BDPA Online Community: Groupsites

 

There have been many efforts to improve the marketing of BDPA over the years.  Some of us remember our first foray into cyberspace with the creation of our own BBS community known as 'BDPANet'.  Later we added online communities now known as 'YahooGroups'.   We've since ventured into a wide variety of other social networking communities including 'Twitter'.

One of those ventures is through a Black-owned and operated business, Groupsite, created by Clarence Wooten.  I think that BDPA Washington DC chapter president Perry Carter was the first person who pointed me to Groupsite (formerly known as 'CollectiveX').  I took on the challenge of creating the centralized BDPA Groupsite on December 24, 2007. It was part of my effort to leverage Web 2.0 tools in support of the fundraising efforts of BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF).

We reached a BDPA-Groupsite milestone in October 2009 when we reached 2,000 subscribers.   The growth has been slower since that time as the growth of other online networks and the national website have garnered additional attention.    I'm not sure what the future will be for the BDPA presence on the Groupsite platform ... but, the journey has been fun!

Here are some other BDPA-related Groupsites (with subscription numbers in parenthesis) that are up and running:

1. BDPA (2570)
2. BDPAToday (156)
3. BDPA Baltimore (1)
4. BDPA Chapter Presidents (22)
5. BDPA Charlotte (57)
6. BDPA Cincinnati (69)
7. BDPA Cleveland (28)
8. BDPA Columbus (21)
9. BDPA IT Institute (12)
10. BDPA Los Angeles (37)
11. BDPA Middle Tennessee (2)
12. BDPA New Jersey (11)
13. BDPA Philadelphia (35)
14. BDPA Richmond (16)
15. BDPA Washington DC (184)

Let me know if you don't see one on this list that should be there. Also, let me know if you see any value in the continued existence of these Groupsites. What say u?

BDPA Groupsite Milestone: 2,000 Members

I created the BDPA Groupsite (formerly known as CollectiveX) on December 24, 2007. It was part of my effort to leverage Web 2.0 tools in support of the fundraising efforts of BDPA Education and Technology Foundation (BETF). It helped that Groupsite is a Black-owned and operated business!

Anyhow, it has been very rewarding to see the continued growth and evolution of the BDPA Groupsite. We hit a significant milestone over the weekend when BDPA Detroit chapter member Damon Bryant became the 2,000th member to join the BDPA Groupsite. The benefits of being part of this network are obvious:

• Centralized BDPA calendar of events
  
• People are making recommendations of one another
  
• Discussion forums on a wide variety of BDPA, technology and other topics
  
• Centralized portal for BDPA-related files
  
• Photo Galleries

We live in a new world in which it is important for us to connect with each other via cyberspace. BDPA Groupsite supports this effort. Our hope is that all BDPA members and supporters will add this social networking tool into your arsenal.

We also hope you will consider making an online donation to our nonprofit foundation! Your donation is used to support continued use of Web 2.0 tools in the future as well as provide scholarships for our students around the nation.

BDPA Enters the Social Network Community

There are a number of social networks where BDPA members can identify themselves. There are over 1,500 subscribers to the BDPA CollectiveX Groupsite. There are over 600 subscribers to the BDPA Group on the LinkedIn Network.

Chris Bomar (Cincinnati) worked with us last year to create a place the BDPA Foundation on Facebook. Former national BDPA president Milt Haynes (Chicago) was the first to create a presences for BDPA on Facebook.

How many of you are active on Twitter? I find myself updating it 3-4 times per day. I get updates from New York Times and Barack Obama via Twitter.

Ura Puranda (Chicago) and her team created a YouTube Channel for the BDPA Foundation. I hope that we can find more videos from BDPA chapters, students and members to include on our newly created channel.

I guess that BDPA is searching for it's place in the Web 2.0 world. What do you think of it all?

The Social Network as a Career Safety Net

I am a strong believer in the power of social networking. You can find me on CollectiveX, Facebook, LinkedIn Network and Twitter. In fact, my 15-year old daughter thinks I'm too old to be on Facebook.
Perhaps you are like my daughter. Maybe you have avoided social-networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook with the excuse that they are the domain of desperate job hunters or attention-seeking teenagers. If so, it’s time to reconsider.

In a world of economic instability and corporate upheaval, savvy professionals epitomize the benefits of brushing up your online image and keeping it polished.

Click here for the rest of the story.