Can Russell Simmons Unite the Hip-Hop Community on The Web?

Simmons, in fact, views Global Grind as a vehicle to unite the global hip-hop community, hence the name of the site. "Hip-hop is the only international culture. There are Israeli rappers or African rappers and they all have common threads," he says. In addition to bringing hip-hop lovers together, Simmons hopes that the site will allow them to keep track of events in the international community and work together on behalf of progressive causes.

"Young people are more giving and more compassionate," says Simmons. "If I can bring young people together -- I have the Diamond Empowerment Fund, the Russ Foundation, the Hip-Hop Power Summit, all of this is my philanthropic work. And people are responding, so it's a great reason to tie people together." As an example, Simmons points to the success of Global Grind's "politricks" section, a mix of hip-hop-flavored news and opinions on politics that he says has proven popular.

Global Grind purportedly eases the process of finding articles like those featured in "politricks," which may boost its profile among users who haven't adopted sites like NetVibes. Giving demos of the site's invitation-only alpha version during the summer, Sandiford was surprised by how few people were acquainted with RSS and Ajax, Global Grind's foundational technologies. She, however, is well equipped for the challenge of introducing them. At Def Jam, where she previously served as senior director of new media, she earned the nickname "Theda.com" from rapper Ja Rule for bringing Web savvy to the label.

Still, some observers question Global Grind's capacity to reach its target demographic. "The thing that strikes me is when you go to the site, you see all these categories, but you don't know what they are," Clyde Smith, founder of ProHipHop.com, a hip-hop marketing and business blog, and a former FC Expert blogger, says. "If I was a newbie, I would be confused and turned-off."

Wasow adds that offering existing technology in urban packaging may not be enough to satisfy consumers. "I believe that successful sites are driven more by technology than content," he explains. "It's not obvious that there's a lot of innovative technology here."

Paradoxically, Global Grind's greatest opportunity may present its biggest challenge: uniting all things "urban" under one umbrella. Like other urban sites, Global Grind emphasizes hip-hop as culture, but by spreading its content offerings across so many areas, it may lose its focus. Its celebrity gossip, for instance, features Britney Spears as much as Jay-Z. And while Global Grind allows visitors to add content of their choice, the site also features grinds that are locked on the page. As a result, Global Grind risks alienating visitors who find its general offerings too eclectic and its selected content too imposing.

Marketing may also pose a challenge. While Wright and Sandiford believe the site's aggregation tools will offer a catchall for the urban market's many segments, advertisers may not be convinced. "It's already difficult to market RSS feeds," Miraflor notes. "It takes an extra level of energy to communicate what those products are. Global Grind is a step above, so it's even more difficult to communicate."

Advertisers have also learned not to target one umbrella site in hopes of cornering the urban market, notes James Andrews, VP, Interactive of Ketchum Interactive and founder of Atlanta strategic consulting firm BrandInfluence. "Before Black Planet won because they were Black Planet," Andrews says. "Now the approach needs to be different. The dollars are shrinking in the market."

Despite these challenges, the site captured one important victory even before its launch: successfully publicizing itself to both the urban and tech communities. The Global Grind team accomplished this goal through different strategies for each segment. Sites such as Mashable, CNet, and TechCrunch detailed the site's Ajax capabilities and overall function. Reviews compared it to NetVibes and Pageflakes, debating whether its level of user-friendliness and innovation warranted a switchover from previous Ajax sites.

Global Grind's MySpace page focused more on its urban-related content. The site also benefited from promotion, including a blog entry, on Russell Simmons' own MySpace page. Global Grind also used Facebook, by way of an event invitation, to publicize the launch. In contrast to the tech publicity, all of these efforts focused on awareness rather than an actual description of features. Combined with the initial invitation-only alpha launch, this approach lent the site a mystique that bolstered its anticipation. "They had a smart way of rolling it out with the alpha, the secretive approach," Andrews remarked.