I tend to use black and white sparingly in my photography, because I don't want it to be a reason to keep "eh" photographs.
If a person finds themselves with so-so photograph, they can desaturate it and bump up the contrast, and almost instantly it will look more artsy and dramatic - but that doesn't help a person learn what makes a photograph good. If the balance and composition are strong and the choice of black and white emphasizes the story in the photograph, it's successful. Otherwise it's just masking a problem instead of solving it.
I think intent is important. I try to consider composition and color and mood while I'm taking a photograph, instead of clicking blindly and knowing I can crop and change the colors or make it black and white later. I decided while I was at Mt. Hope cemetery that I would try some black and white because I thought it might set the mood I was going for. I ended up liking the color ones better, so it was good that I didn't just make them black and white and call it a day.
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