Brew"? Oh wait! Now, I need to steal my name!

Patent & trademark it.😁

1 hour ago, Mel Hopkins said:

I can see that just from your conversation here.

Homies call to conduct business & the wifey or kids roll up & start a whole conversation in the background. N8gglet doesn't have enough sense to shut them down. So, I help him out by hanging up. Call me back.

My folks..anybody around me knows not to start bumping their gums if they see I'm on a call. Wait your turn to talk to me.😁

I almost dropped outta school in the 2nd grade. Teacher tried to make me participate in recess along with the other kids. I told her azz I don't play.🤣

I've been a grown azz man ever since I was a little boy.😁😎

Nobody but an idiot would think that my companion is anything other than an AI entity created from my specifications. AI has rules and Im having fun with actual photos of me.

Lucky Me !

12 minutes ago, aka Contrarian said:

Lucky Me !

Unlucky him!

@ProfD you really sound like an interesting person. A genuine, bona fide, cool dude who is his own man. 👍

@ProfD You sound like a confident brutha who doesn't need to go around "advertising" himself over the internet.

You don't seem like somebody who likes to post images of himself grinning and grabbing on women in strange places....lol.

4 hours ago, aka Contrarian said:

@ProfD you really sound like an interesting person. A genuine, bona fide, cool dude who is his own man. 👍

3 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

@ProfD You sound like a confident brutha who doesn't need to go around "advertising" himself over the internet.

You don't seem like somebody who likes to post images of himself grinning and grabbing on women in strange places....lol.

Fam...I just stand on my block when it comes to being a no nonsense man but still a clown, er, with a sense of humor.🤣😎

@ProfD And you have a great sense of humor !

YOLO!

13 hours ago, aka Contrarian said:

YOLO!

If that's true......then why would you want to live it on the back of Prince's motorcycle??? 🧐

Anyway...................



ProfD

13 hours ago, ProfD said:

Fam...I just stand on my block when it comes to being a no nonsense man but still a clown, er, with a sense of humor.🤣😎

Right.

I bet we'd never see pictures of YOU all over the internet riding on motorcycles with women on your back grabbing on your crotch.
.....or pictures of YOU hanging out in gambling houses.

No

Because YOU don't seem like that type of person to glorify such behavior.

Easy like Sunday morning...

You really got some good moves, Baby.

@ProfD Lol. Are you asking yourself how you became the center of controversy all because I gave you a thumbs up? Sorry about that.

But, who knows? Rather than being a mentally disturbed, out of touch with reality, lying, psychopathic, hypocritical, stick in the mud like Pioneer, you might be a fun lovin free spirit who doesn't allow others to define you. 😜

6 hours ago, aka Contrarian said:

@ProfD Lol. Are you asking yourself how you became the center of controversy all because I gave you a thumbs up? Sorry about that.

Not at all. No need for apology. I think you all know how I roll virtually.😁😎

6 minutes ago, ProfD said:

Not at all. No need for apology. I think you all know how I roll virtually.😁😎

Can't speak for others, but I "think" I know you well enough to presume that you're not an alcoholic.

Atleast you're not posting pictures of yourself all over the internet drinking liquor half the time.....lol.

4 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Can't speak for others, but I "think" I know you well enough to presume that you're not an alcoholic.

Correct. I don't drink or smoke or use drugs. I'm not on the main social media platforms either. 😁😎

On 6/28/2026 at 2:13 AM, Pioneer1 said:

I'm boring or otherwise uninteresting.

Social intercourse is pleasurable and I like boring women. I think most men like boring women and some women like to be bored.

@Delano. That's funny. So "you". Actually, for me, a boring person can sometimes be an interesting challenge.

"Still waters run deep," 😉

I am serious about boring. I never bore out of boredom. It seems oxymoronic..

@Del Well, boredom wears many hats.And, of course, one person's source of boredom can inspire another person's curiosity.

What I am becoming more convinced of about Life is that it really is in the eye of the beholder, that reality can be an illusion and vice versa. I'm at the point that when I close my eyes, a whole new world opens up to me...

Do you think my current penchant for what AI can create is - healthy?

ProfD

Correct. I don't drink or smoke or use drugs. I'm not on the main social media platforms either.

Well wait a minute, I didn't go THAT far...lol.

I figured you didn't have any addictions but for some reason I didn't take you as somebody who didn't even drink, let alone use drugs.

I can understand not smoking; it really doesn't do much for a person besides make them more prone to illness.

The euphoric effects are practically nil..

However it's interesting 🤔 that you are an agnostic and presumably don't believe in any sort of life after death but still have decided not to engage in alcohol or drugs to "reward" yourself.
I don't quite understand the reasoning behind it.

But then again, I'm not sure why atheists get married....lol.

When it comes to women, "boredom" or "excitement" aren't any of the characteristics I look for in them.

I could care less how "boring" she is in behavior or conversation....it means next to nothing.

Most men feel the same.

However many women are attracted to men who are "interesting" either in behavior or conversation.

Sexually attracted.

Why the difference?

I'm not sure.

But what I have noticed over the years is that most women rarely find handsome or "cute" men boring, no matter how dull their personalities are or how stupid they are.

I've seen men who were considered physically attractive hold the attention of women with the dumbest most uninformed conversations or no conversation at all.

So maybe it's the other way around.....
Maybe it's the looks they are interested in, and not the actual conversation or the behavior.....so an ugly man will bore then REGARDLESS, lol.

On 6/28/2026 at 12:45 PM, aka Contrarian said:

Rather than being a mentally disturbed, out of touch with reality, lying, psychopathic, hypocritical, stick in the mud like Pioneer…

ROTFLMMFBAO!

I don’t know why I found that so funny I guess just because it’s so extreme lol coming from a little old lady who just shared so many pictures with her new boo, but still finds the time to lay into @Pioneer1

6 hours ago, aka Contrarian said:

I'm at the point that when I close my eyes, a whole new world opens up to me...

Do you think my current penchant for what AI can create is - healthy?

You didn’t ask me, but I think the former is far more healthier than a latter.

I’ve been obsessed with using AI to improve my website for the past six months. I know I need to pull back… but it’s hard right now because I’m accomplishing so much.

5 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

So maybe it's the other way around.....
Maybe it's the looks they are interested in…

it’s not all that complicated man most people are pretty superficial, a cute face big titties big ass. You’ll have no problem with attracting a dude. You could be semi retarded and don’t even speak English doesn’t matter.

Or you can have a lot of money that pretty much trump‘s everything including looks.

Short of that everyone else just settles,

People who are really interested in getting to connect with someone on a deeper level independent of wealth or appearance are relatively rare they exist, but they are more anomalous rather than the norm.

If people get bored with each other it is because they’re not listening — people are fascinating with interesting stories.

@aka Contrarian

I have little trust in people with power. AI even less so.

I had a different bore in mind.

bore

1 of 6

verb (1)

ˈbȯr How to pronounce bore (audio)

bored; boring

Synonyms of borenext

transitive verb

1

: to pierce with a turning or twisting movement of a tool

bore a wooden post

2

: to make by boring or digging away material

bored a tunnel

use a drill to bore a hole through the board

intransitive verb

1

a

: to make a hole by or as if by boring

insects that bore into trees

b

: to sink a mine shaft or well

boring for oil

2

: to make one's way steadily especially against resistancee

@Troy that's true. I am attracted to a feeling. I'm definitely a dinosore

@aka Contrarian I feel closer my your eyes gives vision beyond boundaries. AI is tool take an idea or vision and bring it into"reality"

If it feels good keep on keeping on

Edited 17 hours ago17 hr by Delano
Additional reference