by Amani Channel
#NWNW

No wedding no womb, in other words, fellas put a ring on it before you start making babies.

On the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, writers across the blogosphere are joining a grassroots movement to promote marriage and family in the Black community.

Why? Because the baby mama situation has reached epidemic proportions.

Charles Kochakian recently examined some of the staggering statistics surrounding the issue.

Just 35 percent of black children live with two parents, which partly explains why 59 percent of black eighth-graders watch four or more hours of television on an average day, while 24 percent of their white peers do. The latter waste their time on new social media, computers and fancy phones.

Black children also are disproportionately handicapped by class disparity: By age 4, the average child in a professional family hears about 20 million more words than the average child in a working-class family.

Professional athletes have recently become the poster players for the problem. You’ve heard about Antonio Cromartie? Dude has a gang of kids, and can’t hardly keep track of them all.

Studies over the years point to many factors such as low unemployment rates for black males, and changes in attitudes regarding sexual behavior.

Whatever the reason, blogger Christelyn Karazin wants to shed some light on the situation. She’s a single mother, and can speak from her personal experiences. Now she’s saying, “enough is enough.”

Thus was born, “No Wedding No Womb” day. The movement even has its own theme song.

So what are my thoughts? People…. we have to do better. I like to think beyond color lines, but the problem is undeniable. The streets are raising too many of our young kings, and without a strong family unit the numerous problems that plague black communities (high drop out rates, high incarceration rates, etc.) will persist.

But perhaps instead of saying “no wedding no womb,”, my sistas should be whispering, “no condom, no puddy cat.”

by Amani Channel

What is social TV? (Forbes).

New community for Atlanta Bloggers. (BloggersAtlanta)

T.I. on the mic in the A after arrest. (RhymesWithSnitch)

Only Black newspaper cartoonist let go. (Journal-isms)

McDonald’s Dollar Menu controversy. (SFGate)

ITunes scam. (ITProPortal)

Good thoughts from Corvida. (SheGeeks)

by Amani Channel

OliverWillis – Shirley Sherrod may be considering returning to the USDA.
Police in Orlando, Florida tazer a 3-year-old boy (WFTV-TV)
BlackWeb2.0 shares a list of the 100 most powerful Black women.
Fantasia Barina speaks out about her suicide attempt. (NecoleBitchie)
Being fat can cost you at an Atlanta nail salon. (StraightfromtheA)
BlackTreeTV interviews Spike Lee about his new Hurricane Katrina documentary that is airing on HBO (Pt. 2 is tonight)

by Amani Channel
@scribegirl77

I just realized that I’m approaching my 4th anniversary of blogging. Four whopping years! That means I’m not quite out of blogging pre-school yet.

I’m still riding with my blogging training wheels, but I know that some haven’t even jumped on the blogging wagon yet, so I feel comfortable sharing some advice.

For me, blogging had been a great creative outlet, a way to share both personal and professional experiences and information, and it has definitely helped me build my personal brand.

I’m realizing that there are a lot more people out there who may be just learning about or thinking about starting a blog. So, here are a few thoughts that are inspired from a question via Twitter from Jatika Hudson who writes at RootToLife.

1. Link to other content, and blogs. Blogging is about participating in conversations, and there are plenty. If you find yourself writing about a certain topic, search for news or other posts that may provide context, similar, or alternative perspectives. Always link, link, link. When you show a little link love, you’ll generally get some love back, which can help increase your blog traffic.

2. Create a blogroll. A blogroll is a way to suggest to other blogs or sites that your readers. Again, it’s all about links.

3. Make your content shareable. There are different widgets that allow readers to Tweet, Facebook, or bookmark your post. If your readers like your content, they may want to share it with their network. Make it easy for them to do so.

4. Include multimedia content. Photos, video, or audio is a great way to keep visitors engaged.

5. Post regularly. There’s nothing like clicking on a blog only to find that the owner doesn’t maintain it. Your readers are more likely to come back if you post regularly. Everyday is probably best, but once a week at a minimum. Check out Justin Kownacki’s post about his findings related to daily vs. weekly posting – it’s good stuff.

6. Try to find a consistent subject to blog about, or better yet find a niche. You can easily brand yourself as an expert in a certain subject if you focus on one specific subject.

7. Don’t expect to monetize your blog immediately if at all. There are ways to do it, but in nearly four years the money I’ve made off of Google Ads is minimal. I’m not saying that it can’t be done, but it takes work, the right content, and a strategy.

8. Don’t make your posts too lengthy. The shorter the better. People’s attention spans are short, and getting shorter by the tweet. Share a thought or two, get in and out.

9. Share your posts with your FB or Twitter network. You can even automate the process. (Watch my tutorial)

10. Install an analytics tool like Statcounter or Google Analytics. Reviewing your site stats will help you figure out what you’re doing right.

For me blogging is a way to communicate with friends, possible business partners, and the greater social media community. I’ve enjoyed being able to share my experiences, thoughts, and news and info with the greater social media community.

For more information, do a Google search, and you will find an abundance of advice on the subject.

Thanks for the question, and thanks for reading.

By Amani Channel

A tale of two cheaters: Alicia Keys vs. Fantasia Barino – The Root

Bad Mothers/Bad Children – The Field Negro

Million Father March Day – Bossip

Daddy’s not speaking to Montana Fishburne – YB&F

Trey Songs & Monica concert (behind the scenes) – C&D

The 9/11 mosque debate – BlackSnob

Muslim girls are new tokens on MTV’s Real World – Racialicious

UK singer in trouble for infecting partners with HIV – GyantUnplugged

Ahmir – The most popular R&B group on YouTube

by Amani Channel
@10000Words

Forgive me for not updating MUR. I’ve had two client projects to complete, work, Devin… yadda, yadda, yadda. There never seems to be enough hours in the day.

That being said, I’m going to divert your attention to a blog that all journalists, wanna be reporters, citizen journos, etc. should tune into.

If you haven’t checked out Mark Luckie’s 10,000Words, you’re missing out.

This guy has a pulse on new media innovation, and he even wrote a book about being a new school journo. Affiliate link – The Digital Journalist’s Handbook

I haven’t read the book, but would love to review it (wink).

Here are a few recent posts that caught my attention:

8 Totally awesome time-lapse videos: A video guy like myself appreciates the creativity and coolness of these vids.

Prison Valley: “Prison Valley is an interactive documentary that takes full advantage of the web to tell the story of Cañon City, Colorado, a prison town whose residents and livelihood stem from the incarceration of local inmates. The project is unique in its incorporation of video, social media, blogging, and even a mobile application to tell a single story.”

3 Underrated but essential skills for journalists: I’ve shared my thoughts on the skills that any surviving journalist must have. Mark adds his thoughts and you may be surprised.

If you’re questioning Luckie’s credentials, he’s the truth.

Buy Mark’s Book (Affiliate Link):

by Amani Channel

Here are a few cool links from around the webosphere that I wanted to share

Check out this music video with P.Diddy that was shot on a Canon 7D. This is a small camera that shoots big HD video.

How do you create better videos? Watch this five minute interactive slide show I created in reponse to a question from some Twitter friends.

If you are a journalist, there are ten (10) things you must know in this digital era of communications.

Pay attention to #1, #6, #7, and #10.

I would extend the list by adding: you must know how to create multi-media content, that being video, photos, and of course text.

by Amani Channel

In this latest MediaConnection episode I sit down with NFL Tight End Daniel Wilcox who blogs at YardBarker.

We talk about his blog and the challenges that go along with life in the NFL.