Africa, Web 2.0 & Social Networking

Over the last couple of weeks, I have noticed how social networks are prevalent on the new internet era (or could it be bubble). You can make new friends, articles, listen to music, and all sort of other internet savvy things.

The web is back and this time its back to stay. There's social networks for musicians (Pure Volume & (MySpace) , students ((Facebook & (Bebo), for Golf, Cars, Business, Books, Italians in fact almost any imaginable group of people. And these site receive an amazing stream of traffic. It is only rational to start a blog to watch comment, review and encourage social networking as it filters through into African homes, workplaces and ultimately their lives.

What comes to mind first is WHY. 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. ANd the notion of blackness and African are different but alike. In my mind calling it african is not segregating from other blacks but instead an attempt to unite black people all over. Whether caribbean, black british, african american, white south african, a ghanian man, they are all africans. And the african social network brings them all together. So from Jamaica to Johannesburg, where ever you are from where ever you are. An African Social Network is for you.


Surely we have Blackplanet, isn't that enough. Blackplanet? I hardly know anyone outside America who has head of Blackplanet. Web 2.0 is a web movement without boundaries, Blackplanet is an African American Social Network and for good reason. To them their advertisers are more interested in people in the US so why try.

As of writing there's no major African Social Network around, but as we go they will arise. And we will follow their rise and fall. Their triumphs and trials. Africa will speak and the voice will be heard.