The way things have been going lately, a lot of people are talking about a mass exodus from some of these social media platforms. I mean, can you blame them? Algorithms, trolls, bots, hate speech, swindlers, peddlers and misinformation are running rampant. It’s enough to make some of us yearn for the good ol’ days. When it was just message boards, and censorship was in severe cases of disrespect and disruption.
There have been some rumblings of creating new platforms. I think that’s cool. We need some diversity. The problem is too many people ar addicted to Zuck’s apps, Tik Tok, and Youtube. Now don’t get me wrong. I have found some moderate success on most of these. In fact Twitter was responsible for launching me into the public eye…well not launching me, because I had always had press before they existed. But it did open many new doors for me, and I am grateful. But that was the Twitter of old. Now it’s become a slimy cesspool shell of itself. But I digress.
Let’s talk about it. In an ideal world, what would be your idea of a community you would join? Take a moment and really give it some serious thought. What objectives would this fulfill for you and what actions would you like to see taken in this space? See, it’s easy to complain about a place. But unless you have a plan, vision and take action, you’ll find yourself jumping from one platform to the next, never finding satisfaction or even your tribe.
I see a lot of Black people talking about divesting and starting our own. Nothing wrong with that. We need safe spaces. But HOW would we do it? And herein lies the context of this post. It would take way more than an online platform (which we SHOULD own) to build something meaningful and substantial. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to see a bunch of boards and forums. I’m over groups and chats. I’d like to see something powerful that is built for vertical integration. Not sure what that means, go listen to the podcast I did about the subject. All I know is it’s time to come out from behind the keyboards.
I don’t want a space where I’m lamenting about what someone didn’t give to me. I don’t want to talk about how to get clients. I don’t want to talk about building a brand or social media presence. And I don’t want to complain about how there isn’t any funding for us. I would like to have conversations that focus on solutions. I always say when a friend or family member is complaining to me, the first time, I give them the space to rant. The second time, I’ll give them the space to dissect it all. But that third time, I don’t want to hear any more complaining. I want to talk about solutions!
I prefer solutions to complaining. Let’s focus on the next step. Then the next. And so on until we’ve solved the problem, not just talk about it constantly. In my opinion, and I know some people will fight me on this, I don’t want to be in a community to commiserate or complain. I don’t need high fives or woo woo woo’s. I need action. What are we doing to solve it? Like that friend who no matter what is is, she is riding out at dawn with you, no questions asked. OK that may be a little extreme, but you get my point.
In an ecosystem, solutions are all around you. Someone will always know where to point you. The ecosystem is made up of indiidual solutions all interconnected. Remember Black Wall Street? They had banks, doctors, lawyers, produce, clothing, grocers, hardware stores, mechanics, dentists, newspapers, everything that everyone in that “ecosystem” needed. Today that ecosystem would look different. But it would have the same concept. The dollars would continue to circulate and gain more power.
Now I’m not proposing something that massive with Mogul Chix®. Or maybe, I am. I know that we have a chance at this moment in history to build something worthwhile.In fact, it’s way deeper than the brand, because it cannot exist with just Mogul Chix®. I have no ego in this because I see the urgency and the need. Ego-free, altruistic and in a word…powerful. Imagine it. Close your eyes and imagine what that would look like. I did, and saw the future. And if we can come together and do this, the opportunities would be unlimited.
Here’s a primer on 𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒗𝒔 𝑬𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒎. When I talk with people they ask me if I’m building a community. I say “no, I’m not”.
Why? Because ultimately a “community” becomes about the person who created it. Think about it. Some have moderators where contributions are monitored and moderated. You can’t post what you want because it has to be approved. And it can be deemed unworthy of posting. I mean I get it. Some people abuse it and mess it up for everyone else due to selfishness or not fully understanding the rules of engagement. So moderation becomes necessary.
On the flip side, you have community owners/creators who want to be the one in the spotlight. “Look at me. I’m smarter than you. You have to learn from me”. or “No, you can’t showcase your expertise because then I don’t look as smart or important any more”. I mean think about it. How many of you have gotten kicked out of “communities”?
I propose something deeper. An ecosystem. I’ve been saying for years that I’m building Mogul Chix into an ecosystem. But admittedly, until recently that was wrong. Once I sat down and really thought about it, really studied what an ecosystem is and could be, I changed direction. Thankfully I’m on course.
So no, the revolution will not be televised (or on social media). It will be grass roots, which means ladies, I’ll be coming to you! More later, but first, here is a great example of the distinction between the two.
𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲:
𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞: Connection, learning, support, identity.
𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: Discussions, events, peer help, content.
𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬: Members, moderators, hosts.
𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰: Mostly social/knowledge → individual growth.
𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤: Forums, groups, chat, newsletters, events.
𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬: Engagement, retention, sentiment, contributions.
𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦:
𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫: Value exchange and interoperability (this is a big one).
𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞: Enable participants to produce, partner, hire, buy/sell, and build on each other.
𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: Market-making (supply← — >demand), APIs/integrations, partner programs, certifications, data standards, licensing.
𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬: Producers, consumers, integrators, service partners, platforms, regulators/governance.
𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰: Multi-sided: talent, capital, data, IP, services, products.
𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤: Marketplaces, partner portals, payments, CRM, identity/access, analytics, programmatic rules.
𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬: GMV/deal flow, partner revenue, activation rates, network effects (each new node increases value), time-to-match, LTV/CAC across sides.
If you’re with me, great! I can’t do this alone. If not, that’s cool too. Not everyone can come along on this journey. So ladies, what are we doing?
Adrienne Graham
CEO|Founder
Mogul Chix®
Connect with me here on Linked In.
©2025 Adrienne Graham and Mogul Chix®. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Adrienne Graham and Mogul Chix® with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.