PlanetMogul.com - New Professional Networking Site For Urban Users

Earlier this year, I made my second run at entrepreneurship. My last consulting firm was developed and launched while I was fully employed and was designed around a singular opportunity that didn't come through. Since I was moonlighting, I never had the time to promote and build my business. Moreover, there weren't nearly the tools there are today to encourage professional networking.

This year, I launched my marketing and communications agency, Nuance Marketing, LLC. As I endeavor to grow my business and brand, I've embraced new mediums such as blogging and networking sites. I set up profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn and Xing.com to promote my business and dabble in new age networking. I was fortunate enough to catch up with some great college friends but no immediate business leads.

PlanetMogul.com launched October 1, 2007 and is an innovative site that brings an aesthetic feel to the networking scene and put a professional twist on the platform.

Membership is free and registration was easy. Upon sign up members are encouraged to create either a personal or business profile and become a "Mogul" (I like being called a Mogul, nice touch). So this is when I really got excited about the functionality, because instead of asking questions about my favorite song or artist, I was asked for a Mission Statement, Areas of Expertise and Affiliations. I was also able to add a Blogger HTML button to link to my blog and upload a portfolio of my work and create a dynamic link to my profile page www.planetmogul.com/Edward06 .

Another unique feature to the site is the wealth of business information that's on the site. There is a diverse collection of success profiles called Moguls on the Move (MOTM). In this group there are Entrepreneurs, Executives, Celebrities, Politicians and Community leaders. The site also plans to host live chats for members with this group. For me it was unique to see the "Makings of a Mogul" for a range of people from Jay-Z to Michael Lee Chin (a true Mogul on billionaire status). It looks like these Moguls On the Move will be posting job opportunities and internships for their organizations. While there are recognized hip-hop moguls, you also have global Moguls like Sir Richard Branson and a number of music industry executives with true industry juice.

Planet Mogul also has an impressive collection of corporate profiles, with HR contact information, CEO Words of Wisdom and information on their corporate culture. Like the MOTM page, the corporations will be posting jobs directly to their profiles on the site.

This gives corporations a chance to recruit for diverse talent among the Planet Mogul membership.

The Education section has a collection of colleges, universities and trade schools with admission requirements and scholarship information.

The organization section for me was one of the highlights. As an Alpha man I was proud to see profiles of historically black greek fraternities and sororities but also much more.

Information on professional affiliations like the National Black MBA, 39 regional Minority Business Development Councils, philanthropies, etc.

There is a wealth of resource information including a Business Corner, Mogul Money (with a real time market watch) and a general lifestyle section and reviews called Mogul Essentials.

PlanetMogul.com will be hitting the road with their Moguls On The Move Tour hitting a number of college locations this winter and also a Mogul Makeover awarded on a quarterly basis to Moguls with the best business profile.

Previously, It took profiles on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and also a lot of time on Wikipedia in order to do what I did so quickly on PlanetMogul.com.

Important for me is that PlanetMogul.com is owned by Niche Marketing, Inc. an African American woman owned business based in Louisville, Kentucky. Niche Marketing is also the company that produces the Kentucky Derby Grand Gala the elite black celebrity event of the spring.

PlanetMogul.com fills a needed gap in the networking world. Visit the site at http://www.planetmogul.com/ and build a profile. That's another connect point. Also, the next time your brother, sister, or cousin comes to hit you up to promote their "label" or business, send them to PlanetMogul.com, it's free.

PlanetMogul.com has a sound theme for their membership campaign, simply put as "Build the Planet". Let's show our support for a site that's created to showcase this generation of Moguls that reflects the diversity of our urban experience.

VH1 Hip Hop Honors: KRS ONE's Philosophy?

The VH1's Hip Hop Honors Award Show seems to get better each year (Click Here to view VH1 Hip Hop Honors Site). As a 35 year old hip hop head it was real with a list of all star performers.

There were so many notable moments during the show's broadcast that it has all blended into a memory of a great show. The production, music, art and dialogue have branded the show with authenticity and a historian's reverence to the great culture of hip hop.

Your boy Phife Dog from A Tribe Called Quest can still rip the stage. Winning the day to day of Diabetes, his fragile frame houses a precise and seasoned classic MCs swagger. The background segment on the group featured a quote from Q-Tip sourcing the Low End Theory as a source of inspiration for Dr. Dre's seminal classic The Chronic.


Most interesting in VH1's Hip Hop Awards discussions has been KRS ONE's vehement support of 50 Cent's Curtis production and slanted comments against, Kanye West's The Graduate. Who'd a thunk it? BlastMaster KRS ONE is such an endearing 50 fan. At the same time, the mass of KRS ONE's work has always been intimately connected with the foundations and pillars of hip hop culture, not a real surprise.

I agreed with some of his comments but overall, was disappointed with "The Teacha". He was too hard on Kanye unnecessarily. KRS is a talented communicator and made his point early and unfortunately again, and again. KRS ONE published an article (click here to view)on http://www.allhiphop.com/ that explained his perspective in an academic manner. Cognizant of his interview he offers a diligent balance to the media hype.

KRS offered a jewel of wisdom in the interview when he identifies the problem with the measure of artistic talent being reduced to simply record sales. Let's put this in a global perspective; has there been a barrage of blogs over Steve Jobs domination in the sale MP3 players with the Apple iPod vs. Bill Gates' Microsoft Zune? Is Michael Dell on the sideline rhetorting, the Zune ain't a MP3 player with all it's "lights" and "action"? No, clearly not.

Kanye, 50, Common, Talib, T.I., Ludacris, OutKast and many others are all hip hop. There has been growth and evolution. Technology, digital or not is enhancing the quality of production that is the natural development of a dynamic medium. Premier, Marley Marl, Grand Wizard Theodore, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Mantronix these were all innovators that made historic sounds during times when there was nothing available. Respect and big ups for that. But you can't be mad at the likes of J. Dilla, Dre, Will.i.am, Timbaland, Scott Storch, Just Blaze, Pharrell that are creating straight fire digitally.

Now that we have improved access and technology aren't we obligated to take it to the next level. Are we to assume that because a portion of the dialogue has strayed from gun play now it ain't real?

Big props to AllHipHop.com for gettin' it in with the KRS ONE interview. I'm just hoping KRS ain't open off that Vitamin Water.