As we all know, February is Black History Month. It’s a month where we honor those who have made an impact on American culture for equal rights, those who have invented, those who have a helped others and those who have inspired everyone to be the best they can be, not only as a person of color but as a human. Last year for Black History Month, I started an online series called 28 Days Diversity where I would feature someone new everyday for the month of February for just being awesome in their own right. Even though it’s black history month, the goal for 28 Days of Diversity is to feature not just African-Americans but other minorities in the web/tech space. Also note that 28 Days of Diversity is not a popularity contest or an influencer list but a list of thought leaders in the social web sector, including entrepreneurs, bloggers, conference organizers, IT professionals and friends not ranked in any particular order who I have either met in person or followed online. Each post will include a picture, bio, two links from the selected person and this paragraph.
For 2011 I wanted to not just feature individuals but also address a topic that affects everyone. For 28 Days of Diversity 2011 each post/person will answer the question How can we use technology to close the digital divide? So for the next 28 days, come back to visit SocialWayne.com/tag/28daysofdiversity and 28daysofdiversity.com to see who’s on the list. For day 2, I would like to introduce to some and present to others:
Faydra Deon (Fields)
Twitter: @faydra_deon
Website/Blog: http://faydra.com
Faydra Deon was using the Internet before most of her family and friends even knew about the world wide web (yes, the Internet and the Web are two different things). She has been a webmaster and web designer/developer for over 20 years; six of which were as a soldier in the U.S. Army. For the past four years, Faydra has been a computer applications trainer in the Washington, DC, area, training others to use (X)HTML, CSS, XML, Javascript, AJAX, PHP/MySQL and Adobe applications, like Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Photoshop, to design/develop websites for personal, business and government use. Faydra uses social media on a daily basis and also teaches social media classes, which include “Social Media Overview,” “Marketing with Social Media,” and “WordPress for Blogs.”
On top of training, Faydra Deon writes six columns for Examiner.com. She is a DC Social Media Examiner, the National WordPress Examiner, the National Free Web Examiner, the National Free Web Tools Examiner, the National African-American History Examiner and the National Dreamweaver Examiner. She also hosts a weekly Blog Talk Radio show entitled “Wednesday WordPress Q&A,” which starts at 7p EST.
In 2010, Faydra Deon was named one of the 100 Most Powerful Black Women on Twitter by Black Web 2.0, and in 2011 she was featured on BlackVoices.com.
She has also started a journaling series called “30 Quotes 30 Days,” which is now up to three volumes, along with pocket companions to each volume (the quotes without the journal).
Her blogs, websites and social networking communities are numerous. Visit her at http://faydra.com to see her many spaces and places on the web.
Faydra Deon graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in African-American Studies from Howard University in Washington, DC.
How can we use technology to close the digital divide?
African-Americans seem to have duplicated in the “cyber world” what they’ve done in the “real world.” We appear to be more consumers than producers. We’re overdoing the “social” in social media and not maximizing social networking for its potential to create wealth. Instead of playing every game on Facebook, create a game that everyone else wants to play and advertisers want to be associated with. Instead of trying to get some nonsense topic to trend on Twitter, be the catalyst behind a Twitter trending topic that adds value to the cyber world and the real world beyond. Don’t send me links to 100 zany videos on YouTube, but start your own video series on something that you’re passionate about. If you’re not looking for your own niche, stop paying “lip support” to those using social media and social networking to build a legacy and at least help others with theirs. There’s nothing wrong with being social, but make sure you’re not just talking and doing no walking. Your time, your talents, your gifts are no less special than anyone else’s. It’s time to act like you know that and be that.
You can follow the status of 28 Days of Diversity 2011 on http://28daysofdiversity.com and http://socialwayne.com/category/28-days-of-diversity/
