Why is Blaqsbi Shutting Down?
Over the past few weeks, I haven’t been frequenting Blaqsbi as often as I used to for several reasons. Recently, it was brought to my attention by my lady, who is on everyday posting book reviews and other entertainment news, that the site will close down in mid-2024. Being a person who operates several online websites on a part-time basis, I know how demanding it is. I will not assume to know why the owner has decided to call it quits but from being a member of the site for several years now and witnessing his various frustrations, I think I have a good idea.
What is your reason and is it possible that the owner will change his mind? The three main reasons why I believe that Blaqsbi is shutting down are; the costs involved in maintaining it, the lack participation from people within the Black diaspora population, and insufficient income generation.
The costs involved in maintaining a website can range from a hundred dollars per year to tens of thousands. The yearly cost of a Domain name is now $15 to $25. Then there is Hosting, which if you want your website to be safe and reliable can range from $150 to $1000 per year. A social media website required huge bandwidth, which is the ability to service hundreds of people at the same time. Another expensive cost is security and I’m pretty sure that Blaqsbi has to have a ton of security to protect the site from racist hackers.
Most websites online supplement their costs for maintenance by generating income from advertising. The most common ways include running AdSense Ads from Google or Bing. However, there are tons of smaller monetizers which you can also use to make anywhere from $10 to $10,000 per month. The 3rd method is to sell direct advertising to Black businesses. I have seen a few of these Ads on Blaqsbi but if the owner had a marketing agent, there could be a lot more.
The 3rd reason why I believe Blaqsbi is shutting down is because of the frustrations over the lack of participation from the Black diaspora community. I know from personal experience that the Black community is too fragmented by cultural, religious, and social identity issues to unify under a single purpose, which is Black Liberation, to see the value of supporting a Black owned social media platform. It’s only after Blacksbi has shut down that you will begin to see people on Facebook talking about having a Black-focused platform.
Is it really the end of Blaqsbi or can the website be saved? That would depend on how frustrated and untrusting the owner is. He could put out requests for help as well as create membership tiers. For instance; a $10 per month membership would get a member access to content blasts and instant public designation of posted content. My lady also expresses that she has given MR. Saint-Pierre advice on several occasions on how to improve the sites social reach buy she isn’t sure if he has tried them.
I’ve seen many websites come and go over the past twenty years since I’ve been active on the internet but Blaqsbi has been one that I respected for trying to push Black unity. It will be sad to see it go. Over the next seven months, I will be giving away all my Bmunts through quizzes and other activities so stay locked in to win.
