i MINORITY BUSINESS REPORT L
Black web developer launches three new divisions^
SAN FRANCISCO ?
(BUSINESS WIRE) ? On Nov.
24, NetNoir Inc. announced the
creation of three new business
divisions: a redesigned web site, an
AOL channel (http://www.net
noir.com or AOL Keyword:
NetNoir), and an expanded online
shopping mall.
With this announcement,
NetNoir takes the proliferation of
black culture in interactive media
to new heights, with a potential
reach of 10 million AOL sub
scribers and millions more on the
web.
Based in San Francisco,
NetNoir Inc. is the leading new
media company promoting, devel
oping. archiving and distributing
distinctive black programming
and commercial applications for
all forms of interactive media.
The name alone delineates
what this innovative new media
company is about. 'Net,' short for
Network, and 'Noir.' the French
word for black, combine to form
NetNoir, the Black Network. A
majority African-American
owned firm, NetNoir specializes
in disseminating information
about and promoting an under
standing of black culture while
appealing to a broad-based mar
ket.
"NetNoir is a leading new
media company focusing on black
culture," explains E. David
Ellington, president and chief
executive officer of NetNoir.
"We're very excited about bringing
over 250,000 unique visitors per
month to our redesigned web site
and AOL. as well as our product
offerings for the holiday season."
New Corporate Structure ? A
Broadened Scope
With a new business model,
NetNoir is broadening its scope
and widening its reach. Since its
inception in 1995, NetNoir Inc.
has expanded its business model
to include three business divisions
NetNoir Multimedia Services.
NetNoir Online, and NetNoir
Market Research.
NetNoir Multimedia Services
(NMS) ? provides consultative
and production services to indi
viduals. companies and organiza
Aa&ns. NMS consults in the areas
of digital formatting; database
development and management,
including back-up, storage and
security systems; Web page design,
development, and distribution
methods, as well as appropriate
formats and platforms use.
NMS also acts as a "digital,
black content studio" by prov iding
"private label" or "company
branded" black programming
and/or content for corporate web
sites, e.g. Christmas/Kwanzaa,
Martin Luther King Jr Birthday,
Black History Month, etc.
NetNoir Online (NNO)
focuses on programming and dis
tribution as its primary services,
serving as "the soul of cyber
space," bringing black interactive
culture and entertainment to the
web. Initial distribution of con
tent/information is via consumer
online services beginning with
America Online (AOL) and the
Internet. NNO, in different forms,
is also distributed on other new
media platforms, such as web sites,
general ISPs and ISPs delivered
through television, e.g.
NetChannel.
NetNoir Market Research
(NMR) ? provides research serv
ices and data mining to companies
and organizations interested in
reaching and understanding the
affluent African-American online
market. Due to1 the success of
NNO, the market research divi
sion is uniquely positioned to
leverage NNO's traffic/audience
data for testing, polls and surveys.
Web site Redesign ? A New
Look and More Information
Calling itself "The Soul of
Cyberspace ? Your Home for
Black Interactive Culture &
I
Entertainment," NetNoir Inc. was
founded in 1995 with a mission to
bring global black programming
to the Internet through its first ser
vice, NetNoir Online (NNO).
"We have been building a com
munity on the web for almost
three years," said Malcoin
Casselle, senior vice president and
chief technology officer of
NetNoir. "The service on AOL
launched with four departments:
Music. Sports, Education and
Business. However, in our quest to
be the No. I black interactive
online community in the world, we
have added new departments and
divided our service into those
areas our community feels are
important and relevant."
The new departments are:
People & Culture (PEEPS)
A place for people to meet
through chat rooms (Chat House),
message boards (Black Boards),
Club NetNoir (member photos).
News & Information (NEWS)
Daily national and internation
al black oriented news feed, daily
polls/surveys, resources, interna
tional. national, regional events
calendar (Around Town).
Entertainment (FUN) ?
Black culture and entertainers
drive the industry. Here we have
celebrity interviews, multi-player
games (AC Butler/Roots.
Knowledge & Culture), relation
ships (Ask Heartbeat!).
Business & Politics (BIZ)
Networking opportunities, job
searching (JOBS), marketing
black businesses/products
(NetNoir's Black Pages), business
chats and tips, political issues from
the Left and Right (Talk Politics).
Shopping (SHOP) The abil
ity to patronize black businesses
and get discounts on mainstream
items.
Desktop holiday shopping ?
real presence, real benefits
NetNoir sells an array of i
goods through its online service
on AOL. providing customers and
businesses with real presence and
real benefits.
Users can buy products such as
African-American clip art,
Kwanzaa gifts, designer ergonom
ic keyboards, gift baskets. Uncle
Darrow's sweet treats, and special
screen savers. Customers don't
have to leave their homes to do
their shopping and businesses will
have access to over 250.000
NetNoir Online visitors per
month.
In addition. NetNoir's Black
Pages allow black-owned busi
nesses, professionals and product
manufacturers to showcase their
products on the web. The "stores"
never close; there's no pushing;
and there are no lines. Products |
and services are available 24 hours *
a day, seven days a week. NetNoir 3
Online brings your business mes- "
sage to millions of affluent, highly 2
educated African-American men *
and women who are ready-40 be <
your customers. !
"We have boutique crossover," 3
as Ellington describes it. "NetNoir J
Online's shopping area serves as a *
digital mall. It's the ultimate shop? ?
ping experience in cyberspace for ?
those interested in buying prod- ^
ucts through a black company." 1
From Downsize Victim to Out-source Contractor
Let's Get Down
to Business
lv?lyn McMahon
When companies downsize,
or go through a process
of re-engineering, they
usually have one purpose in mind,
and that is to reduce operating
costs. To accomplish this in logical
and sensible ways, two things are
usually done. First, owners will
identify the most expensive areas
of the business, and second, they
will identify production depart
ments where the actual work can
be done just as well outside the
company as it can be done inside.
Most businesses, both large
and small, have anywhere from 50
percent to 70 percent of their
expenses tied up in wages, salaries
and employee benefits; and when
net profits are being crushed under
the weight of operating costs, own
ers, managers, and executives are
compelled to find ways to make
the business more profitable.
Downsizing became the surest way
to do it, but it meant eliminating
full-time employees from all areas
of the business, and shutting down
certain departments and produc
tion areas.
When I argue this issue with my
colleagues. I tell them the affects of
downsizing and re-engineering
have created a multitude of oppor
tunities for the creation of new
. 1
businesses. The very first group of
employees to be downsized or
eliminated are typically those with
the most seniority and experience.
Many of those employees will have
extensive expertise in their field,
and might even have access to
high-level decision makers. In my
opinion, they are in the ideal posi
tion to start their own business,
specifically for the purpose of
becoming an out-source contrac
tor for their former employer, by
offering to do the work that was
previously done in-house.
My colleagues tell me downsiz
ing became such a demoralizing
and humiliating experience that
most people affected by it wanted
to be as far away from it as possi
ble once it was over. It is true that
corporate executives tried to
change the image of downsizing by
giving it a new name. For a while it
was referred to as re-engineering,
but employees knew it was still
downsizing with the same purpose
and results.
My point is this, out-source
contracting is a very attractive
arrangement Downsized business
es get the opportunity to increase
profits by eliminating operating
costs, and downsized employees
can use skills and knowledge
gained from their professions to
start their own businesses. Of
course not all downsized employ
ees want to start businesses. For
those who do, the opportunities
are golden. And they are not limit
ed to their former employers.
Companies throughout the United
States are out-sourcing all kinds of
jobs, ranging from manufacturing
to finance to high tech. Every busi- t
ness owner or entrepreneur should
seek contracts from other busi
nesses. regardless of whether you
are a new or existing business, or a
downsized employee.
If you decide to become an
out-source contractor, be prepared
to compete. The No. I business
cule of who can do the best job for
the best price, still applies. Out
source contractors will have to bid
on the jobs they want, and that can
be a little tricky for new businesses.
Placing a bid that is too high may
turn away potential clients, and
I ?
bidding too low may get the job.
but you could lose money on the
deal. It will take a few tries to learn
how to bid appropriately. Get help
from a professional person you
trust.
Call the Micro-En terprise Loan
Program at 722-V600 for more
information on outsourcing. We
offer .small business loans, business
education courses, and small busi
ness support groups.
Benefit program raises money for area AIDS patients
The VYM Entertainment
Group, along with the HIV/AIDS
Consortium has announced the
first annual "Help Us Help" Aids
Benefit program. The event is
scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 13, at
the Reynolds Auditorium. The
program begins at 7:30 p.m.
The benefit is designed to assist
in raising money to be used for the
medical needs of HIV/AIDS
patients in the immediate area.
Due to the closing of the AIDS
Task Force in Winston-Salem,
some of the many patients who
were receiving funds for their med
ical needs will no longer be able to
receive financial assistance for
thefr prescriptions or other med
ical needs.
I
Nancy Young, of the Sara Lee
Corporation, and Nigel Alston, of
the Integon Corporation, will be
mistress and master of cere
monies. A donation of $9 and a
can of food are requested. S10
without a can of food. The goal is
to provide food and funds for the
AIDS Consortium to distribute
locally.
N.C. employment better than most
WASHINGTON (Reuters) ?
The number of Americans lining
up to file for unemployment bene
fits for the first time plunged by
31,000 last week to the lowest level
in nearly a month, the government
said.
Initial claims fell to 303,000 in
the week ended Nov.22. the Labor
Department said. That was down
from a revised 334,000 the prior
week.
That was the lowest level for
new state jobless claims since the
week ended Oct. 25, when claims
totaled 299.000.
Wall Street economists had
forecast new claims of 320.000 for
the latest week. In the previous
week claims had risen to 333,000,
but analysts said that figure could
have been skewed because the
week included the Veterans Day
holiday.
The four-week moving average
of new jobless claims, seen as a
more accurate gauge since it
snooths out weekly fluctuations.
TOse to 316.500 from a revised
3|5,500 the week before. Labor
sind
The four-week moving average
was at its highest since the week
ended Sept. 1.1, when it stood at
317,000, the department said..
The number of workers con
tinuing to file for benefits fell
31.000 to 2,189.000 in the week
ended Nov. 15, the latest week for
which data were available, from a
revised 2,220.000 in the prior
week.
The department said five states
and Puerto Rico reported decreas
es in claims exceeding 1.000 on an
unadjusted basis in the week
ended Nov. 15, the latest period
that data are available.
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BUSINESS BANKING
Ralph K Shelton, President
Southeast Fuels
Greensboro, NC
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Ralph Shelton also
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