one of the best attributes about my best friend is his frank honesty. whether i’m talking to him about life, music, or drama within our little bourgeois black circle, he always tells it like it is. his honest disdain, however, remains everytime i bring up our blog, ybpguide. forget the fact that i think our readers could benefit from his insight, he can’t get past the purpose of blogging in general. well, here are the 5 arguments i make:

1. blogging builds a sense of community. there are a lot of black blogs. whether the point of view stems from europe, africa, brooklyn, or chicago, we are a dynamic voice. finding other black blogs and linking to them fosters a cyberspace community where you can  meet new people and reconnect with others. rsspect.org is a testament to that.
2. your blog could be a dynamic resumé. the current 2.0 wave has shown us how profits can be made from popular opinion. even more so, it has also proven as tool for entrepreneurs and businesses to attract clientèle through direct feedback from their customers. if you’re thinking about starting a business for yourself to offer a professional service, a blog is a good starting point to generate buzz and gauge the market.
3. blogging distributes knowledge. one of the biggest assets of african-american culture is the role of our elders and their wisdom. the distribution of knowledge is immeasurable and creating a venue to share your ‘life lessons’ with others can ultimately prove invaluable.
4. blogging improves your writing. whether you are a teacher, investment banker, engineer, or economist, writing is a fundamental part of your job. as with anything, practice makes perfect. learning how to quickly proofread your work, distinguishing between the uses of you’re / your and their / they’re, and improving your grammatical flow are life skills that quickly fade as we watch more and more television. blogging can help remedy those impending cobwebs.
   
5. blogging can be profitable. the ’side hustle’ equation of a popular blog cannot be overlooked. while i can’t encourage anyone to litter their website with advertisements, the connection between a good idea and a nice check are closer than you think.

with these 5 points, let’s see if he starts blogging now…

(photo from gettyimages)