BLACKS ARE CREATING POWER BY USING TWITTER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2009

CONTACT:
C. Watson
Digital Social Activism Brand Director
The Giants Den Firm
c.watson@thegiantsdencommunity.com

BLACKS ARE CREATING POWER BY USING TWITTER

Oprah's Twitter Page

Oprah Joining Twitter on Her Show

Los Angeles, CA (BlackNews.com) - Black people are creating power by using Twitter because more and more of them are understanding a concept that their White counterparts have understood for years. And that is:

Your Human Capital (what you know)
(times) Your Social Capital (who you know)
(times )Your Reputation (who trusts you)
_______________________________
= Your Level Of Success.

That's why you can find so many Black CEOs, Black Accomplished and Award Winning Authors, Highly Regarded Economist, Famous Talk Show Hosts, Famous Artists, NBA Basketball Players, Teachers, Black Scholars, Black Technology Experts, Journalists, Publications, Musicians, and...even Oprah -- are all on Twitter.

It has helped individuals who were:

* Business Owners / Entrepreneurs
* Community Activists
* Media Personalities - Emerging and/or Established
* College Students
* Mothers
* Professionals
* Writers/Journalists
* Celebrities
* Artists/Musicians

For example, it allows business owners to connect with their customers. It allows community activists to connect with their supporters and donors. It allows media personalities and writers to connect with their audience. College students can find out about scholarship information. Mothers can find discounts on products. Professionals can find out information on new jobs and career opportunities. Celebrities can connect with their fans. Artists and musicians can learn about the art and entertainment industry. It's definitely a place for everyone. It is not like Myspace.

Blacks can be micro-influencers on Twitter to millions of people, far extending their particular region.

The Top Blacks In The Community--also known as the--Who's Who of Twitter...

There are various groups of high profile and influential Blacks that one can find on Twitter. And the following are a real small snapshot of the rather large population that resides on Twitter.

But they are all can be grouped in the following categories:

* Well Known Celebrities
* Corporate Leaders & Power Brokers
* Professionals
* Entrepreneurs
* Social Change Agents -- also known as Community Activists or Grassroots Activists
* High profile Journalists & Bloggers
* Highly Regarded Eclectic Artists & Poets
* The People -- also known as The Community
* Emerging Thought Leaders and Start Ups

Definitions:

Well Known Celebrities/Brands - defined as anyone that is visible and recognized or well known by the people (the community). Some of these well known brands or celebrities can actually fall in other categories but because they are recognized nationally and or globally - they are categorized here.

Corporate Leaders & Power Brokers - defined as anyone that is working at the C-level (CEO/CFO/CIO) and anyone that is behind the scenes who can influence or make an impact on someone at the C-level or Celebrity level.

Professionals - defined as anyone that has received a degree to serve in a particular industry. Example: Human Resource Manager, Doctors, Lawyers, Registered Nurses and so forth.

Entrepreneurs and Black Owned Companies - defined as anyone that has created their own business and/or brand and is serving a community and population. Some of these entities are staples in the Black community. For example: Essence Magazine, Jet Magazine and etc. are all on Twitter.

Social Change Agents and Leaders - defined as anyone that has created a plan, program and/or institution to help solve a particular issue or help a particular community.

High Profile Journalists & Bloggers - defined as anyone that can communicate to a large group via writing and by the use of the medium of either a traditional publication or medium or through their blogs, influencing that medium.

Highly Regarded Ecletic Artists & Poets - defined as anyone that partakes in the art world (paint/video/draw) and has a strong cult like following.

Emerging Thought Leaders & Start Ups - defined as anyone that has a new concept - a new idea - making new waves and will eventually rise to the forefront based on their innovative way of thinking. They have connected with early adopters and more and more people are listening to their voice.

And last but not least...

The People - defined as the community voice. These people will engage an individual in regards to concepts/products/news issues/current events/local issues and etc. They will answer your questions - take your polls. Because they are the most vocal of their community, they also have their own following. Their personality is strong and they emerge as a leader within their group.

Black Solutions Expert explains, "To find these particular individuals you must log on: http://www.twitter.com and add /(their name) Replace the @ with the / (or backslash). It's just like a website, adding back slash and their listed Twitter names.

Example: @blacksolutions
To find it you would go to http://www.twitter.com/blacksolutions

The same applies for the following leaders:

Well Known Celebrities:

@Oprah, @StarJonesEsq, @dambisamoyo, @AlfredEdmondJr, @warrengeezy, @goodenufmother, @chezjanie, @fatbellybella, @GeorgeFraser, @MarcyPolanco, @danamo, @serenajwilliams, @4Thegiant, @tymusic, @iamdiddy, @Antwone_Fisher, @questlove, @JaneeTMB, @missfree, @ToureX, @THE_REAL_SHAQ, @solangeknowles, @nyctimes, @2motivate, @MCHammer, @QtipTheAbstract, @snoopdog

And those were just a small snapshot of all the Black celebrities that are on Twitter.

Corporate Leaders: Imagine that you are having a problem with UPS or you want to know how to get hired by UPS - here is just one example of a corporate leader (in management position) on Twitter:

@mrmailman (UPS)

Heartfelt Stories: There is a Black woman on Twitter - fighting for her life in her battle against Cancer. She tweets stories of struggle and accomplishments to the people that follower her:

@BlackPearlCreat

Women Empowerment: There are sub-groups and leaders that have emerged to strictly empower women, such as these two leaders, again there are so many more as well:

@nic_mclean, @Gingerlatte

Entrepreneurs: There are so many Black Entrepreneurs that go undiscovered because they don't have the marketing dollars to support their wonderful ideas. We have listed a few entrepreneurs - but there are countless others...

@CassyJ, @DiversEvents, @Freed2Travel, @2Serenity, @CarnellUNYC, @BlackTennisPros, @teenbizcoach

Social Change Agents and Community Leaders:

@GoodFathersOnly, @BTYB, @stephaniedm, @clos1919, @kwame06, @WORLDOFMONEYORG, @HBCUCareerCntr, @thefriendraiser

Mentors: These individuals have volunteered to mentor Black adults and children who need it:

@mysskay, @blacksoulfuleye, @CharTheArtist

Newspapers and Publications are on there:

@MIChronicle / Michigan, @blackpresence

Powerful Journalists and Bloggers:

@kweeneverything, @j_adisa, @malikalex, @soulrebelJ, @AaronBBrown, @DryerBuzz, @bigced, @bizziemommy, @blacksolutions, @donlemoncnn, @iluvblackwomen, @Egyptsaidso, @GinaATL, @synergyblog, @Maroonsista, @TJAbif

Emerging Thought Leaders and Start Ups: Thought leaders are something that our community knew from the beginning and we talked about it.

Now, we can see this on Twitter because we can observe their conversations or their concepts.

@BrandonFrame has been on CNN's Black in America Part 2. And he is highly regarded in the community.
@NPBN has a multimedia company that gives Blacks more power to control their own voice. And,
@TheRealCeaza7 - This thought leader is paying homage to all Black women in May. He will be tweeting historical facts. Again, we've only given a snapshot.

@NPBN, @FSho1, @sunmanpatu, @BrandonFrame, @iemike, @imjustjoshin, @teenceo, @Mr_Success, @DarionRobinson, @theblackreport, @DaUrbanNerd, @JanksMorton, @yadsocial

Technology Experts: We have to give this brother his own category. Surely there are more brothers doing their thing - we've seen about 200 leaders in this category. But @lspearmanii is by far the leader of the trends for technology. He definitely needs to be followed.

Book Clubs & Publishing Companies:

@gritsbookclub, @OneWorldBooks, @RawSistaz

Socialites and Networkers: There are Black socialites that know exactly who is who and where to go within their city. We've only selected one example, but there are countless more that are tweeting about the VIP events and where they are going:

@The6footer - Angel White (Black Socialite in Detroit & Mover and Shaker)

Highly Regarded Eclectic Artists and Poets: Remember when the community would hear a song - or see art and we found our music via word of mouth. These individuals already have a strong following. And again, these are only a few of them...

@vivafidel, @SpeaksBeliefs, @iyaDedE, @PiKaHsSo, @mikkeyhalsted, @lalahathaway, @saulwilliams

And last but not least...

The People: Before we talk about the "people", it should be noted that these twitter leaders have a personal brand that works - because they are simply being themselves. You will notice that those who are following them - seem to be compelled to engage them. They will support you, they will debate you, they will tell others about you. Here is a small snapshot of these twitter leaders:

@IamRah, @beautifulcurare, @CoffeebreakDMV, @vgchefYoliOuiya, @jameelawms, @deltalady, @astroMELANIN, @NobleSon, @Onei73, @JFarand, @SweetChhavvi, @TatiAnaCanCanA, @lovejonz618, @SagLady09, @just_yappin, @iamararebird, @ispear, @dvineexpression, @MelindaWeekes, @khadijah307, @mzsuzuki, @WWAHHMpreneur, @soulfulbeauty, @Iheartlexie, @KJonesMorehouse, @Jo3ll3, @AFROPICK1, @JahariMarie, @reecy_Kup, @Baby_Lexie, @ComCorrec, @sexytassy1, @blackhippychick, @sassycrass, @tyronem, @FOCUSEDenergy, @Geronimo766, @LondonDiva, @alikidd, @HypeBigelow, @kemmuhammad, @MPactMedia

Public Service Announcement: "If you are on Twitter and not getting the response that you want, you may be tweeting wrong." - explains Black Solutions Media

Black Solutions has researched social networking sites for 15 years - and the affect they have on the Black community. Twitter came as the leader for the Black community, but not without initial skepiticism. Lisa Singleton explained, "We hired The Giants Den Firm to assist us with our research, because as everyone knows this firm is the leader when it comes to innovation. But initially, we were still very skeptial. Black Solutions has a unique duty to make sure what we report is going to be beneficial to our community. So we did grueling studies staying up every hour and calculating which time is an effective time to communicate and get a result. We also found out which network would really help us. So, yes I too - a former skeptic - created an account and realized that this could be a very key communication tool for us. Imagine if we had Twitter during Hurricane Katrina." Black Solutions has been studying sites like Black Planet and Facebook and Myspace and etc. Twitter continues to be the leader of the pack.

"There are so many free tools that are out there for Twitter that can make tweeting easier. And, we've designed a free book to help out as well." Derrick Marsh explains what he would tell any individual that isn't having the success on Twitter that they should, "If you aren't getting the reception or the response that you should be getting, it's probably your tweets. And again - I would tell point them to our comprehensive and free-no-catch- guide for the Black community." Mr. Marsh tweets resources, tips, news alerts, job offers, all media information that pertains to the Black community. But he explains that he likes to have a lot of fun too, "But I reallly want everyone to know that there is a lot of fun going on in the twitterverse. For example, just last week Highly Acclaimed and World Famous Music Artist Erkyah Badu (@fatbellybella) had fun with someone who was impersonating a celebrity. We all laughed and had fun. The imposter @Gabrielle_Union - who clearly isn't Gabrielle Union - continues to fight with Ms. Badu who was clearly just having fun."

The Guide : "Our Tweets" has

* Organization Tools
* Networking Tools
* Cell Phone Applications
* Public Service Announcements - How to make a good impression vs. How to make a fool out of yourself

To get started on Twitter:

1. Go to http://www.twitter.com/blacksolutions
2. Follow "Black Solutions"
3. And if you want (via request - no pressure) A Free Complimentary Guide will be sent to you via the twitter system.

About Black Solution
Black Solutions is a research and media advisory group for the Black Community. The firm researches the facts and provides information, tips and resources with the sole goal of uplifting the Black Community.

About The Giants Den Firm
The Giants Den Firm serves start ups, research companies, non profit organizations, business leaders, corporations and personal brands with an extensive array of business consulting services.

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