Thoughts on African Media and Blogosphere
December 8th, 2006 | Published in Africa, Blogosphere, Event | 9 Comments
Sokari of Black looks writes about the poor linkage among African blogs and their poor ranking on most blog search engines, particularly Technorati. She even contemplated bloggers doing a Technorati tag bomb.
I do share Sokari’s concern, and those that pay attention to trends on the blogosphere and in the Web 2.0 world in general will understand why there is reason to be concerned. While a tag bomb is not the answer, and I do not subscribe to issuing a clarion call to Africans to register their blogs on Technorati either.
However, two things need to be done:
First, African bloggers need to read more blogs from Africa and link accordingly. Not using links in the blogrolls, but using links to discuss other blogs stories/entries they find interesting and relevant to their cause. Not an easy task, but a worthy one nonetheless. Secondly, there is need for media infrastructure tailored to our needs, basically web applications of the Web 2.0 kind. These applications must be built to accommodate the unique characteristics (socioeconomics and technical) of region.
Africa-related media outlets (news blogs etc) are being overlooked simply because available indices measuring scope and depth of these media do not look good. As I wrote earlier: The current 33 million African Internet users isn’t much by western standard, but this number is a tip of a ice-berg and has the capacity to economically sustain some well thought-out and implemented Web 2.0 business ideas.
I do relate to the musings of the Africa 2.0 blog that: “Why should there be an African social network? and why the word African and not black. Only thing I can think of is WHY NOT. There’s every other imaginable grouping out there, so why not African.” Gladly, some activities have started in this regard (Caramel Lounge, Afriqueka, Myspace Africa, Afrinity, Muti, iNollywood, the proposed Africa Network (pdf), etc) and there is room for more.
If there is any need for inspiration, Amadou Mahtar Ba of the AllAfrica Global Media comes as an excellent example. Amadou a Senegalese and trained banker, working in partnership with two Americans, Reed Kramer and Tamela Hultman, created a multi-media content service provider and the largest electronic distributor of African news and information worldwide in 2000. Despite all odds, AllAfrica has come to be the African amplifier on the global scene of news aggregation, and since it went into operations there hasn’t been any other major pan-African Internet initiative.
Basically, Africans should not only be able to tell their own stories via several media outlets, but able to fund/build/implement/manage the infrastructure needed to nurture and support these media structures, and the best way to achieve this is through collaboration.
December 9th, 2006 at 1:27 am (#)
I second that 100%. Very well said. Your argument is indeed well thought out.
What you are speaaking of would also make it much easier to do research on topics pertaining to Africa. Outside of AllAfrica, if one wants to do research on topics directly realted to Africa-it feels like a huge and never ending maze where each of the components that should hold the maze together are disconnected from one another-and research is only one component that suffers from this phenomenon.
Imnakoya, what do you you think can be done to spur more of the collaboration that you refer to above?
December 9th, 2006 at 7:20 am (#)
[…] Grandiose Parlor weighs in on Black Looks’ post, Technorati Bomb for Africa. Ndesanjo Macha […]
December 9th, 2006 at 7:57 am (#)
I agree with all of what you said. The “technorti bomb” comment was more tongue in cheek than serious and was said as a way of empasiing Technorati’s failings. Clearly something far more serious and constructive needs to be done than simply tagging ones posts with Africa.
There is as you say a neeed for conversations as well as comments which you and I often engage in but frankly it is a rare occurance amongst African bloggers. With regards what can be done to affect GP’s suggestion which I wholly concur with - first we need to find a way to stimulate conversations such as this one amongst bloggers - to do that we need to have a central space where these posts are held together with other media. People going there can see all the conversations at a glance and join in. It is quite simple really!
December 10th, 2006 at 5:26 pm (#)
Actually, the linkage isn’t the problem. It’s pinging that’s the problem.
I’ve made a comment on Sokari’s blog. Hopefuly, if we get more people to ping one of the popular ping servers (Pingomatic, Bloglines or Technorati will do), we should see the statistics shoot up.
December 11th, 2006 at 2:09 am (#)
Thanks Azuka. I appreciate the initiative and drive you have displayed on your blog. Keep it up!
January 15th, 2007 at 12:11 pm (#)
[…] - Imnakoya comments on Black Looks post on poor links among African bloggers. I used to do a lot of his point one i.e. link to other Kenyan/African bloggers at least every couple of days, but this habit dropped off as I got busier and spent less time blogging. I will do my best to get back into this habit at least once a week and encourage other bloggers to do the same…it really is a good way to boost both readership and rankings. […]
February 22nd, 2007 at 1:17 am (#)
[…] Grandiose Parlor: Thoughts on African Media and Blogosphere Bookmark:These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]
March 9th, 2007 at 12:25 pm (#)
[…] In a post titled, Thoughts on African media and blogosphere, Grandiose Parlor joined the conversation with two key words: infrastructure and collaboration: Basically, Africans should not only be able to tell their own stories via several media outlets, but able to fund/build/implement/manage the infrastructure needed to nurture and support these media structures, and the best way to achieve this is through collaboration. […]
March 22nd, 2007 at 5:48 am (#)
[…] Afrika Kusini wanaelewa somo. Somo la Teknohama (teknolojia za habari na mawasiliano). Majuzi tulisikia kuhusu Gargoyle. Sasa gazeti la Mail & Guardian wamekuja na Amatomu. Amatomu ni kama Technorati. “Technorati” ya Afrika Kusini. Technorati imekuwa ikilaumiwa kwakuwa teknolojia yake ina upendeleo fulani kwa wanablogu wa nchi za Magharibi. Soma lawama hizo toka kwa Africa Media, Blacklooks, na mchango wa Grandiose Parlor. Katika mazingira kama haya, ujio wa Amatomu tunaushangilia. […]