by Nancy Ford
This section of the Online Community Start-up Guide explores blogging. We define it, provide a little historical information, and discuss a few things related to blogs including:
≈ Types Of Blogs
≈ Things to Consider When Planning Your Blog
≈ Choosing a Site/Software for Your Blog
≈ Creating Your Blog
≈ Increasing Traffic to Your Blog
≈ Blog Etiquette
≈ RSS Feeds and Feed Readers
≈ Enhancing Your Blog
≈ SMUG - Social Media University, Global
Please visit our website for the full post.
http://blacksgonegeek.org/Blogging.aspx
Join the Blacks Gone Geek Community
http://blacksgonegeek.org/JoinTheBlacksGoneGeekCommunity.aspx
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Beginner’s Guide to Website Creation – Part 2
Authors: Milt Haynes, Vera Holman, and Tiffany Miles
Overview
This material provides a more in depth overview of the web creation process. Prior experience with a graphical user interface such as Macintosh or Windows is required. We supply suggestions on how to use low cost or no cost options to create web sites when launching your service.
This chapter will address the following topics:
Website Complexity: It looks great, but are you willing to devote the time and money it takes to get a high complexity website up and running?
So Many Designs Who to Choose: Creating a website is not as difficult as you may think.
Validating Your HTML Code: After you write your code, it may not translate the way you expect. There are tools out there to verify your code.
Getting From Here to “Up” There: How do you FTP, publish and upload your code to the web site?
Website Design Considerations: Is the page too busy? Too much flash? Does it take to long to download because of too many bells and whistles?
Webmaster Selection: Do I need one? How much should I be prepared to pay?
Please visit our website for the full post. http://blacksgonegeek.org/BasicWebsite2.aspx
Overview
This material provides a more in depth overview of the web creation process. Prior experience with a graphical user interface such as Macintosh or Windows is required. We supply suggestions on how to use low cost or no cost options to create web sites when launching your service.
This chapter will address the following topics:
Website Complexity: It looks great, but are you willing to devote the time and money it takes to get a high complexity website up and running?
So Many Designs Who to Choose: Creating a website is not as difficult as you may think.
Validating Your HTML Code: After you write your code, it may not translate the way you expect. There are tools out there to verify your code.
Getting From Here to “Up” There: How do you FTP, publish and upload your code to the web site?
Website Design Considerations: Is the page too busy? Too much flash? Does it take to long to download because of too many bells and whistles?
Webmaster Selection: Do I need one? How much should I be prepared to pay?
Please visit our website for the full post. http://blacksgonegeek.org/BasicWebsite2.aspx
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Online Community Start-up Guide - Basic Website
Author: Vera Holman
Overview
This material attempts to provide you an overview of the web creation process from a novice perspective at the beginning of the process. Prior experience with a graphical user interface such as Macintosh or Windows is required. We supply the question of how to use low cost or no cost options to create web sites when launching your service.
This chapter will address the following topics:
· Choosing a Good Domain Name
· Key Aspects for Identifying a Web Host
· How Do you Know I'm Here? - Getting Discovered by Search Engines
· Pages All Web Sites Should Include
· How Well Did I Do? - Scoring You Web Site's Effectiveness
Please visit our website for the full post.
http://blacksgonegeek.org/BasicWebsite.aspx
Overview
This material attempts to provide you an overview of the web creation process from a novice perspective at the beginning of the process. Prior experience with a graphical user interface such as Macintosh or Windows is required. We supply the question of how to use low cost or no cost options to create web sites when launching your service.
This chapter will address the following topics:
· Choosing a Good Domain Name
· Key Aspects for Identifying a Web Host
· How Do you Know I'm Here? - Getting Discovered by Search Engines
· Pages All Web Sites Should Include
· How Well Did I Do? - Scoring You Web Site's Effectiveness
Please visit our website for the full post.
http://blacksgonegeek.org/BasicWebsite.aspx
Saturday, April 11, 2009
HIMSS09 Conference Update
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare.
On Tuesday, April 7th, I attended the exhibit hall at the HIMSS09 conference and it was fantastic. I could smell money in the aisles. You know what it’s like getting a fresh stack of bills from the bank with the smell of ink still fresh on them. That’s’ what it was like at the HIMSS09 conference. Mega display after mega display. GE Healthcare, Microsoft, Siemens, Oracle, and the list goes on and on. Thousands of people, millions of dollars, you would never believe we were in a recession. The stimulus package is working. Anybody looking for career opportunities should take a close look at the Health Care Industry.
I could only attend for a few hours at the conference, but even in that short time, here are a few opportunities I came across:
Sentry Data Systems: I met the CIO, John Peebles. This is a “young” company in South Florida that really growing. They have summer internships available. Stay tuned for the job posting.
CDW Healthcare: This company is in the Chicago area and they have a growing business in their Healthcare vertical. Check out their website or send inquiries to recruiter@cdw.com.
IntraNexus: I met the CEO, Rick O’Pry. They have a slick portal that peeked my interest, especially when I heard they did it with Ruby on Rails. This is the first commercial application I’ve heard that uses Ruby. I sent a note to their CTO, Doug James for more info. Stay tuned.
HIMSS Job Mine: Are you looking for a career in Healthcare IT. Check out HIMSS Job Mine. Whether you're actively looking for a new position or simply waiting to be approached with a great opportunity, HIMSS JobMine® helps you stay focused on the healthcare industry.
HIMSS Social Networking: I met 2 folks from HIMSS responsible for social networking initiative. They have a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
The PMI Healthcare Special Interest Group (SIG) was represented at the conference. They have information about webinars and a Healthcare IT Project Manager job posted on their site. Check it out. I spoke with Josef Spencer, the membership contact. Membership in the SIG is an additional $20 for PMI members. Download the Healthcare SIG brochure
Milt Haynes, Founder
Blacks Gone Geek
For more information:
Health Information Technology (HIT) Knowledgebase
http://blacksgonegeek.org/HIT.aspx
HIMSS09 Conference Update
http://blacksgonegeek.org/HIMSSConferenceUpdate.aspx
Join the Blacks Gone Geek Community
http://blacksgonegeek.org/JoinTheBlacksGoneGeekCommunity.aspx
On Tuesday, April 7th, I attended the exhibit hall at the HIMSS09 conference and it was fantastic. I could smell money in the aisles. You know what it’s like getting a fresh stack of bills from the bank with the smell of ink still fresh on them. That’s’ what it was like at the HIMSS09 conference. Mega display after mega display. GE Healthcare, Microsoft, Siemens, Oracle, and the list goes on and on. Thousands of people, millions of dollars, you would never believe we were in a recession. The stimulus package is working. Anybody looking for career opportunities should take a close look at the Health Care Industry.
I could only attend for a few hours at the conference, but even in that short time, here are a few opportunities I came across:
Sentry Data Systems: I met the CIO, John Peebles. This is a “young” company in South Florida that really growing. They have summer internships available. Stay tuned for the job posting.
CDW Healthcare: This company is in the Chicago area and they have a growing business in their Healthcare vertical. Check out their website or send inquiries to recruiter@cdw.com.
IntraNexus: I met the CEO, Rick O’Pry. They have a slick portal that peeked my interest, especially when I heard they did it with Ruby on Rails. This is the first commercial application I’ve heard that uses Ruby. I sent a note to their CTO, Doug James for more info. Stay tuned.
HIMSS Job Mine: Are you looking for a career in Healthcare IT. Check out HIMSS Job Mine. Whether you're actively looking for a new position or simply waiting to be approached with a great opportunity, HIMSS JobMine® helps you stay focused on the healthcare industry.
HIMSS Social Networking: I met 2 folks from HIMSS responsible for social networking initiative. They have a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
The PMI Healthcare Special Interest Group (SIG) was represented at the conference. They have information about webinars and a Healthcare IT Project Manager job posted on their site. Check it out. I spoke with Josef Spencer, the membership contact. Membership in the SIG is an additional $20 for PMI members. Download the Healthcare SIG brochure
Milt Haynes, Founder
Blacks Gone Geek
For more information:
Health Information Technology (HIT) Knowledgebase
http://blacksgonegeek.org/HIT.aspx
HIMSS09 Conference Update
http://blacksgonegeek.org/HIMSSConferenceUpdate.aspx
Join the Blacks Gone Geek Community
http://blacksgonegeek.org/JoinTheBlacksGoneGeekCommunity.aspx
GEEKS Gone Great Talks with Dr. Randal Pinkett
by Sheila Marionneaux
“Being very good at what you do, and being excellent at what you do, is not a solution to racism, but it is one of the best counter-strategies.”
--Dr. Randal Pinkett
Blacks Gone Geek (BGG) chats with Dr. Randal Pinkett, Chairman and CEO of BCT Partners for perspective and insight on his mindset for success getting through these disruptive times. Click here to see Dr. Pinkett’s bio.
BGG: Dr. Pinkett, your website and bio featuring your professional service offerings and achievements are like looking at The Game of Life – but without a single mediocre square to land on! You’re a former NCAA Division 1 athlete, a Rhodes Scholar who holds five academic degrees, from MIT, of course Oxford, and Rutgers-- you’re CEO and Founder of five ventures, a published author of two books, with a third to launch this year; you’re in high demand on the speaker circuit, and you are an active community leader and head a prominent family. To add to that, you were even Season 4’s winner of NBC’s hit reality show, “The Apprentice”, with Donald Trump! How is it that you raised the bar to accomplish so much for yourself? How did you get there?
RP: I would say it all goes back to my foundation, my upbringing, and that combined with having really great people placed in my life at various times. My father had a background in math and science. He attended Morgan State University where he studied math and, therefore, he was a big believer in exposing my older brother Dan and me to the sciences and technology. When we were kids we wanted a video game. He bought us a computer! We were like, “what is this”?! We wanted Atari and wound up with a Commodore VIC-20! For the longest time we left the computer in the box without opening it. And then we got curious. We didn’t have any games on it so we got the manual and started playing around and programming games ourselves; eventually Dan and I sort of got hooked on the computer, spending more time on the computer than we were outside playing sports!
My technology foundation comes from my father and his vision. On the other hand, my mother is the most organized person on the planet! Not only is she extremely organized, she also has high expectations. When we were growing up she always told us, “If you’re going to do something, do it right, or don’t bother doing it at all.” Because of my mother’s belief in hard work and discipline, mediocrity was never even an option when it came to my brother and I getting good grades in school.
In fact, I just took some things for granted because I just didn’t know any other way. I always knew that I had to work hard and get good grades. That foundation really provided me with the right set of tools growing up and then going to college and even later as I started my career.
Fortunately during my years at Rutgers, I became close friends with four gentlemen: Lawrence Hibbert, Jeffrey Robinson, Dallas Grundy and Aldwyn Porter. We were all involved with the Rutgers Chapter of the National Black Society of Engineers (NSBE) and ultimately started a business together while in college. That business evolved into the firm I run today, BCT Partners. To this day they all remain my closest friends. In fact, Lawrence, Dallas, Jeffrey and I have been business partners for more than 15 years now.
BGG: I have to ask the question may likely going to trigger more than a few responses. As an African American Male in the United States of America, the land of opportunity for some and oppression for many, how did you beat the odds or “buck the system” of the “Black Man in America” factor?
RP: Good question. I would argue that I’m still trying to “buck that system”! From my vantage point, I still face challenges that stem from the fact that I am a Black man and the playing field is not level, at any level. So I still find myself having to work twice as hard or overcome twice the obstacles at times. It’s a little disheartening but true. And if it’s still hard for me then what does that say here in 2009 about others who don’t have the kind of support that I’ve been fortunate to receive? We still have a lot of work to do. But to your point earlier, being very good at what you do, and being excellent at what you do is not a solution to racism, but it is one of the best counter-strategies. It’s harder for someone to hold you back or to deny you opportunity or to circumvent what indeed may be your destiny, when you’re very good at what you do. As an entrepreneur who runs a technology company I must be excellent. As a minority-owned business my firm, BCT Partners, must be excellent. It doesn’t solve all of our problems, but it definitely makes it harder for people to hold us back.
BGG: That is such a key point! There it is….
BGG: So more about your journey. Why Oxford?
RP: As I was graduating college, one of my professors at Rutgers approached me and asked if I had I ever considered applying for the Rhodes scholarship. I had never heard of the Rhodes scholarship! The Rhodes Scholarship is perhaps the most prestigious scholarship and provides funding to study abroad at Oxford University for up to three years. Past Rhodes Scholars include President Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Justice David Souter, United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, NAACP President Benjamin Jealous, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, and Senator Bill Bradley, just to name a few. It was something I couldn’t pass up. I was optimistic entering the competition but I certainly wasn’t banking on it. No African American in the history of Rutgers had ever won the Rhodes Scholarship. By the grace of God I was named a recipient. So while I had applied to other graduate programs in the U.S., I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to study at Oxford. I’m proud to say that even to this day I remain the only African American in the history of Rutgers to receive the Rhodes Scholarship.
BGG: You were Captain of Rutgers University Men’s Track and Field Team (1989-1994), right? What were your event(s)?
RP: I was a high jumper, a long jumper and occasionally a sprinter.
BGG: Are there any correlations to be drawn around certain training disciplines that you apply in your professional life?
RP: Absolutely! I studied electrical engineering in college which was a significant demand on my time. Every semester I had 5 or 6 classes of largely math and science-based classes plus an elective. In addition to that I was an NCAA Division I athlete. I attended track practice at least two hours every day and travelled to competitions both during the week and on the weekends. Sometimes I would miss class time and study time while I was on the road for competitions. I was also heavily involved in the National Society of Black Engineers and trying to have a social life! The one thing I learned early in college, not just with track but with the totality of all my extracurricular activities was, first, the ability to first multi-task and, second, the ability to focus in on what I’m doing when I’m doing it. So for example, if I had an exam on Friday and had to compete at a track and field meet on Saturday, I would block out that exam and focus on what I needed to do on the athletic field. Once the meet was over, I had to get back into the mindset of being a student to get ready for another exam Monday.
So I learned how to filter out distractions, concentrate and be very good at what I’m doing at a given time and then transition my attention to what might be my next priority. This ability was directly transferrable to my life as an entrepreneur. I wear so many hats at BCT Partners, with my primary hat being that of business developmnent. I spend most of my time cultivating new clients. But whether I’m on the road cultivating clients or making sure I’m staying abreast of the latest trends in information technology, I have to be able to wear each of those hats very well.
BGG: Dr. Pinkett, we couldn’t let our time with you end without talking about the show, “ Apprentice”. How did that come about?
RP: The idea for me to go on the show was my wife’s idea! Zahara was a fan of the show. Sometimes we’d watch it together. She encouraged me to look into getting on the show. Honestly, I never really thought about going on a reality TV show! We had a few follow-up conversations with her insisting that she thought I could win. She went online and found the application for the show, downloaded it and put it on my desk! She basically convinced me to fill it out. About one month later I got a call from one of the producers saying they wanted to talk to me. So at that point I started taking it a little more seriously and the rest is history. I was selected to be on the show and, thankfully, I won. I worked for Trump Entertainment Resorts in Atlantic City, NJ, for one year. Incredibly, still to this day I’m the only person of color who has won on the show.
BGG: I love your Apprentice Lessons Learned Blog. For Episode Five’s show, where Dennis Rodman was fired, you wrote: “Tough assignments let you show off your abilities and your great work ethic. There are no small jobs - only small workers”. What is a small worker?
RP: A small worker is someone who thinks that they’re above doing small tasks. I believe that you should never be above doing anything. I believe you do what you have to do to get the job done, no matter what it is, and, that no task is ever beneath you. When you get into that kind of thinking, then you begin to think that what you do is better than what other people do, etc. and that’s the beginning of a very dangerous and slippery slope.
BGG: And speaking of a slippery slope, we’re living in a very surreal period, what with the shrinking job market, fading advancement opportunities, catastrophic economic and housing challenges. What overall parting words can you leave our BGG audience that will help us face whatever challenging factors looming?
RP: I would advise people to think of their careers as their own private business. That is one of my favorite quotes from Earl Graves. Entrepreneurs think about how they can take advantage of opportunities that may exist. Because whether it’s a strong economy, a moderate economy or a weak economy, there’s still an economy. So there must be opportunities that can be leveraged. While there may be different opportunities in a weak economy than in a strong one, opportunities still exist. And if people think about their career as a business, they begin to think creatively about the opportunities the market is willing to offer. They begin to ask some very important questions: Where are the pockets of opportunity? What are the skill sets that are still in demand? How do I position myself to go after those opportunities? Even in these tough times, there are still areas that are growing. There are still professions that are facing shortages. There are still jobs that remain unfilled. I believe a measure of creativity, innovation, vision, and initiative in seeking out job opportunities – the same approach an entrepreneur would take in seeking out market opportunities – stands the best chance of getting results.
BGG: Just more question, any relation to Jada?
RP: (Laughs) Great question! There is no relation that I am aware of directly. However, I have to say that every African American Pinkett I’ve ever encountered, including Jada, has roots in the Southeast shore of Maryland. My theory is that we’re all likely related and migrated from the same area.
BGG: Thank you so much for sharing a glimpse of your story with us, I know there is still so much we didn’t cover, but like they say if you want to know more, read the book right? Seriously yours is such a powerful story and inspiring to a young person reading this, to understand that being a geek early can lead to GREAT things!
RP: Absolutely! Thank you! I encourage people to get copies of my books: the forthcoming, Black Faces in White Places: 10 Strategies for African Americans to Redefine the Game and Reshape America; No-Money Down CEO: How to Start Your Dream Business with Little or No Cash; and Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur’s Guide in Launching a Multimillion-Dollar Business. I will close by saying that there are a LOT of wealthy people in this world that are, were, or continue to be geeks. So if that’s what it means to be a geek, then I’ll be a geek for life!
To learn more about Dr. Randal Pinkett, visit RandalPinkett.com or BCTPartners.com
Join the Blacks Gone Geek Community
http://blacksgonegeek.org/JoinTheBlacksGoneGeekCommunity.aspx
“Being very good at what you do, and being excellent at what you do, is not a solution to racism, but it is one of the best counter-strategies.”
--Dr. Randal Pinkett
Blacks Gone Geek (BGG) chats with Dr. Randal Pinkett, Chairman and CEO of BCT Partners for perspective and insight on his mindset for success getting through these disruptive times. Click here to see Dr. Pinkett’s bio.
BGG: Dr. Pinkett, your website and bio featuring your professional service offerings and achievements are like looking at The Game of Life – but without a single mediocre square to land on! You’re a former NCAA Division 1 athlete, a Rhodes Scholar who holds five academic degrees, from MIT, of course Oxford, and Rutgers-- you’re CEO and Founder of five ventures, a published author of two books, with a third to launch this year; you’re in high demand on the speaker circuit, and you are an active community leader and head a prominent family. To add to that, you were even Season 4’s winner of NBC’s hit reality show, “The Apprentice”, with Donald Trump! How is it that you raised the bar to accomplish so much for yourself? How did you get there?
RP: I would say it all goes back to my foundation, my upbringing, and that combined with having really great people placed in my life at various times. My father had a background in math and science. He attended Morgan State University where he studied math and, therefore, he was a big believer in exposing my older brother Dan and me to the sciences and technology. When we were kids we wanted a video game. He bought us a computer! We were like, “what is this”?! We wanted Atari and wound up with a Commodore VIC-20! For the longest time we left the computer in the box without opening it. And then we got curious. We didn’t have any games on it so we got the manual and started playing around and programming games ourselves; eventually Dan and I sort of got hooked on the computer, spending more time on the computer than we were outside playing sports!
My technology foundation comes from my father and his vision. On the other hand, my mother is the most organized person on the planet! Not only is she extremely organized, she also has high expectations. When we were growing up she always told us, “If you’re going to do something, do it right, or don’t bother doing it at all.” Because of my mother’s belief in hard work and discipline, mediocrity was never even an option when it came to my brother and I getting good grades in school.
In fact, I just took some things for granted because I just didn’t know any other way. I always knew that I had to work hard and get good grades. That foundation really provided me with the right set of tools growing up and then going to college and even later as I started my career.
Fortunately during my years at Rutgers, I became close friends with four gentlemen: Lawrence Hibbert, Jeffrey Robinson, Dallas Grundy and Aldwyn Porter. We were all involved with the Rutgers Chapter of the National Black Society of Engineers (NSBE) and ultimately started a business together while in college. That business evolved into the firm I run today, BCT Partners. To this day they all remain my closest friends. In fact, Lawrence, Dallas, Jeffrey and I have been business partners for more than 15 years now.
BGG: I have to ask the question may likely going to trigger more than a few responses. As an African American Male in the United States of America, the land of opportunity for some and oppression for many, how did you beat the odds or “buck the system” of the “Black Man in America” factor?
RP: Good question. I would argue that I’m still trying to “buck that system”! From my vantage point, I still face challenges that stem from the fact that I am a Black man and the playing field is not level, at any level. So I still find myself having to work twice as hard or overcome twice the obstacles at times. It’s a little disheartening but true. And if it’s still hard for me then what does that say here in 2009 about others who don’t have the kind of support that I’ve been fortunate to receive? We still have a lot of work to do. But to your point earlier, being very good at what you do, and being excellent at what you do is not a solution to racism, but it is one of the best counter-strategies. It’s harder for someone to hold you back or to deny you opportunity or to circumvent what indeed may be your destiny, when you’re very good at what you do. As an entrepreneur who runs a technology company I must be excellent. As a minority-owned business my firm, BCT Partners, must be excellent. It doesn’t solve all of our problems, but it definitely makes it harder for people to hold us back.
BGG: That is such a key point! There it is….
BGG: So more about your journey. Why Oxford?
RP: As I was graduating college, one of my professors at Rutgers approached me and asked if I had I ever considered applying for the Rhodes scholarship. I had never heard of the Rhodes scholarship! The Rhodes Scholarship is perhaps the most prestigious scholarship and provides funding to study abroad at Oxford University for up to three years. Past Rhodes Scholars include President Bill Clinton, Supreme Court Justice David Souter, United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, NAACP President Benjamin Jealous, Newark Mayor Cory Booker, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, and Senator Bill Bradley, just to name a few. It was something I couldn’t pass up. I was optimistic entering the competition but I certainly wasn’t banking on it. No African American in the history of Rutgers had ever won the Rhodes Scholarship. By the grace of God I was named a recipient. So while I had applied to other graduate programs in the U.S., I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to study at Oxford. I’m proud to say that even to this day I remain the only African American in the history of Rutgers to receive the Rhodes Scholarship.
BGG: You were Captain of Rutgers University Men’s Track and Field Team (1989-1994), right? What were your event(s)?
RP: I was a high jumper, a long jumper and occasionally a sprinter.
BGG: Are there any correlations to be drawn around certain training disciplines that you apply in your professional life?
RP: Absolutely! I studied electrical engineering in college which was a significant demand on my time. Every semester I had 5 or 6 classes of largely math and science-based classes plus an elective. In addition to that I was an NCAA Division I athlete. I attended track practice at least two hours every day and travelled to competitions both during the week and on the weekends. Sometimes I would miss class time and study time while I was on the road for competitions. I was also heavily involved in the National Society of Black Engineers and trying to have a social life! The one thing I learned early in college, not just with track but with the totality of all my extracurricular activities was, first, the ability to first multi-task and, second, the ability to focus in on what I’m doing when I’m doing it. So for example, if I had an exam on Friday and had to compete at a track and field meet on Saturday, I would block out that exam and focus on what I needed to do on the athletic field. Once the meet was over, I had to get back into the mindset of being a student to get ready for another exam Monday.
So I learned how to filter out distractions, concentrate and be very good at what I’m doing at a given time and then transition my attention to what might be my next priority. This ability was directly transferrable to my life as an entrepreneur. I wear so many hats at BCT Partners, with my primary hat being that of business developmnent. I spend most of my time cultivating new clients. But whether I’m on the road cultivating clients or making sure I’m staying abreast of the latest trends in information technology, I have to be able to wear each of those hats very well.
BGG: Dr. Pinkett, we couldn’t let our time with you end without talking about the show, “ Apprentice”. How did that come about?
RP: The idea for me to go on the show was my wife’s idea! Zahara was a fan of the show. Sometimes we’d watch it together. She encouraged me to look into getting on the show. Honestly, I never really thought about going on a reality TV show! We had a few follow-up conversations with her insisting that she thought I could win. She went online and found the application for the show, downloaded it and put it on my desk! She basically convinced me to fill it out. About one month later I got a call from one of the producers saying they wanted to talk to me. So at that point I started taking it a little more seriously and the rest is history. I was selected to be on the show and, thankfully, I won. I worked for Trump Entertainment Resorts in Atlantic City, NJ, for one year. Incredibly, still to this day I’m the only person of color who has won on the show.
BGG: I love your Apprentice Lessons Learned Blog. For Episode Five’s show, where Dennis Rodman was fired, you wrote: “Tough assignments let you show off your abilities and your great work ethic. There are no small jobs - only small workers”. What is a small worker?
RP: A small worker is someone who thinks that they’re above doing small tasks. I believe that you should never be above doing anything. I believe you do what you have to do to get the job done, no matter what it is, and, that no task is ever beneath you. When you get into that kind of thinking, then you begin to think that what you do is better than what other people do, etc. and that’s the beginning of a very dangerous and slippery slope.
BGG: And speaking of a slippery slope, we’re living in a very surreal period, what with the shrinking job market, fading advancement opportunities, catastrophic economic and housing challenges. What overall parting words can you leave our BGG audience that will help us face whatever challenging factors looming?
RP: I would advise people to think of their careers as their own private business. That is one of my favorite quotes from Earl Graves. Entrepreneurs think about how they can take advantage of opportunities that may exist. Because whether it’s a strong economy, a moderate economy or a weak economy, there’s still an economy. So there must be opportunities that can be leveraged. While there may be different opportunities in a weak economy than in a strong one, opportunities still exist. And if people think about their career as a business, they begin to think creatively about the opportunities the market is willing to offer. They begin to ask some very important questions: Where are the pockets of opportunity? What are the skill sets that are still in demand? How do I position myself to go after those opportunities? Even in these tough times, there are still areas that are growing. There are still professions that are facing shortages. There are still jobs that remain unfilled. I believe a measure of creativity, innovation, vision, and initiative in seeking out job opportunities – the same approach an entrepreneur would take in seeking out market opportunities – stands the best chance of getting results.
BGG: Just more question, any relation to Jada?
RP: (Laughs) Great question! There is no relation that I am aware of directly. However, I have to say that every African American Pinkett I’ve ever encountered, including Jada, has roots in the Southeast shore of Maryland. My theory is that we’re all likely related and migrated from the same area.
BGG: Thank you so much for sharing a glimpse of your story with us, I know there is still so much we didn’t cover, but like they say if you want to know more, read the book right? Seriously yours is such a powerful story and inspiring to a young person reading this, to understand that being a geek early can lead to GREAT things!
RP: Absolutely! Thank you! I encourage people to get copies of my books: the forthcoming, Black Faces in White Places: 10 Strategies for African Americans to Redefine the Game and Reshape America; No-Money Down CEO: How to Start Your Dream Business with Little or No Cash; and Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur’s Guide in Launching a Multimillion-Dollar Business. I will close by saying that there are a LOT of wealthy people in this world that are, were, or continue to be geeks. So if that’s what it means to be a geek, then I’ll be a geek for life!
To learn more about Dr. Randal Pinkett, visit RandalPinkett.com or BCTPartners.com
Join the Blacks Gone Geek Community
http://blacksgonegeek.org/JoinTheBlacksGoneGeekCommunity.aspx
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Online Community Start-up Guide - Introduction
Author: Tiffany Miles
At Blacks Gone Geek, we believe that whether you looking for a job or starting a small business, you will need the same thing, an online presence, a web presence that brings legitimacy to you and your cause. Believe it or not, it has become really easy to get started with little or no financial investment. All it takes is a little time and know how and a passion for building an online following.
What is an Online Community?
An online community (also known as a virtual community, e-community) is an interactive group of people joined by a common purpose and interest by electronic forms of communication mediums such as newsletters, telephone, email, internet social network service or instant messaging. Electronic forms are instituted rather than face to face interactions, for convenience, social, professional, educational and other purposes. When used for computer networking, an online community is a powerful mechanism for marketing, product development customer retention and insight, and overall web presence. Virtual and online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other primarily in real life. Many means are used in social software separately or in combination, including text-based chat rooms and forums that use voice, video text or avatars. Significant socio-technical change may have resulted from the proliferation of such Internet-based social networks.,
In a survey conducted by Deloitte Services, LLP director of product innovation, Ed Moran noted, “ [Online] Communities can extend the edge …in truly transformative ways -- tapping into new talent, helping design products and services, providing customer support and, most importantly, building the brand with the customer,".
Deloitte also noted that the [online] community features that most contribute to community effectiveness are:
· 53%-Ability for community members to connect with like minded people.
· 43%-Ability for members to help others
· 41%-Community focus around hot topic or issue
What is social media?
Social media is information content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies that is intended to facilitate communications, influence and interaction with peers and with public audiences. The term also refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences. (Wiki) The goal of social media is people engaging with one another to share; thus providing an electronic platform for word of mouth marketing and networking that can deliver engaging and socially relevant products and services with cutting edge technology applications.
Online communities use social media to provide tools that foster intuitive conversations around topics that are identified by its users. Businesses rely heavily on social media for its products and services. They refer to it as user-generated content (UGC) which is defined as various kinds of media content, publicly available, which is produced by end-users; or consumer generated media (CGM) defined as a reference to posts made by consumers within online venues such as internet forums, blogs, wikis, discussion lists etc., on products that they have purchased, questions they have or problems they are trying to solve. (Wiki)
What is social networking?
Social networking is the practice of expanding the number of one's business and/or social contacts by making connections through individuals. Based on the six degrees of separation concept (the idea that any two people on the planet could make contact through a chain of no more than five intermediaries), social networking establishes interconnected Internet communities (sometimes known as personal networks) that help people make contacts that would be good for them to know, but that they would be unlikely to have met otherwise. In theory, any individual can make contact through anyone they have a connection to any of the people that person has a connection to, and so on. The internet has the unparalleled potential to promote such connections is only now being fully recognized and exploited, through Web-based groups (such as online communities as social networking websites) established for that purpose.
Social networking facilitates the building of online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services Social networking has created new ways to communicate and share information. Social networking websites are being used regularly by millions of people, and it now seems that social networking will be an enduring part of everyday life. The main types of social networking services are those which contain directories of some categories (such as former classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and recommender systems linked to trust. (Wiki)
Social networking websites allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site. Networking sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks, but the actual networking with others helps strangers connect based on shared interests, political views, or activities. Most sites cater to diverse audiences, and attract people based on common language or shared racial, sexual, religious, or nationality-based identities. Sites also vary in the extent to which they incorporate new information and communication tools, such as mobile connectivity, blogging, and photo/video-sharing.
How much time does it take to build and grow an online community?
Some of the strongest online communities have grown naturally in supportive environments. Craig's List grew out of one man sending out job notices and apartment listings to his friends. Now Craig's List is a nonprofit organization reaching 37,000 people daily (Knefel 1998). Echo, a famous New York City based virtual salon, grew from the mind and energy of one very dynamic woman and a close group of friends (Horn 1998). The most famous online community, The WELL, was started in 1985 by a very small group. 11 years later it had 10,000 members and over 250 quality conferences (Hafner 1997). As architects of online learning communities, it is important to remember to try and control the growth, not the group. You can create an environment and plant some seeds, but it's the members of a community that grow that community. Even the big companies who are said to be "building online communities" are really growing them by giving, or selling, the tools with which people can grow their own.
Most online communities grow slowly at first, due in part to the fact that the strength of motivation for contributing is usually proportional to the size of the community. As the size of the potential audience increases, so does the attraction of writing and contributing. This, coupled with the fact that organizational culture does not change overnight, means creators can expect slow progress at first with a new virtual community. As more people begin to participate, however, the aforementioned motivations will increase, creating a virtuous cycle in which more participation begets more participation. (Wiki)
Community adoption can be forecast with the Bass diffusion model, originally conceived by Frank Bass to describe the process by which new products get adopted as an interaction between innovative early adopters and those who follow them. (Wiki)
Why do we use a web centric model?
A web centric model is the switch in focus from outbound marketing (solicitation of the customer) to an inbound (customer initiated solicitation) marketing focus. The inbound marketing focus attracts the customer to a site for products, information and services needed. It offers the possibilities of a ‘one-stop shopping’ experience where traffic from one main (parent) site can be re-directed to several different outside sites. There are three key components of a successful web centric model that will be discussed: Content, Search Engine Optimization and Social Media.
Why build an online community?
Online communities allow members to form a strong bond promoting social interaction and an exchange of ideas between users in a virtual setting. The uses and purposes of online communities are infinite and respectfully defined by its members allowing diverse talents to converge and explore one or several different experiences. These communities provide products and services in an ever evolving world that allows people to get connected to new people and become connected to new people who may have been previously geographically unreachable.
Job seekers can post resumes, search for employment and find a wealth of help and information regarding their career and aspirations. They can also be found by potential employers by creating an avenue that gives an employer direct access to an individual. Efforts can be concentrated differently as the days of walking into an establishment to fill out an application and submit a resume are long gone.
Churches, non-profit and community organizations can provide a wealth of services to reach their membership as well as attract new people with an interest and curiosity for their followers.
Entrepreneurs can use social media to promote their businesses. You online community can be used to generate traffic to your website and your website can be used to convert leads into paying customers.
What are the steps to create an online community?
1) Establish your purpose products and services
2) Identify your target market
3) Determine how you will reach your target market.
4) Determine how you will attract your target market to your online community.
5) How will you make money (e.g. leads, conversions)?
6) Who is your competition and how can you learn from them?
7) Pick your team (webmaster, co-editor, moderator, etc.)
8) Select the components of your technical solution (website, blog, discussion forum, profiles, e-mail marketing solution)
9) Establish and monitor operational metrics, key performance indicators (KPI’s) and measures of success (e.g. number of community members, Facebook friends, etc.)
10) Generate traffic using inbound and outbound marketing techniques.
For more information visit our website at: http://blacksgonegeek.org/OnlineCommunityStartupGuide.aspx
Join the Blacks Gone Geek Community at:
http://blacksgonegeek.org/JoinTheBlacksGoneGeekCommunity.aspx
At Blacks Gone Geek, we believe that whether you looking for a job or starting a small business, you will need the same thing, an online presence, a web presence that brings legitimacy to you and your cause. Believe it or not, it has become really easy to get started with little or no financial investment. All it takes is a little time and know how and a passion for building an online following.
What is an Online Community?
An online community (also known as a virtual community, e-community) is an interactive group of people joined by a common purpose and interest by electronic forms of communication mediums such as newsletters, telephone, email, internet social network service or instant messaging. Electronic forms are instituted rather than face to face interactions, for convenience, social, professional, educational and other purposes. When used for computer networking, an online community is a powerful mechanism for marketing, product development customer retention and insight, and overall web presence. Virtual and online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other primarily in real life. Many means are used in social software separately or in combination, including text-based chat rooms and forums that use voice, video text or avatars. Significant socio-technical change may have resulted from the proliferation of such Internet-based social networks.,
In a survey conducted by Deloitte Services, LLP director of product innovation, Ed Moran noted, “ [Online] Communities can extend the edge …in truly transformative ways -- tapping into new talent, helping design products and services, providing customer support and, most importantly, building the brand with the customer,".
Deloitte also noted that the [online] community features that most contribute to community effectiveness are:
· 53%-Ability for community members to connect with like minded people.
· 43%-Ability for members to help others
· 41%-Community focus around hot topic or issue
What is social media?
Social media is information content created by people using highly accessible and scalable publishing technologies that is intended to facilitate communications, influence and interaction with peers and with public audiences. The term also refers to activities that integrate technology, telecommunications and social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories and experiences. (Wiki) The goal of social media is people engaging with one another to share; thus providing an electronic platform for word of mouth marketing and networking that can deliver engaging and socially relevant products and services with cutting edge technology applications.
Online communities use social media to provide tools that foster intuitive conversations around topics that are identified by its users. Businesses rely heavily on social media for its products and services. They refer to it as user-generated content (UGC) which is defined as various kinds of media content, publicly available, which is produced by end-users; or consumer generated media (CGM) defined as a reference to posts made by consumers within online venues such as internet forums, blogs, wikis, discussion lists etc., on products that they have purchased, questions they have or problems they are trying to solve. (Wiki)
What is social networking?
Social networking is the practice of expanding the number of one's business and/or social contacts by making connections through individuals. Based on the six degrees of separation concept (the idea that any two people on the planet could make contact through a chain of no more than five intermediaries), social networking establishes interconnected Internet communities (sometimes known as personal networks) that help people make contacts that would be good for them to know, but that they would be unlikely to have met otherwise. In theory, any individual can make contact through anyone they have a connection to any of the people that person has a connection to, and so on. The internet has the unparalleled potential to promote such connections is only now being fully recognized and exploited, through Web-based groups (such as online communities as social networking websites) established for that purpose.
Social networking facilitates the building of online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most social network services provide a variety of ways for users to interact, such as e-mail and instant messaging services Social networking has created new ways to communicate and share information. Social networking websites are being used regularly by millions of people, and it now seems that social networking will be an enduring part of everyday life. The main types of social networking services are those which contain directories of some categories (such as former classmates), means to connect with friends (usually with self-description pages), and recommender systems linked to trust. (Wiki)
Social networking websites allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site. Networking sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks, but the actual networking with others helps strangers connect based on shared interests, political views, or activities. Most sites cater to diverse audiences, and attract people based on common language or shared racial, sexual, religious, or nationality-based identities. Sites also vary in the extent to which they incorporate new information and communication tools, such as mobile connectivity, blogging, and photo/video-sharing.
How much time does it take to build and grow an online community?
Some of the strongest online communities have grown naturally in supportive environments. Craig's List grew out of one man sending out job notices and apartment listings to his friends. Now Craig's List is a nonprofit organization reaching 37,000 people daily (Knefel 1998). Echo, a famous New York City based virtual salon, grew from the mind and energy of one very dynamic woman and a close group of friends (Horn 1998). The most famous online community, The WELL, was started in 1985 by a very small group. 11 years later it had 10,000 members and over 250 quality conferences (Hafner 1997). As architects of online learning communities, it is important to remember to try and control the growth, not the group. You can create an environment and plant some seeds, but it's the members of a community that grow that community. Even the big companies who are said to be "building online communities" are really growing them by giving, or selling, the tools with which people can grow their own.
Most online communities grow slowly at first, due in part to the fact that the strength of motivation for contributing is usually proportional to the size of the community. As the size of the potential audience increases, so does the attraction of writing and contributing. This, coupled with the fact that organizational culture does not change overnight, means creators can expect slow progress at first with a new virtual community. As more people begin to participate, however, the aforementioned motivations will increase, creating a virtuous cycle in which more participation begets more participation. (Wiki)
Community adoption can be forecast with the Bass diffusion model, originally conceived by Frank Bass to describe the process by which new products get adopted as an interaction between innovative early adopters and those who follow them. (Wiki)
Why do we use a web centric model?
A web centric model is the switch in focus from outbound marketing (solicitation of the customer) to an inbound (customer initiated solicitation) marketing focus. The inbound marketing focus attracts the customer to a site for products, information and services needed. It offers the possibilities of a ‘one-stop shopping’ experience where traffic from one main (parent) site can be re-directed to several different outside sites. There are three key components of a successful web centric model that will be discussed: Content, Search Engine Optimization and Social Media.
Why build an online community?
Online communities allow members to form a strong bond promoting social interaction and an exchange of ideas between users in a virtual setting. The uses and purposes of online communities are infinite and respectfully defined by its members allowing diverse talents to converge and explore one or several different experiences. These communities provide products and services in an ever evolving world that allows people to get connected to new people and become connected to new people who may have been previously geographically unreachable.
Job seekers can post resumes, search for employment and find a wealth of help and information regarding their career and aspirations. They can also be found by potential employers by creating an avenue that gives an employer direct access to an individual. Efforts can be concentrated differently as the days of walking into an establishment to fill out an application and submit a resume are long gone.
Churches, non-profit and community organizations can provide a wealth of services to reach their membership as well as attract new people with an interest and curiosity for their followers.
Entrepreneurs can use social media to promote their businesses. You online community can be used to generate traffic to your website and your website can be used to convert leads into paying customers.
What are the steps to create an online community?
1) Establish your purpose products and services
2) Identify your target market
3) Determine how you will reach your target market.
4) Determine how you will attract your target market to your online community.
5) How will you make money (e.g. leads, conversions)?
6) Who is your competition and how can you learn from them?
7) Pick your team (webmaster, co-editor, moderator, etc.)
8) Select the components of your technical solution (website, blog, discussion forum, profiles, e-mail marketing solution)
9) Establish and monitor operational metrics, key performance indicators (KPI’s) and measures of success (e.g. number of community members, Facebook friends, etc.)
10) Generate traffic using inbound and outbound marketing techniques.
For more information visit our website at: http://blacksgonegeek.org/OnlineCommunityStartupGuide.aspx
Join the Blacks Gone Geek Community at:
http://blacksgonegeek.org/JoinTheBlacksGoneGeekCommunity.aspx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)