Showing 16 results for:
blogging
Popular topics
All results
Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™. Since Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook , knowing how to code has been one of the most in-demand skills of the century. Millennials were first exposed to the world of programming via Myspace, where users could use HTML & CSS to customize their profiles to their liking. During the focus on code, there have been increasingly more companies focused on making it so anyone who wants to create an app or a website can do it without having to have studied computer science. Since the early days of the dot-com era, companies have been developing tools to make website creation accessible to those without a background in computer science. WordPress is one of the first to do this at scale—and one of the most recognizable. WordPress was founded in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg, focusing on making blogging more accessible for people who did not know how to write HTML/CSS & Javascript. As of 2024, 44% of all websites are...
Thanks to a number of innovations in the world of business, the global workforce is seeing a massive uptick in freelancing, gig economy gains , and other small business ventures. If you’re feeling the entrepreneurial spirit, there’s never been a better time to go into business for yourself. Still, one of the hardest parts of launching your business is coming up with ideas on what to sell, what services to offer, and where to market yourself. Here’s a brief but comprehensive list of small business ideas to get you started. Maybe you’ll glance over this list and have a major eureka moment, or maybe these ideas will spark your creative drive and assist you in developing something brand new. Either way, these options are teeming with possibility. Graphic Designer If you’re interested in launching your own small business, and you have a passion for art, why not try your hand at graphic design ? There are tons of outlets available for artistic people to work directly with individual...
Twitter Spaces is giving beleaguered users a break. According to TechCrunch, the social media giant is now allowing users to invite co-hosts to help moderate the madness and mayhem that tends to break out every now and again. The outlet reports that users are allowed to have one main host, up to two co-hosts, and up to ten speakers in each creative space. The company made an official announcement about this new option on its dedicated Twitter account, which you can see below. making it easier to manage your Space…introducing co-hosting! – hosts have two co-host invites they can send – the table just got bigger: 1 host, 2 co-hosts, and 10 speakers – co-hosts can help invite speakers, manage requests, remove participants, pin Tweets and more! pic.twitter.com/s76JFbhTL2 — Spaces (@TwitterSpaces) August 5, 2021 Twitter, itself, is undergoing a bit of an overhaul. According to The Verge, the goal of Twitter Spaces is to occupy the space at the top of the screen where the now-defunct...
Creating access to careers in technology is key for advancing equity and creating a more equal world for all. For leaders like Kimberly Lowe-Williams, creating opportunities for others through technology is a passion that drives her work. “I am a technologist with a passion to bring the gift of coding and technology to underrepresented communities. I truly believe technology will serve as the catalyst for people in poverty to change their lifestyles, both individually and as a community. If I could contribute to that progress in any way, I know I will have made a difference in the world,” Lowe-Williams explains. As the first Black woman to lead as a senior engineering manager at Salesforce’s Heroku division, Lowe-Williams has emerged as a force within the company. Drawing on her own experience as a nonprofit founder, since joining the team she’s worked hard to cultivate new relationships and build bridges at Salesforce; as a result, Lowe-Williams has broken down walls while opening...
Black influencers are really getting that bag online, and this new report has the statistics to back that up. The community of Black influencers has been growing tremendously in the past few years and so has the money. Orlando, Florida-based IZEA Worldwide, an influencer marketing technology, data and services provider for leading brands, recently published a report detailing the earnings equality among social media influencers. The second annual State of Influencer Equality report analyzes influencer earnings from data that IZEA collected between 2015 to 2020. “We are delighted to see the increase in pay for African American influencers within the IZEA ecosystem this year in-particular,” said IZEA Founder and CEO Ted Murphy in a statement. “Brands are consciously making the decision to include more people of color in their campaigns, and that commitment is reflected in our marketplace data.” The data shared in the State of Influencer Equality report is comprised of negotiated rates...
If you want to earn money online, promote your business, inform people, or all three, starting a blog can help you achieve your goals. But it’s important to understand that a new blog won’t be an overnight success that will be bursting at the seams with traffic. If you feel like you have what it takes to persevere through hearing crickets on your blog, let’s get into how to start one. HOW TO START A BLOG COMPLETE THE BASICS The first step to starting a blog is getting your website up and running. To start blogging, follow these steps: Pick a web hosting provider. Your web host will act as your website’s home and make it visible to people on the internet. There are a number of web hosts you can choose from, including Bluehost and GoDaddy. Choose a content management system (CMS). Your CMS will help you create your content and build your website’s design. WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace are very popular ones. Create a domain name. Your domain name will be your blog’s URL. Keep it...
Even before Beyoncé inspired the masses’ aspirations to join OnlyFans , folks were looking for ways to make money on the popular subscription-based platform. Sex workers and celebrity influencers have found million-dollar success on the social network, and believe it or not, regular degular people can secure the bag as well without risque photos and adult content. According to Homegrown Income , a wide variety of categories are available for content, including fashion, beauty tutorials, travel blogging, cooking, and cosplay. If you’re thinking of starting an OnlyFans, here are tips on how you can generate real income. Create exclusive content. Make sure your OnlyFans posts are for the pay-per-view site only. Don’t put a DIY video behind a paywall just to share it for free on YouTube. If you’re a fashion designer or musician, drop the first sneak peek of new material (an album or seasonal collection) on OnlyFans before giving it to the public. Cross-promote on your other social...
Since forever, Black women have been working mothers. Although it’s no easy feat, these resilient moms—media moguls, dynamic businesswomen, brand influencers, politicians and the like—meet the challenge with grace and determination to balance both. In light of Mother’s Day on Sunday, scroll through these 11 bossed up ladies whose first and most important job is being their kids’ mom. Mellody Hobson Hobson is the co-CEO and President of Ariel Investments, one of the largest Black-owned investment firms. While running the corporation, the award-winning, high-powered businesswoman spends her time promoting financial literacy, scholastic achievement, and investor education while raising her daughter, Everest, alongside her husband and “Star Wars” filmmaker, George Lucas. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KbhmzJWRh/ Marsha St. Hubert As one of the senior vice presidents of marketing at Atlantic Records, St. Hubert deserves all the praise. She was named one of Billboard’s 2019 Women in Music...
Social media has been a game-changer for many influencers, especially as platforms like TikTok and Instagram see a major surge in users. The internet has become a place for people in the creative industry to make a name for themselves, but for Black influencers, they still struggle against the gatekeepers of advertising who are responsible for paying these creatives for their work. Ethnicity pay gaps aren’t a new notion, but more recently, Black influencers and people of color have pushed back against the industry to call out their racist and sexist ways. In addition to the ethnicity pay gap, Black influencers are even being stripped away from their credits for creating trends that are ultimately stolen by their white counterparts to benefit from. TikTok was recently accused of trying to create an “aspirational air” for their platform by allegedly configuring the app to hide content from people who appeared to be “ugly, poor or disabled users,” according to the Guardian. While it is...
Before her career start as an entrepreneur, Ayesha Curry was a mother and a wife just trying to get her family and friends to eat healthier. Now six years later, she’s managed to turn a passion project into a growing business empire with several barbecue-focused chain restaurants, a best-selling cookbook, her own series on the Food Network, and a newly announced lifestyle magazine. Curry didn’t fade into her husband’s shadow, she created her own businesses and opportunities all from scratch. She took her video-blogging hobby of cooking and grew it into a YouTube channel with over half a million subscribers. This would eventually lead to a successful cookbook that turned her into a well-respected businesswoman running a holistic lifestyle brand. Curry realized the value of what would come to be her business empire when she started receiving gifts in the mail from various companies. “There’s this business called Freshly Picked Moccasins, and I was obsessed. I got a box one day, and it...
As we continue to celebrate Women’s History Month, we want to highlight these Black Women who have taken the unconventional route to success and built their own platforms for their respective endeavors. Black women are the future and these ten women are proof that there’s no standard blueprint to follow in order to prosper. Find out more about these phenomenal trailblazers below. Karen Civil Photo Credit: Leon Bennett/Getty Images for BET Elizabeth, New Jersey native Karen Civil has come a long way in the entertainment business. The self-made marketing guru has become one of the most sought after influencers in hip hop culture. She started in this business as an intern for Hot 97, which helped her launch her own website KarenCivil.com in 2008, covering upcoming artists like J. Cole and Nicki Minaj. Civil later turned her love for online blogging into a fruitful career in entertainment. The media maven has built up a platform that she continues to expand today, branching out into...
Whether you’re new to freelancing or have been at it for a while, you may be wondering what you can do to foster the growth of your business. Perhaps you want to find more clients, or maybe you’re still struggling to find your first client. No matter what issues your freelance business may be having, you can benefit from the following tips. 4 HELPFUL TIPS FOR MASSIVE FREELANCE SUCCESS 1. HAVE A PROFESSIONAL-LOOKING WEBSITE One of the first things you should do before officially launching your business is build a website that showcases your expertise. Your website should show your services as well as a portfolio of your past work. This will help build trust with potential clients. 2. CHOOSE A SPECIALTY Specializing in a particular niche is another way to build authority and show that you’re an expert in your space. So for example, if you’re a freelance writer, you can specialize in writing health and fitness topics for gyms, yoga studios, doctor’s offices, hospitals, etc. This can be...
Networking is crucial for entrepreneurship but may not come easy for introverted founders . Although many extroverts make great founders, it is a misconception that one must have an extrovert personality to become an entrepreneur or leader. For example, media mogul, Oprah, classifies herself as a true introvert but has managed to become a world-renowned entrepreneur. To all the introvert entrepreneurs who may struggle, here is how to amp up your social networking skills. Gather Talking Points Beforehand As an introvert, personal space and alone time are high on the list of priorities, while mingling with a crowd of people most likely doesn’t make the list at all. However, business purposes might call the introvert out of their comfort zone and into a brunch meeting or happy hour networking event where social mingling is expected. Although you may be content sitting in silence, chances are the individuals around you would like to indulge in conversation. Networking is the goal, after...
Tumblr has seen quite a few different owners in the past few years. In 2013, the online blogging platform was sold to Yahoo for $1.1 billion in hopes that it’d make the company relevant on the internet once again. That didn’t really work out because Yahoo itself was acquired by Verizon in 2017 . It’s clear that Verizon has never really known what to do with Tumblr. Last year , Verizon banned all pornography and sexually explicit content on Tumblr after finding child pornography on the platform. Critics of the move argue that Verizon could have worked to crack down on the exploitation of minors specifically because Tumblr was pretty well-known for its not-safe-for-work (NSFW) scene. Since the ban, Mashable reported that Tumblr lost almost a third of its users. Now, Verizon is looking to sell Tumblr, according to The Verge — and one company is already expressing interest. In a statement to BuzzFeed News , Corey Price, Vice President of Pornhub, said his company was “extremely...
Tumblr today announced it will permanently ban “adult content” on its platform starting December 17th, a massive change that will impact the way some communities use the platform. The ban includes “photos, videos, or GIFs that show real-life human genitals or female-presenting nipples, and any illustrations—that depicts sex acts.” “We spent considerable time weighing the pros and cons of expression in the community that includes adult content,” said Tumblr’s CEO Jeff D’Onofrio in a company blog post. “In doing so, it became clear that without this content we have the opportunity to create a place where more people feel comfortable expressing themselves.” The move comes just weeks after the Tumblr app was removed from the iOS Apple App Store due to issues related to child pornography on the platform. In the company blog post, D’Onofrio made it clear the microblogging service has always maintained a zero tolerance policy regarding child pornography. Not included in the ban is content...