WOC Blog Carnival This Weekend

Thanks to Renee at Womanist Musings, I'm about to experience something new as a blogger, participating in my first blog carnival.

She's organizing, 'Tell It WOC Speak' which will happen on Sunday, February 15. If you wish to participate in it, get those submissions to Renee ASAP. It's a wonderful way to expose your writing to people who may not have had a chance to see it or haven't web surfed in your blog's direction.

Blog carnivals are prevalent all over the blogosphere, but unfortunately in the Blackosphere we haven't done many of them for whatever myriad reasons. The reason this is my first is that I'm just now getting the recognition and the profile thanks to that Weblog award in which people are asking me to participate in their various carnivals.

Renee believes that with all the talented WOC bloggers out there, the lack of WOC themed blog carnivals shouldn't be happening and there's more than enough excellent content generated by us so that we can have this event on a monthly basis.

She's committed to making this a successful event, and I'm committed to doing my part to help make it happen.

How about you, women bloggers of color? Let's do this. Please submit your post here, either old or new works that talk about or intersect with race that involve class, gender, sexuality, ability, etc.

It is time that we tackle the 'isms' and bring them crashing down, and hopefully on Sunday well see a range of thought that begins the discussion process.

Hello World! Thanks For Stopping By!

I recently put a traffic feed widget on TransGriot because I was curious to see where my readers were coming from.

Before I put it on the blog, I knew I had people that popped in from Great Britain, the Philippines, Australia, various parts of Canada, Portugal and various parts of the US who comment on a regular basis.

But after I finally put it on, I was amazed to see that I get hits from the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Sweden, France, Switzerland, South Africa, Nigeria, Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia and Mexico.

It obviously varies based on the time I look at it, but I'm proud to have a wider international following than I initially presumed.

So thank you world for stopping by, spending your valuable browsing time here, and perusing through the over 1300 posts that interest you.

I promise I'll do my utmost to keep it interesting so you continue to come back and feel moved from time to time leave a comment from time to time.

Happy New Year And Happy Anniversary TransGriot Blog!

Goodbye 2008...Hello 2009!

Happy New Year to all you loyal TransGriot readers! Today also happens to be the fourth anniversary of the founding of this blog and boy how my baby has grown.

I started it on January 1, 2006 as simply a real-time way to comment on breaking news I couldn't do as a former GLBT alternative newspaper monthly columnist, and now it's considered a must read blog.

As you noticed I have over 1200 posts here on various subjects since January 1 and I've made it easier for you to access some of the TransGriot Golden Oldies with the new search feature. You can thank Renee at Womanist Musings for the gentle hints that I do so.

I'm also pleased to see the growth in this blog and my writing from the time I started back in 2006 to now. TransGriot became an AfroSpear blog in July and its also been a blessing to have the Black Blog Rankings as a measuring tool to chart the growth and progress of this and all Black blogs as well.

BBR Top 25 here I come!

I've also enjoyed getting to know some of my blogging colleagues thanks to some wonderful substantive real time conversations I've been able to have with various bloggers over the year. I hope I'll be blessed with the opportunity to attend the second annual Blogging While Brown Conference in Chicago this summer.

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to read TransGriot. For you lurkers, come on in, pull up a chair and join the family. I also don't mind if you drop me an e-mail every now and then or comment in the posts. I realize that your Internet browsing time is valuable, so thanks for perusing the posts and sometimes even commenting on them. I deeply appreciate it.

And for my biosisters, one of my resolutions and goals for this year is to do my part to ensure that we end 2009 with a better understanding of each other.

I want to understand your issues and concerns while at the same time I and my transsisters give you the 411 about ours. What I'd like to see as a result of this is not only intelligent discussions as a result of these conversations, but we create the conditions in which transwomen and biowomen do more in this historic year to have each others backs.

If you have any questions about something I've raised on the blog or just one that fits into the Trans 101 category, just e-mail me.

Even though we are starting Day One of a brand new year, one thing that will not change is my ongoing mission to provide thoughtful commentary on various issues inside and outside the transgender community and across the Diaspora, and do it from the perspective of a proud African-American transwoman.

Oh yeah, only 19 more days until the Obama inauguration!

Holiday Black Blog Rankings Update

Electronic Villager updated the BBR's on December 20, so let's check out where I stood as of that date.

In this holiday update, 1516 blogs were ranked which was an increase of 20 blogs and puts the BBR's over the 1500 mark. Pam's House Blend is still Number One.

So where's TransGriot?

TransGriot is still in the Top 50 Black Blogs at number 47 with a Technorati ranking of 144. Moved up three spots toward my new goals of being in the Top 25 BBR and at a 200 Technorati ranking by my May 4 birthday, but I'm concerned because I only picked up 1 point since the early December rankings, and I know that's questionable.

So close to my previous goal of 150 goal but yet so far. Hopefully whatever problem my Technorati ranking is having updating itself will go away.

2008 Weblog Awards Finalist!

Hey TransGriot readers, just wanted to let you know that I did get my Christmas wish this year. This blog is one of the ten finalists for 2008 Best LGBT Blog!

Here's my esteemed competition:

Joe.My.God.
Towleroad
The Bilerico Project
Pam's House Blend
Susie Bright's Journal
Tammy Bruce
This Girl Called Automatic Win
Gay Patriot
Blabbeando

To be part of this list is a huge honor. Pam's House Blend won it two years in a row (2005-2006) and was a finalist last year. Joe.My.God. was the 2007 winner. The Bilerico Project is a finalist for the second year in a row.

Congratulations to Lisa at Black Women, Blow The Trumpet, who is a finalist in the Best Small Blog Category

There were over 5000 nominations submitted this year, and over 290 in the Best LGBT blog category. I submitted a nomination for the award last year but didn't make the final cut.

So yeah, I'm deliriously happy right now. I've got some tough competition, with the voting starting on January 5 and running through January 12.

Here are the rest of the finalists in the various categories, and good luck to 'errbody' when the voting starts.

But that 'Best 2008 GLBT blog winner' button would sure look good on TransGriot!

2008 Weblog Awards Finalist Schedule

If you're wondering what's up with the 2008 Weblog Awards like I am, since I was nominated for two categories, (Best LGBT Blog Award and Best Small Minor Blog) the good peeps at the Weblog Awards had over 5000 nominations to sift through which slowed them down considerably.

They've finally gotten that massive number of nominees whittled down, so I and the other nominated blogs will find out next Thursday (Christmas Day) whether we've made the cut to be voted on by you peeps.

Information about the process is in this post along with their updated schedule.

Finalist Announced - December 25

Finalist Logos Available - December 25

Finalist Voting Page Available* - December 29

Finalist Voting - January 2 through January 10


Here's hoping I get something extra in my Christmas stocking this year.

Nominations For 2008 Weblog Awards Now Open

With all the attention focused on this historic presidential election, it skated almost unnoticed that the 2008 Weblog Award Nominations started November 3.

It's the big kahuna of blog awards and a coveted award for those of us who are part of the blogosphere.

I was shocked to discover that someone has already nominated TransGriot for the Best LGBT Blog Award (thanks Pablo Domo), and I'm also nominated in the Best Small Minor Blog Category (based on Technorati authority) as well.

There's still time to nominate your favorite bloggers before they whittle down the nominations to the three finalists for the general public to vote on. Voting for selected finalists is expected begin in early December 2008.

You can click on this link for the full list of categories for the 2008 Weblog Awards.

October 2008 Villager's Black Blog Rankings

It's a new month and that means it's time to head over to Electronic Villager, sit under the virtual baobab tree and wait for the Villager's October BBR's to come out.

As you regular TransGriot readers are aware, I've set the goals of cracking 150 on my Technorati ranking and being a BBR Top 50 ranked blog by January 1 (the 3rd anniversary of the TransGriot blog).

Then it's on to my 2009 goal of cracking the BBR Top 25 Blogs.

Speaking of the Top 25, Congrats to Renee, one of my regular commenters here and her Womanist Musings blog. She's on the verge of cracking the BBR Top 25 with this month's BBR ranking of 26.

So how did I do this month?

At the time the September BBR's were compiled, TransGriot was at Number 67 with a 133 Technorati ranking.

This month, out of the 1440 blogs that were part of the October BBR rankings, as of October 1, 2008 when these rankings were compiled, TransGriot is at number 70 with a 136 Technorati ranking.

Pam's House Blend is still the number one ranked Black blog.

I knew it was a matter of time before my meteoric progress toward the BBR Top 50 would slow down. I lost three spots BBR ranking wise, but did gain 3 points on the Technorati rankings. Being without Internet access for a few days didn't help either.

So instead of interpreting this situation as a negative, I'm looking at this as a glass half full scenario.

I'm only 20 spots away from cracking the BBR Top 50 and 14 points from reaching my goal of a 150 Technorati ranking.

Oh well, back to the drawing board. I have a historic presidential race coming down to the wire to comment on. I'm going to be headed to Denver next month to be the keynote speaker at a gender conference on the CU campus in Boulder, and who knows what other exciting stuff is going to pop up in my life I can comment on.

And I still have twelve weeks to hit my goals.

August 2008 Villager's Black Blog Rankings

This month the Electronic Villager had the pleasure of ranking 1329 African-American blogs for this month's Black Blog Rankings. That's an increase of 60 blogs from the July 2008 ranking.

The AfroSpear is growing as well. I received the honor of being invited to join last momth along with several other blogs. The Black blogosphere even has its own blogging convention now with the just recently concluded Blogging While Brown Conference along with the 2008 edition of the Black Weblog Awards, which are now accepting nominations.

Some unexpected work schedule complications kept me from attending the inaugural Blogging While Brown Conference to my chagrin, but I definitely want to be in the house next year, assuming it's in the ATL.

So what's TransGriot's BBR ranking?

I achieved another short term goal and cracked The BBR Top 100 blogs! I jumped 30 spots from my July BBR ranking of 122 with a 95 Technorati ranking

As of August 1 TransGriot had a BBR of 92 with a 113 Technorati ranking.

That means I'm going to have to set another blogging goal. I mentioned in my July post I wanted to be at a 150 Technorati ranking by the end of the year. Let's add cracking the top 50 BBR blogs by January 1, 2009 to that as well.

So how am I going to do that? By simply doing what I do now. Continuing to write thoughtful commentary that you'll not only want to read and come back for, but link to as well.

Being an AfroSpear member, while I'm still a neophyte to it, I believe over time will be a compliment to what I'm doing now. I have a role to play by telling the stories of the transgender members of our African family, kicking knowledge to you and telling the stories of transgender people in general. I'm also happy to note that other African-American transgender voices now starting to speak on the blogosphere as well, and I welcome the added input and insights about being Black and transgender.

There are far more African-American transpeople than yours truly. I just happen to be one of the peeps with writing skills who's willing to talk about it.

So as you can see TransGriot readers, the blog is making major jumps up the BBR ladder, and I sincerely thank everyone who thinks highly enough of my blog to make it possible. But I've got much work to do. There's 42 blogs between me and the Number 50 slot and I have to add 37 points to my Technorati ranking for my target 150 ranking by January 1, 2009.

So gotta get back to creating more interesting blog posts for you.

We'll see how close I can come to hitting my new end of the year goals next month.

I'm Number #107!

The Villager's Top Ten Black Blog rankings for April just came out and TransGriot finally made the list. Out of the 1045 blogs ranked this month mine is #107.

If you're a blogger of African descent and want to see where yours ranked head on over to the Electronic Village and see your ranking.

The Villager started ranking Black blogs after this list of influential blogs was chosen which was devoid of melanin. That pissed off the Villager to the point where he started this FUBU production.

Speaking of FUBU productions, the Blogging While Brown conference for bloggers of color will be taking place in the ATL from July 25-27. I'm definitely leaning toward being there for it

First Musings At The Project

Hey TransGriot readers,
I finally published my first two posts today as a contributor for The Bilerico Project. Hope you'll check them out when you have the opportunity to do so and let me know what you think.


First Musings

http://www.bilerico.com/2008/01/first_musings.php


My Sistahs Can Do More Than Just Shows

http://www.bilerico.com/2008/01/my_sistahs_can_do_more_than_just_shows.php

The TransGriot's On Bilerico!

During my recent New Year's Day Internet radio interview with Ethan St. Pierre, he congratulated me for becoming a contributing poster to The Bilerico Project blog.

At the time I hadn't been notified by Bil or anyone connected with it that I was being considered, but that changed on Thursday afternoon.

Say congrats to the newest contributor to The Bilerico Project.

It's a huge honor. It's invitation only and they only add a certain number of new bloggers to their roster every year, so I'm thrilled to get the call since I'm a Bilerico Project fan as well.

It's a diverse crowd. I'm happy to be associated with some of the folks who post there such as Pam Spaulding (Pam's House Blend), Terrence Heath (Republic of T), fellow transgender bloggers like Rebecca Juro and Marti Abernathey, and other people I've come to admire like Rev. Irene Monroe and Nadine Smith. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better as the year moves along.

One of my resolutions this year was to focus more of my creative energy into my writing and my novels, and two weeks into 2008 it looks like that's already starting to pay some dividends for me.

I'm going to write original pieces for The Project on African-American transgender issues, and we'll see what transpires from there.

Tagged, I'm It!

Mes Deux Cents has tagged me in this online blogger world version of tag, so here are the ground rules for it.

First I am to list 7 random and/or unusual facts about myself. Then I am to tag 7 other bloggers and let them know they have been tagged by telling them so in the comments of their blog.


Now for the first part of this mission.

7 Facts About Myself:

As a teenager, I once ice skated in front of 18,000 people as part of my dad's station's Ice Capades night.

I own 500 R&B and jazz CD's and 100 DVD movies and TV shows, either classic Black movies, movies wih predominately African-American casts in them, or Black TV shows.

At age 7 I did a promo commercial for my dad's radio show.

My time residing in Louisville is the first time in my life I have lived in a city that's NOT on I-10.

I have visited two presidential libraries (LBJ's in 1977, Clinton's in 2006).

My first job was working as an enumerator for the 1980 US Census.

I was a bridesmaid/DJ for a friend's wedding in 2004 and a groomsman for my uncle's 1989 wedding.

As far as the folks who are getting tagged...you'll find out soon enough ;)

New TransGriot Blog Links

left photo-Jackie
right photo-Angelica

Hey TransGriot readers!

Just a quick note about two of the blogs that I've linked to TransGriot.

Jackie's Things According To Me is one I discovered after she left comments on many of my posts. It's an enjoyable read on subjects ranging from her life in a long term committed relationship to current events, so check it out. I get a kick out of the fact that her partner's name is Monica as well ;)

Angelica Love Ross is a person I introduced you peeps to earlier this month. I wrote about her You Tube video imploring African-American transwomen to work on the internal part of transition. In addition to having a Chicago-based image consulting business Angelica has started a blog called The Transsexual Revolution. I'm pleased to announce that she has asked me to become a contributing guest poster on her blog.

One thing that you'll discover as you continue to peruse TransGriot is that there are many ways to transition. What makes it so fascinating is that it's a journey that can be universal in nature but it's also as individual as the person undergoing it. I hope that you'll enjoy reading the thoughts of a twentysomething transwoman that's traveling that road right now.