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How would you feel about the U.S. government policing the Internet? Well, a new bill, Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) would allow them to control content on the World Wide Web as we know it today. There are major concerns with the application of this bill that run must deeper than just blocking Websites. Imagine for a moment what this type of censorship would mean: any content you post to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or any other social network or website could be blocked and become unsearchable on the Internet because of a single link.

The underlining issue of protecting intellectual property is a real problem, which is supposedly why the bill has been proposed. For content providers law enforcement to fight online trafficking and copyrighting infringements sounds like a noble and justifiable reason to pass the bill. But, the collateral damage of this bill’s passage would be so immense that it would far out weight the value that it would provide based upon how the bill is proposed today.

The Impact of SOPA on Entrepreneurs

Let’s look even deeper at this bill, which would be stifling to entrepreneurs, who are the lifeline of the economy. Booz & Co. interviewed 200 prominent angel investors and venture capitalist about this bill and reported that 70% of them would be deterred from investing if anti-piracy regulations were passed. This would impact innovation and job creation in the U.S. Think about the impact to Silicon Valley and other tech hubs, as well.

What Would be the Long-Term Impact of SOPA?

• There would be fewer startups launching because of the increase legal risk.
• Social networks, personal pages and sites where people express themselves could become unsearchable and blocked on the Internet.
• Email providers could be forced to censor emails to scan for links users send or receive.
• Content you share in your social networks would be monitored and censored—this includes photos, videos and status updates.
• Increased censorship would possibility remove legitimate content that you are sharing.
• Payment-processing companies like PayPal could be forced to stop doing business with sites that have been blocked.
• Most U.S.-based hosting services would relocate outside the U.S. jurisdiction, which would result in lost jobs.
• Site owners would become liable for user-posted content, if they don’t do enough to stop users from posting “illegal” content on his/her site, which could become very costly.

Which Popular Sites Would be at Risk?

• Facebook
• Google
• Twitter
• YouTube
• LinkedIn
• Vimeo
• And countless other websites and/or social networks

What Actions Can You Take?

Send your Congressman a pre-written letter via the American Censorship website (click here).

Sign the ‘Stop the E-Parasite Act’ petition by clicking here.

Follow the Electronic Frontier on Twitter to stay posted on your digital civil liberalities @EFF.

Check out the TechCrunch procedure list of over 40+ companies against SOPA by clicking here.

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While other twenty-somethings are spending their earnings on the latest fashion trends, Evita Robinson spends every dime on traveling the world. After graduating college in 2006, the 27-year-old opted out of sitting in a cubicle for eight hours a day and chose to backpack through Europe and Asia instead. While living in Japan, she realized none of her family and friends were coming to visit her, so she decided to bring her travel experiences to them. Fifteen episodes and countless countries later, Nomad-Ness TV was born. But in order to pitch Nomad-Ness as a television series, Robinson needed funds to shoot her series pilot in Berlin, Germany.

That’s where Kickstarter came in. Robinson used the funding platform to launch “Nomad-Ness Travel Series: Berlin or Bust” with a goal of reaching $5,000 in 45 days. She sent at least 35 personal emails per day, and tweeted and posted her project on Facebook at least 10 times a day. At the end of the 45 days, she had raised $6,620 from 155 backers.

“Kickstarter took so much out of me,” says Robinson of her grassroots sponsorship run. “I knew for the next 45 days my life was no longer mine. I knew the magnitude of what type of energy it was going to take to keep this going.”

Kickstarter is a crowdfunding Website where individuals can submit an idea or project with the hopes of getting it funded. A “project creator” must submit a pitch, have it approved (60% of projects are approved), and set a monetary goal they hope to raise in a set timeframe not longer than 90 days. It’s up to the project creator to get “backers” to donate to their project. It’s a great resource for small business owners looking to get their startup off the ground or anyone looking to achieve a financial goal. “In our experience projects are successful by pitches and the video explaining authentically what the project is in a way that shares the story,” says Justin Kazmark, who works on Kickstarter’s communication team.

The only catch is that Kickstarter is all or nothing, meaning if the entire amount isn’t raised all of the pledged funds go back to the donors. So it’s on project creators like Robinson to promote their cause and rally supporters. As an added incentive, donors receive different rewards for their donations. It’s a give to get model. Using Kickstarter effectively takes preparation, hard work, use of your networks and the ability to sell your project to potential donors. The next few pages include a few pointers on how to be successful reaching your funding goals on Kickstarter (or similar sites).

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PERFECT YOUR PITCH

Effectively meeting your fundraising goal on Kickstarter requires compelling pitches that concisely and articulately spell out what you are trying to bring to life, and why you need the support of your backers. Kazmark says, “Also include what backers are going to get in exchange for pledging their support.”

Independent recording artist Michael “Mecca Godzilla” Dottin, 33, raised $3,203 dollars—$1,203 over his $2,500 goal—for his first solo album, Perfect Heaven, a concept album based on the 20th anniversary of the Street Fighter II video game. “My pitch was really personal,” Dottin says. “It sold as achieving a dream and a lot of people got behind the pitch because of that.”

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BUILD CREATIVE REWARD INCENTIVES

Project creators are not receiving a handout. Having a compelling reward structure is one of the key elements to the success of Kickstarter campaigns. Robinson offered backers who donated $5 or more a postcard from Berlin, while her $30 or more backers were rewarded with a blooper video of her travels, a travel photo from Berlin and a personal postcard from Berlin.

Prior to offering those rewards she had ineffective ones that were not helping her reach her goal. At the advice of a Kickstarter community manager, Robinson changed her approach and saw a noticeable and positive change. “The best advice that he gave me and that I could give anybody else is this: you have to understand your project is not going to be funded by a couple people donating a lot of money,” she says. “If your project is going to be funded it’s going to be funded by a lot of people donating a little bit of money. With that in mind, the coolest most awesome rewards have to be in that $5 to $30 tier.”

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PLAN, PLAN, PLAN

Tired of the lack of diversity in fashion magazines in the West and Europe, Laura Eboa Songue, 24, along with two other friends Paola and Patrick, founded FASHIZBLACK, a digital magazine in February 2009. “As Afropeans (or Afro Europeans), we were not able to identify with any of the magazines already on newsstands, especially here in France,” says Songue. “On one hand, there are Western magazines with a cruel lack of diversity. On the other hand, Afro magazines [that are] hardly ever conceived with a global outlook.”

Kickstarter was the obvious choice when the France-based trio decided to bring FASHIZBLACK to print. They were able to raise $45,105, surpassing their $40,000 goal. The key to their success was preparation, says Songue. They read Kickstarter’s guidelines thoroughly, followed their suggestions and studied other projects that had been successful. “You have to read as much as possible on the subject,” she says.

Robinson agrees. “The worst thing you can do in Kickstarter is feel like you’re going to wing it,” she says. “It will wing you right back in the face. You really have to have a plan of execution down to every single day.”

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STRATEGIZE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media plays an integral part, perhaps the largest, in getting your project funded. Bringing awareness to your project is just the first step of gaining backers. Although Robinson, Songue and Dottin all surpassed their goals, they each took different approaches when utilizing social media. Dottin, unlike Robinson, doesn’t believe in shoving it in people’s faces. He posted on Facebook and Twitter twice a day max. Robinson says there’s a fine line between being persistence without being annoying. Both agree that begging is a no-no.

“I posted on Facebook for awareness on average of at least 10 times a day. Twitter was not conducive for this type of project,” says Robinson. “Twitter moves too fast. As soon as something is there is as soon as it’s gone. You need something that has stickiness.”

Robinson also gave daily shout outs on Facebook to her donors. Once the momentum got going, she noticed more and more people donating. “Pretty much manipulate and exploit social media to the max,” she says.

FASHIZBLACK’s Facebook fan page has over 22,000 “likes” and they have a profile with nearly 5,000 friends, which helped tremendously with reaching massive amounts of people. But Twitter was the reigning social media network for their success. “The user commitment is way stronger on Twitter because it is not as saturated as Facebook,” says Songue. “We would try to engage the users by introducing debates and mention the campaign.”

As with anything you have to know your audience and meet them where they are.

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EXPAND YOUR NETWORK BEYOND FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Kickstarter is a platform where, if done correctly, project creators can build a sense of community. One commonality Songue, Robinson and Dottin share is they all had platforms, whether small or large, before launching on Kickstarter. Along with those platforms they each had their own networks. “We already had a fan base, social networking, a blog, a professional network of stylists, photographers, designers, brands etc.,” says Songue. “We used all of those things as a leverage to enhance a dynamic and reach our goal.”

Effectively using Kickstarter depends on a number of factors, but essentially it’s your network and their networks that are funding your project. From strangers to that cousin you only met once, without them there are no funds.

“People tend to hone in on their family and friends, but you really need to take a look at who your acquaintances are. You usually have more acquaintances than friends and family,” says Robinson. “And don’t be afraid to ask businesses and organizations you’re affiliated with. Really think outside of the box.”

Let’s look at a recent current event that effectively utilized a hashtag.

Case Study: #OccupyWallStreet

Occupy Wall Street is a movement that centers around the disagreement that main street has with corporate greed and the U.S. banking system. It all started on July 13th with a blog post on adbusters calling for its first people-powered movement on September 17, 2011 in Manhattan’s Financial District. Several weeks later, over 100 cities in the United States and actions in over 1,500 cities globally have been initiated by this movement.

Occupy Wall Street by the Numbers

• Launched September 17, 2011
• Raised $300K in the first 30-days
• Spread to 100 U.S. cities and 1,500 cities globally
• Twitter: @OccupyWallSt has over 100,000 followers

This type of traction is very difficult to create with the use of social media tools.

Mobile App and Beyond

A hashtag can be a powerful business tool that can be used to share and promote content and monitor conversations. Cross-pollinating your hashtag within your other social media channels (YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn) and linking it to a blog post or content on your company Website is critical for engagement.

Recently, Eyecon launched a new iPhone app called Eye-C Taglist that enables users to search and find hashtags easily from their iPhone. Since many people will be searching hashtags from their mobile device users will be able to perform very efficient searches.

While not every hashtag has the social and media legs of #OccupyWallStreet that’s not to say that proper use of one can’t raise awareness of your business, message or movement. The tools and resources are there, it’s on you to use them effectively.

Share with us how you are using hashtag!

James’ breakthrough arrived in 2009 when he received a call from Atlanta’s own DJ Boogie, who asked the young turntablist if he was interested in touring with a new singer named Justin Bieber. “The Bieber job came out of nowhere and it came at the perfect time because I was at that stage when my parents were getting on me like, ‘What are you going to do? You can’t really be a DJ for the rest of your life,’” he recalls. “I guess they considered my being a DJ a hobby, but I just kept on at it. I just kept doing what I was doing.”

To date, James has released over 77 mixtapes, resulting in more than 150,000 copies distributed in the mid-Atlantic region alone, and he has his own popular web portal WeKnowTheDJ.com.  Not bad for a kid out of Baltimore who learned that setting himself apart from his competition to become a top-earner was simply a matter of fine-tuning his spinning/blending/mixing skills and mastering the art of effective branding. Currently on the Latin America leg of Bieber’s My World tour, DJ Tay James lends his advice to those looking to break bank in the music industry with his top six money-making solutions for new jocks.

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Raise Your Skill Level: Learn from the Masters while Playing your Position

“When you’re young coming up in the DJ world, like the people you look up to, you never feel like you’re going to be in the same game as them. But recently, it’s been kind of weird because everyone I was looking up to, I’m now actually playing in the same game [with],” says James, who explains that a very big part of being a DJ is making sure your skill levels are up to par.

He cites DC’s DJ Alizay, the DJ that helped put rapper Wale on the hip-hop map, as his mentor and the one who continues to help him raise the bar. “He’s probably one of the best DJs I’ve ever heard mix in my life,” says James. “And every time I hear him mix, it’s like inspiration. To this day, I still go over his house and practice with him.”

James also credits Atlanta’s DJ Drama of Gangsta Grillz mixtape series fame (the two met four years ago while studying at Hampton) with offering him the best advice he’s heard ever. “He told me that after I took over the school, take over the city. After you take over the city, takeover the state. And those are the words that I live by since I met Drama.” James continues, “It made me have a goal to strive for.”

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Branding: Know Your Audience and Deliver What they Want

As far as the business side goes, James says Hampton U’s Business School prepared him well. “When it comes to DJing, it’s all about how your brand yourself. What I learned in school was how to take a product and how to market that product to its demographic,” he says.

James explains how he caters to his 8-40-year old demographic that he’s acquired since working with Bieber. “You fill everyone’s needs. You give them mixtapes that hit all aspects: a Top 40 mixtape that has Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Pink on there, and Bieber and Justin Timberlake; then you do a classic mixtape with Bun B, to hit the classic hip-hop side so everyone is happy.”

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Touring: See the World While Building a Global Fan Base

When asked how much money he makes per tour, DJ Tay James says jokingly, “Am I allowed to talk about that?” While he isn’t as forthcoming with the exact figures he made last year, he explains that touring is definitely a major part of the equation for any successful jock.

“DJs can get paid per tour date or they can get paid weekly, salary-based,” he says. And for someone like James, who’s a personal tour DJ for a major star like Bieber that often travels the world over (often twice in one tour), he can easily spend four-five months out of the year on the road (or more accurately plane). “DJs can also be contracted to be with an artist all year, meaning that you can be placed on retainer, like we may not have a show, but he’s working on shows so we don’t want you to do anything else or work with any other artist.”

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Social Networking: Leverage Your Reach by Being Innovative

“Video is definitely another avenue. One thing that I’ve been doing with my We Know the DJ is I film everything. So I get a lot of hits on YouTube and I’ve been trying to use that to my advantage too,” James says about using social networking sites to build his economic portfolio.

“I started doing a We Know the DJ series, which just showcases what a DJ does on tour. Like a lot of my friends and family won’t even know what I saw, what foods I was eating or what people that I was meeting. So instead of taking pictures, I just started documenting everything and I started getting a lot [more] hits on YouTube. [Now,] I have over five million views on my page.”

But it’s not just about the attention he’s garnered from fans around the globe that keeps James going. Having five million views on his YouTube channel has sparked the interest of brands wanting to advertise on his page to attract his steady flow of content consumers, whom they hope will happily convert into buyers of their products. Whether they do or not is of no concern to James, who gets paid either way. “I’m just trying to get it all ways,” he says. “This is what I learned. I learned all of this in school, honestly.”

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Endorsements: Make Big Bucks Using Your Name or Likeness

These days, endorsements are everything and may very well be one of the top avenues to earn money as a DJ outside of performance gigs. Whether it be aligning your brand with an innovative electronics company like Monster Cable (the makers of the Beats headphones series) or pushing a car brand as famed MTV and NYC’s Hot 97 DJ, Funkmaster Flex has done over the years through his partnership with Ford Motors, the opportunities are endless for a DJ that has amassed a large following.

For James, who’s nabbed endorsements with Rocksmith Clothing, Boomphones and Vestax among others, the ball just started to roll. “Some endorsements can be monetary, some can just be product placement. Like, ‘We’ll just give you this product and you just wear it here, you Tweet it there, or you take a picture with it on,’” he explains. “There’s a bunch of ways to go down the endorsement route.”

He continues, “If you ever seen Kim Kardashian on Twitter and she mentions G-Shock, it’s probably because she’s getting paid to say something about them… Honestly, I can say that it’s now easier to make money then it was before. There are so many different ways that you can reach people [and get paid for it] and so many different niches you can have.”

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Radio, Clubs & Special Events: Gigging it All the Way to the Bank

“You definitely make your money off the clubs, advertising and endorsements you get off of DJing. Right now I’m on the radio 95.5 [WPGC in DC] but I can’t do a lot more on the radio right now because of touring [with Bieber]. Hopefully and most likely when I get back, I’ll being doing more on the radio, which leaves me to do a lot more in DC as far as gigs-wise.”

For most DJs, regardless of experience level or area of expertise, this is where they make the bulk of their money. And while it isn’t easy booking birthday parties for celebrities like Bow Wow or Chris Brown, or rocking the official party for Kanye West’s Glow in the Dark tour, James, who’s done all of the above and more, says it’s a step-by-step process. Take the last thing you did to get you your next big gig. “It took me being on Justin Bieber’s tour, taking that name and what comes behind that, and using it to my advantage [to get this far].”

Fred Mwangaguhunga made a business out of Black news (Image: Press)

If you’re a gossip-junkie, odds are that MediaTakeOut.com is among your prime online destinations for staying abreast of urban celebrity shenanigans. This fall, however, the popular site is set to feature a different kind of drama as the company evolves to include reality programming. “Media Take Out Presents: First Date,” an original reality-based video web series, is scheduled to premiere on September 18. In each weekly episode, one man must choose between three women who are vying for his attention in a dating show format that Media Take Out founder Fred Mwangaguhunga describes as an African-American version of the 1999 TV series, Blind Date.

“There are young, good looking people. There’s controversy, there’s drama involved,” explains Mwangaguhunga, who has partnered with Fisher Klingenstein Films and the show’s executive producer Dan Garcia in the venture. “It’s definitely going to be PG-rated. No nudity, no foul language, but we are going to push the edges.”

The Web series represents a significant shift in content programming for Media Take Out. The website—which was founded in 2006 and now averages 300 million page views per month—is based on a simple but effective formula of outrageous headlines, biting humor and often racy photos of Hollywood stars, athletes and musicians. Now, Mwangaguhunga, a former attorney turned entrepreneur, is convinced that the new webisodes will help Media Take Out grow from merely being a heavily trafficked blog to a full-scale entertainment company.

If all goes according to plan, Mwangaguhunga, 37, hopes to add a diverse schedule of video content—including other reality shows and scripted dramas—to the Website over the next several years. The gossip site founder claims that since BET and TV One have made noticeable efforts to skew programming to older audiences there is an opportunity to connect with a significant demographic of 18-25 year olds. Plus, he explains that those same young people (Media Take Out’s main readership) are spending an increasing amount of time online. He’s got the numbers to back it up: A 2010 survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers showed that 83 percent of viewers under 25 “watched some, most or all of their TV programming online.”

“You look at all the demographics—the under-25 market is watching less physical TV on a television. They’re watching more on their computer, on YouTube, on Hulu, on iTunes,” says Mwangaguhunga. “The question is which company is going to be best suited to take advantage of it. We’re coming in early and making aggressive steps to be that company.”

Mwangaguhunga decided to bring the dating show to the Web earlier this year after realizing that the half-hour episodes, which Garcia had already produced for potential television broadcast, could have a unique home online instead. With some clever editing, those segments have been pared down to six to 10-minute spots more suitable for viewing on the Web. Currently, there are 52 “First Date” episodes in the can, which will be rolled out weekly.

In addition to the Web broadcasts, Mwangaguhunga eventually plans to release the show’s original episodes in a DVD boxset format as well as make them available for download via iTunes, Netflix streaming and Hulu. That’s where Fisher Klingenstein Films comes in. The Los Angeles-based company, which specializes in acquiring and distributing films, TV and digital content, has developed the strategy for establishing additional revenue streams.

Danny Fisher, the company’s CEO, says there are huge benefits to developing this series primarily for online audiences rather than for network or cable television. “What we’re establishing is a self-sufficient enterprise that we can control and we can release without having advertisers tell us what we can and cannot do, without having networks tell us what we can and cannot do,” he explains. “[We are] able to create value in terms of advertising on the Internet and in terms awareness of DVD and digital and ancillary markets. The whole model we feel is groundbreaking.”

Mwangaguhunga is equally confident. “We’re walking in unchartered territories,” he admits. “I’ve been in the business [nearly] six years now and I know my audience, I know exactly what they’re looking for.”

Watch trailer below

Are you ready for the next social media revolution? (Image: Thinkstock)

Recent events across the globe demonstrate just how powerful social media has become in instantly assembling individuals with a common purpose and setting the stage for social, political and commercial change. One of the most prominent examples has been the digital initiative leading up to the end of President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year reign in Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world. In fact, it had been dubbed “The Facebook Revolution” because the social network was so instrumental and effective in organizing young Egyptian protesters. The Facebook page, “We Are All Khaled Said” named after an Egyptian businessman who attempted to expose police corruption before being fatally beaten by security forces, served as a call to action to dissenters throughout the country.

Following the “Twitter Revolution” in Tunisia more than two months ago that led, in part, to the ouster of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the Egypt-focused network helped galvanize a relentless campaign against police brutality and rights abuses a s well as provided information, posted often-graphic photo and video content and published the names of abusive law enforcement officials. The page inspired tens of thousands to participate in the Jan. 25 “Day of Rage” protest and sparked a series of massive demonstrations that continued to grow in number with each passing day. Cell phones buzzed with text messages and mobile cameras recorded images of violent acts that were then posted on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Flickr. After 18 straight days of protest, the Mubarak regime had been toppled.

Author and social media skeptic Malcolm Gladwell (Image: Getty)

So Malcolm Gladwell is wrong.

In his October 2010 New Yorker article, the renowned author of bestsellers such as The Tipping Point and Outliers, claimed that “high-risk social activism requires deep roots and strong ties” and the use of social media like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube could not serve as the driver for stirring such activity. In his essay, he maintained that social media created “weak ties” and such vehicles were efficient tools in “managing your acquaintances.” To buttress his point, Gladwell used the Civil Rights Movement by citing how four college students who shared the same dorm at North Carolina A&T students some 50 years ago participated in the historic sit-in to integrate the lunch counter at Woolworth’s in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina and how their action spread to cities across the South–without the use of the Internet. In fact, Gladwell created his own social media-inspired revolt when his article was met with a firestorm of protest for his dismissal of the power of the Internet. Due to his comments, a number of bloggers cast him as a Neo-Luddite.

Even though Gladwell thought social media wasn’t a major factor in the demonstrations in Egypt–he wrote in a follow-up column on Feb. 2 that “people protested and brought down governments before Facebook was invented”– Mubarak did. As hordes of protesters filled Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the Egyptian government shut down Internet access in roughly 20% of the country. To no avail, social media continues to fire up a global movement.

Other examples abound regarding how these networks connect people and move them to action even though campaigns may not be as politically charged as a government coup. After entire villages in parts of Japan’s Northern Pacific Coast were obliterated following last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, one of that nation’s worst disasters, Facebook and Twitter have been used as a vital digital link, helping large numbers discover the fate of loved ones within hours – a process that would have taken weeks and months in an analog world. Now, the Internet is being used to locate other survivors of this tragedy as well as initiate mass fundraising efforts.

The next scenario may not offer a life-and-death example but could serve as the catalyst for greater diversity in media. BLACK ENTERPRISE co-hosted the Boomerang Effect in New York last Friday along with event organizers– The Marcus Graham Project, a national network of diverse media professionals, and SERVE 60, a grassroots organization dedicated to promoting service through their “one hour volunteer movement. ” The organizations effectively used social media networks to simultaneously assemble hundreds of black professionals to participate in 15 such functions across the nation. Although the Boomerang Effect was a networking event, it provided a venue to build relationships and initiate dialogue around partnerships, mentoring opportunities and other strategies to diversify the advertising and marketing industries. To further maintain lines of communication, MGP employs an online mentoring community to network, discuss industry trends and offer career advice.

The key to igniting revolutions is rallying the troops through a barrage of amplified messages of dissent and empowerment. It is made more effective through a communications network driven by advanced technology. In fact, one could make the case that pre-Internet technology took the Civil Rights Movement, Gladwell’s example, from sleepy Southern towns to the international stage. It was television that brought the inhumanity and injustice of the Jim Crow South into millions of homes and touch the nation’s collective conscience. One only wonders how much more expansive and palpable those demonstrations would have been if clips of the brutality faced by sit-in protesters or Freedom Riders had been posted on Facebook and Youtube or their desegregation victories had been tweeted 24/7. I suspect the response would had been instantaneous in building grassroots support and triggering massive, multi-city protests.

If social media can be used as a tool to topple governments, bring aid to disaster victims and organize diversity efforts, imagine what it can do for your business, career and philanthropic efforts. Today’s revolution will not be televised. It will be digital.

Cavaughn Noel

Cavaughn Noel is the founder of the Black Entrepreneurs in Technology Alliance Meetup group. The goal of the organization is to cultivate resources for the Black business community. Recently, he partnered with the National Alliance of Market Developers to hold a panel discussion about the urbanization of social media marketing. Noel recommends that small businesses try out Disqus, a third party tool that allows you to comment via Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, etc. in real time so that you don’t have to log into each respective domain. It also integrates media services such as Flickr and YouTube so you can watch videos or view photos in the comments. The great thing about it is that when you post something people can tweet about it from their accounts. For more advice reach out to Cavaughn on Twitter @Cavaughn.

Social Q&A sites allow individuals to establish themselves as experts in a given field, explains Eric Hamilton, founder of The Web Academy, a 501c3 organization that has taught 3,000 entrepreneurs how to build their own websites and mobile applications. If I’m an attorney, I can [build a social Q&A] site to answer questions on law. After I establish myself as an expert people will come to me [for help on] real cases, he says. Like Wikipedia, Quora is one of those sites that let’s you answer people’s questions and establish yourself as an expert on a given topic. It also lets you follow topics or questions that you are interested in learning the answers to. For more advice reach out to Eric on Twitter @EHam06.

Laura Mignott

General Sentiment monitors social media from the beginning of time and it aggregates news and information from about 50 years ago until now, says Laura Mignott, a mobile marketer and co-founder of DigitalFlashNYC, an organization that creates boutique network events in order to pull digital savvy trendsetters from behind their computers so that they can meet face to face over cocktails. General Sentiment is like Klout on steroids by 1,000%. The site doesn’t just report the facts, but it reports the opinions expressed regarding brands, products, politicians, celebrities, and companies. Then it places value on the brand based on online buzz so that you can get a big-picture, real-time (or over time) snapshot of public opinion of brands or people important to your business. For more advice reach out to Laura on Twitter @LMigno

Mike Street

Mike Street, the Senior Digital Strategist for Syndicate Media Group, hasmanaged the social media output for brands like Oscar de La Renta, Time magazine, and Lexus. One of his favorite tools is Tap11, a Twitter manager that recently launched. It gives you a weekly report of your twitter activity and sends it to you in an email, says Street. You can grab snapshots from that to learn what tweets had the farthest reach or what were the impressions of that tweet. For more advice reach out to Mike on Twitter @StreetForce1

Twitter (For Businesses and Professionals)

“It’s a wonderful place for people to learn more about what’s inside your head. Twitter is important because of the ability to get news fast from the people you want to hear from.” Andrews also points out that if your business isn’t on Facebook and Twitter, savvy consumers will make assumptions about it.

Facebook (For Businesses)

For businesses, Andrews suggests leveraging the sheer number of users on Facebook by engaging them though a fan page or Facebook groups. “There are 600 million people on Facebook, and they now are yearning and searching for more. Your brand could be that thing that satiates their appetite.”

YouTube (For Businesses)

“Video is becoming just as powerful as text, and YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google. Especially if you have a product, it’s a great place to do unveilings.” Andrews says how-to videos do especially well on YouTube, so boost business by helping people learn to use your product.

Wikipedia (For Professionals)

Andrews calls Wikipedia the “attic” of social media because many people don’t think about how they are or aren’t represented there. “Wikipedia is highly indexable; it’s a great place to put your bio up to allow people to see who you are. If you’re a public person, you definitely want to pay attention to it.”

LinkedIn (For Professionals)

“For a professional, LinkedIn is critical. LinkedIn’s a great place to be found by headhunters but also to connect with other professionals.” Andrews suggests LinkedIn groups for engaging with like-minded people and also linking your profile to your Twitter account for greater exposure.

Read more social media dos and don’ts:

• Don’t let Facebook get you fired
• 5 Twitter mistakes you should NEVER make
• 10 Ning networks you need to know

50 puts his money where his mouth is

For our January 2011 issue, rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson provides BLACK ENTERPRISE an all-access look at how he’s evolved into an entrepreneur extraordinaire. In a revealing interview, the 35-year-old speaks candidly about recent deals, notable milestones and future plans that make up his burgeoning business empire. But just what goes into being Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson? You’ll have to pick up the January issue when it hits newsstands on December 28 to get the full story, but in the meantime BLACKENTERPRISE.com will whet your appetite with a series of Web exclusive content that further unmasks the controversial businessman…

For the first time, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, one of our 40 Next, responds to the now infamous Twitter incident where he sent out a series of photos of himself literally playing with money. In this exclusive online story, Jackson proves that depending on the value of your brand, a picture can be worth more than a thousand words.

It’s no surprise: Building the brand known as 50 Cent comes with risks. Not everyone will like Jackson’s moves, methods or motives. Of course, he seems to believe the good, the bad, and the backlash all come with the territory.

“Everyone has a right to their opinion on you when you’re public property,” says Jackson.

This image might be hard for some to digest

Most recently, the hip-hop mogul gave the blogosphere something to buzz about. Last month, after tweeting pictures, as well as posting video of himself playing with stacks of cash—published reports say as much as $50,000—many questioned his insensitivity for those struggling in a tough economy. “Some people who may not be in a good financial state are angry that you have the ability to do that,” says Jackson about the reaction the images and footage received. He adamantly defends his actions as pure entertainment, saying, “I sent a joke on Twitter at the wrong time and it was completely misinterpreted.”

While that move was all in good fun, Jackson takes his digital presence very seriously.

His Twitter account boasts over 3.6 million followers. Besides that, he interacts with his 7.5 million fans on Facebook and 12,000 subscribers via his YouTube channel.  Add to that his ThisIs50.com website—which offers Jackson enthusiasts an online community with videos, blogs, news, among other 50 Cent-related content updated daily—and saying Jackson is a social media savvy celebrity is an understatement.

What makes him a talking point can vary.

“You could say my name and it will provoke emotion,” says Jackson. “Some people love it. Some people hate it. Some people don’t have enough interest in it to care either way, but they [still] know who you’re talking about.”

And knowing his celebrity makes him a prime target for discussion, Jackson says criticism like what he received after posting his Twitpics is unavoidable.

“They’ll say something negative [about] where you can put that money,” Jackson explains. “Then, when you have no money, they’ll have something negative to say about that [too], whichever way, whatever situation you’re in, they have something to say about it, regardless.”

For more on Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, read “The Many Faces of 50” in the January 2011 issue of BLACK ENTERPRISE, which hits national newsstands on December 28.

Tell us what you think: Did Jackson go too far with his Twitter antics? How easy is it for a celebrity’s actions to be taken out of context?

For the love of money

Read more of our 50 Cent Web exclusives:

• See exclusive photos of 50 at our Janaury 2011 cover shoot
• Should 50 Cent be a role model? Or is it just entertainment? Cast your vote!
• What motivates 50 Cent to get rich or die tryin? (And why he’s not taking any excuses from YOU)

 

Perry: "If we don't master social media now, we'll be left behind."

Social media is the new economy and game changer for getting your message out in cyberspace and beyond. If you have fresh ideas and the desire to try something new—get ready to grow your brand and be discovered.

You can amplify your message and grow your brand instantly by using popular networking tools such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning, YouTube, and Animoto to name a few.

With social media you don’t have to wait for a client or the media to discover your talent, service or goods—you can create platforms by engaging your friends, family and acquaintances by providing exceptional and creative content and messages via website, blog, Internet radio, and promotional videos all for an opportunity cost of free or close to nothing.

African American women are using social media to influence brand loyalty and to increase popularity, however, many are not using social media to increase bottom-line as it relates to business.

According to Pam Perry, head of Ministry Marketing Solutions,  “African American women think social media is a fad and for young kids, and don’t realize people are making money with social media. Social media is a marketing tool and the quickest way to network and increase exposure for a brand. For social media to work you must target people that know and trust you.”

As women we must understand that social media is the new currency, it’s growing at an exponential rate, and if we don’t master it now, we will be left behind. Men are using social media to create business opportunities and make money. Perry passionately asserts, “The difference, as it relates to gender, is that men are focused, deliver a clear and concise message, and are not afraid to make the ‘ask’ to close the deal. Women—more often than not—use social media as a popularity contest, send out random thoughts, and are afraid to promote their brand and make the ‘ask.’ ”

Perry says, “People need to create the three F’s to actively participate in social media:”

Followers: People who like and trust you;

Friends: People who will share your content, post comments, and rely on your message;

Fans: People who will bookmark your blog or Website and will likely need giveaways and incentives to keep coming back.

The Internet is the greatest equalizer for women and other entrepreneurs to participate actively in birthing a new idea, engaging clients and increasing brand awareness, with a minimal investment cost. Let’s change the perception of how black women do business by becoming savvier as it relates to social media.

Six Social Media Steps to Build and Promote Your Brand

1. Create a unique message about your brand/company and share via social media platforms—Facebook, Twitter, Ning, LinkedIn, and YouTube. As an example, here’s the video I created for my book.

2. Build an online community on the previously mentioned sites by always having something purposeful to say to engage your budding following. Use your existing relationships (family, friends, and colleagues) to build your fan base.

3. Create a blog. Blogging is your forum to provide an authentic commentary on a subject, combined with images and links, and allows you to interact with readers via their comments and your responses. If you are looking for maximum exposure and an indefinite shelf life for your material this is a smart starting point. (I recommend using WordPress to start your blog).

4. Become an Internet superstar with a viral video. Create a slick informative commercial about your company that is no longer than 5 minutes long with a video camera; post it on YouTube, distribute it to your e-family, and solicit reviews. TV producers are in search of homemade commercials to discover “new” and “authentic” talent for TV programs and various media platforms.

5. Host your own radio program. I host a monthly program on blogtalkradio.com, which is free to set up, easy to produce, and a strategic way to promote your talent and expertise. Internet radio will improve your Google index when people search for your business/brand.

6. Create a podcast on iTunes to showcase your brand to potential clients. There are many free guides available online, but I recommend using the one created by Digital Trends.

How are you incorporating these tips to create greater awareness for your brand? I look forward to your comments.

Caviar & Chitlins’ Moment: Don’t wait for the perfect time to be a part of the social media revolution. Jump in now—the Internet is open for business 24 hours a day.

Karen Taylor Bass, The PR Expert, provides entrepreneurs, corporations, and mompreneurs with essential branding, marketing, and public relations coaching; www.karentaylorbass.com and www.taylormademediapr.com. Follow Karen’s tips and Caviar & Chitlins moments at Twitter, twitter.com/prexpert.