- Blog: From Ashy to Classy
- Niche: Culture
- Founder: Darryl Frierson
- Twitter: @Diggame
A self-described “normal brother who’s on the road to extraordinary things,†Darryl Frierson uses his blog, From Ashy to Classy, as a vehicle to pontificate on serious hot-button topics. On the pulse of the Web, he’s tackled everything from the Trayvon Martin case to seriously funny pop culture missteps like the Mary J. Blige Burger King fiasco. In fact, it’s the 31-year-old’s ability to offer musings on just about any topic–from an exploration on how a baby mama can become a wife to the untold stories of Black cowboys–that helps his two-year-old blog generate a respectable 20,000 page views per month and elicit dozens of thought-provoking comments from loyal readers on a weekly basis.
The Chicago born, St. Louis raised writer’s most popular succession are The Marcus Graham Chronicles, a brutally honest account of Frierson’s own relationship implosions, which happen to coincide with his affinity for the movie Boomerang and the main character, Marcus Graham, played by Eddie Murphy. The often funny, introspective series won him the Black Weblog Award for Best Blog Post Series and Best Culture Blog in 2011. In celebration of Black Blogger Month, BlackEnterprise.com spoke with Frierson about his approachable writing style and why the blogger is the modern day preserver of Black culture.
I started blogging…
As a dare to myself. I was working on my book and I started thinking, “Why would anyone want to read my book? Let me start this blog just to get my name out there.†And oh, did my name get out there! I totally believe that life is better than fiction and that is the main inspiration for my blog.
From Ashy to Classy stands out from other blogs because…
I push people’s thoughts and ideas. I want to make my readers take one idea or principle and flip it on its head. My blog also has so many different topics and stories. You come to From Ashy to Classy and you don’t know what you are going to see. I may be talking about the history of Black hockey players one day, the next day a post about the orgasm being a man’s moment of clarity.
It’s important for the Black blogosphere to speak out on topics like Trayvon
Martin because…
If anyone knows that media can be slanted and biased, it’s us [bloggers]. It’s a throwback to the era of Black newspapers being in every city and town across the country because issues that affected us weren’t covered [by mainstream outlets].
A blogger’s voice has power because…
We can build up people, educate, inspire, and make this world a bit more humorous and brighter.
It’s important to preserve Black culture in the digital age because…
Our culture is going farther and farther away from physical books and brick and mortar libraries. We as Black bloggers become the historians, storytellers, and bookmarkers of Black culture.
The purpose of the Marcus Graham Chronicles is…
A way for me to try and deconstruct my own relationships; give my readers more insight into my personal relationships; and give an honest and introspective vision of relationships from a male perspective.
Click here to continue reading…
People trust my brand because…
I am authentic and upfront with my readers. I will take them on a ride through my triumphs and shortcomings. I feel my readers trust me because it’s more of a conversation with a guy that knows a lot of random things.
The biggest mistake I ever made in business was…
Not trusting my writing and [being] perplexed [about] why more people weren’t coming in the beginning.
What I learned from that was…
When you start a blog, it’s a false sense that people will just show up. No, you have to build that house and keep tinkering with it.
Networking is important in the digital space because…
We are a society that has a short attention span; so building great relationships is key. The blogging community can be very cliquish. It’s the relationships you build with everyone in the community that builds you up.
The biggest lesson I learned about branding in the digital space was…
Your brand is something you have to live and breathe. Everything you put on your site is attached to your brand. I have turned down certain deals because it didn’t align with the From Ashy to Classy brand.
The best piece of business advice I ever got was…
The ability to be able to recognize that you can’t do everything and being able to say no. I actually read it in this book called The War of Art.
I measure my success by…
[Facebook] shares and by Google Alerts to see where people may be talking about my posts. I used to be a comment whore, but I realized that a lot of people just aren’t going to comment, but that doesn’t mean your content or presentation is bad.
None of my success would be possible if not for…
My ability to never settle for good when greatness is right around the corner.
Next on the horizon for me is…
Constantly expanding the From Ashy to Classy brand and creating more content that can spark a thought or educate. I have a podcast with comedian Jovan Bibbs called Straight Outta Locash, more public speaking, finishing up my book, Loose Ends, and beginning to start writing my book, Confessions of a Runaway Corporate Slave.
The advice I have for anyone who wants to follow in my footsteps is…
Keep writing and think about creating something that people haven’t seen. Promote and network with people to get your brand out there.
Be sure to check out the rest of the digital thought leaders as they’re revealed each day by logging on toBlackEnterprise.com/BlackBloggerMonth.