The BlackPlanet Universe Will Create Greater Opportunity For Awareness, Content, Conversation and Engagement InteractiveOne, LLC The Digital Connection For Black America, today announced that BlackPlanet, the premiere African American social network will now serve as the social network connecting all of InteractiveOne’s content sites and enabling a combined audience of more than 9 million unique visitors to gather, share and engage. Earlier this year InteractiveOne acquired BlackPlanet based on its success in the African American social networking space. Today marks the first major step in bridging together the InteractiveOne sites, NewsOne, TheUrbanDaily, and HelloBeautiful with BlackPlanet. Members will be able to move between the sites and generate communities and discussion around both existing and consumer generated content, creating a more valuable online proposition for what has been an underserved segment of the population. “We are thrilled to be providing the African American community with a content focused social network that reflects the diversity of the community while giving them the tools to engage, exchange and empower themselves,” said Tom Newman, President of Interactive One. “Our mission is to super-serve the African American audience by providing them with tools and authentic information that is relevant to them, information they are seeking, but can’t find on other sites.” Members of the InteractiveOne community will be able to log on to BlackPlanet and generate communities and content around any one of the InteractiveOne sites from there, creating virtual neighborhoods that provide information, entertainment, news and advice and the social tools necessary to inform and connect. Additionally, users will be able to act as citizen journalists and content creators, providing a grass roots connection that keeps the community informed, aware and in communication about niche interests and regional issues across all segments of the African American community. “BlackPlanet is an authentic community and is a place where African Americans come to discuss the issues and topics that they find important,” said Smokey D. Fontaine, Chief Content Officer, InteractiveOne. “This makes BlackPlanet the perfect launching pad for all of our content sites, enabling different sectors of the community to connect and engage on the topics that matter most to them
