Paul Jacobson

What is in a name?

What is in a name?  Is a blog by any other name not as interesting and informative?  One of Darren Rowse’s guest authors, Jim Krukal, thinks your domain name makes a sizable difference to the appeal of your blog.

I’ve been reading Darren’s blog before it was ProBlogger.net. What
was it? Um, something like blog.livingroom.com.au, I think. Get the
point? That name sucked. Sorry Darren, I think you knew that. That’s no
way to build a brand name. I think Darren can prove that his traffic
and general reputation grew by leaps and bounds when he moved to
ProBlogger.net. The design helped too 🙂 Of course, it can be done, but
it’s much harder.

So as a serious blogger…if you want to be
serious, and taken seriously, you have to stop using those unbrandable
blog domains like supercooldude.blogspot.com. The time has come to drop
$8.95 at GoDaddy and get your own domain name.

What do you think?  Should I ship my blog off to www.neuvo.co.za?  Should we be talking about branding blogs like we would brand anything else?  Kinda takes blogging a little further away from the stereotypical ‘online diary’.

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Comments

  1. cg avatar
    cg

    Interesting. I have never been someone who uses Favorites or Bookmarks in my web browser…until I began reading blogs not too long ago. Some blogs have horrible URLs! I’ve also been reading your blog for about a month, resulting in another bookmark. http://www.neuvo.co.za? – entirely up to you and your aspirations for the site. I still have my bookmark. 🙂

    Reply
  2. cg avatar
    cg

    Interesting. I have never been someone who uses Favorites or Bookmarks in my web browser…until I began reading blogs not too long ago. Some blogs have horrible URLs! I’ve also been reading your blog for about a month, resulting in another bookmark. http://www.neuvo.co.za? – entirely up to you and your aspirations for the site. I still have my bookmark. 🙂

    Reply
  3. cg avatar
    cg

    Interesting. I have never been someone who uses Favorites or Bookmarks in my web browser…until I began reading blogs not too long ago. Some blogs have horrible URLs! I’ve also been reading your blog for about a month, resulting in another bookmark. http://www.neuvo.co.za? – entirely up to you and your aspirations for the site. I still have my bookmark. 🙂

    Reply
  4. cg avatar
    cg

    Interesting. I have never been someone who uses Favorites or Bookmarks in my web browser…until I began reading blogs not too long ago. Some blogs have horrible URLs! I've also been reading your blog for about a month, resulting in another bookmark. http://www.neuvo.co.za? – entirely up to you and your aspirations for the site. I still have my bookmark. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Jim Kukral avatar
    Jim Kukral

    So what happens when you switch jobs, or a virus deletes your C drive and you have no bookmarks? How do you visit the site then if you don’t easily know the address?

    Or what about when you’re at a party chatting with someone and you say, “Hey, I just read about that at this great blog. What was the name? I know it, I just have it bookmarked. Oh well.”

    Your blog is your brand.

    Reply
  6. Jim Kukral avatar
    Jim Kukral

    So what happens when you switch jobs, or a virus deletes your C drive and you have no bookmarks? How do you visit the site then if you don’t easily know the address?

    Or what about when you’re at a party chatting with someone and you say, “Hey, I just read about that at this great blog. What was the name? I know it, I just have it bookmarked. Oh well.”

    Your blog is your brand.

    Reply
  7. Jim Kukral avatar
    Jim Kukral

    So what happens when you switch jobs, or a virus deletes your C drive and you have no bookmarks? How do you visit the site then if you don’t easily know the address?

    Or what about when you’re at a party chatting with someone and you say, “Hey, I just read about that at this great blog. What was the name? I know it, I just have it bookmarked. Oh well.”

    Your blog is your brand.

    Reply
  8. Jim Kukral avatar
    Jim Kukral

    So what happens when you switch jobs, or a virus deletes your C drive and you have no bookmarks? How do you visit the site then if you don't easily know the address?

    Or what about when you're at a party chatting with someone and you say, “Hey, I just read about that at this great blog. What was the name? I know it, I just have it bookmarked. Oh well.”

    Your blog is your brand.

    Reply
  9. cg avatar
    cg

    [So what happens when you switch jobs, or a virus deletes your C drive and you have no bookmarks?] = I backup regularly. Backup. Backup. Backup.

    [How do you visit the site then if you don’t easily know the address?] = I Don’t.

    [Or what about when you’re at a party chatting with someone and you say, “Hey, I just read about that at this great blog. What was the name? I know it, I just have it bookmarked. Oh well.”] = I don’t go to parties. 🙂

    Reply
  10. cg avatar
    cg

    [So what happens when you switch jobs, or a virus deletes your C drive and you have no bookmarks?] = I backup regularly. Backup. Backup. Backup.

    [How do you visit the site then if you don’t easily know the address?] = I Don’t.

    [Or what about when you’re at a party chatting with someone and you say, “Hey, I just read about that at this great blog. What was the name? I know it, I just have it bookmarked. Oh well.”] = I don’t go to parties. 🙂

    Reply
  11. cg avatar
    cg

    [So what happens when you switch jobs, or a virus deletes your C drive and you have no bookmarks?] = I backup regularly. Backup. Backup. Backup.

    [How do you visit the site then if you don’t easily know the address?] = I Don’t.

    [Or what about when you’re at a party chatting with someone and you say, “Hey, I just read about that at this great blog. What was the name? I know it, I just have it bookmarked. Oh well.”] = I don’t go to parties. 🙂

    Reply
  12. cg avatar
    cg

    [So what happens when you switch jobs, or a virus deletes your C drive and you have no bookmarks?] = I backup regularly. Backup. Backup. Backup.

    [How do you visit the site then if you don't easily know the address?] = I Don't.

    [Or what about when you're at a party chatting with someone and you say, “Hey, I just read about that at this great blog. What was the name? I know it, I just have it bookmarked. Oh well.”] = I don't go to parties. 🙂

    Reply
  13. Paul avatar
    Paul

    Thanks for your comments people. I don’t think either way is necessarily better than the other. Both approaches work. I tend to bookmark all the sites I visit and backup those bookmarks now and then. I think most people use their bookmarks (it is why they exist). At the same time there is a lot to be said for created a distinguishable brand for your blog, if that is important to you. I agree with Jim that it is easier to remember a branded site’s URI (for example problogger.net or, perhaps, neuvo.vo.za) and that use of a specialised TLD does suggest the blog is a little more professional than not. IMHO

    Reply
  14. Paul avatar
    Paul

    Thanks for your comments people. I don’t think either way is necessarily better than the other. Both approaches work. I tend to bookmark all the sites I visit and backup those bookmarks now and then. I think most people use their bookmarks (it is why they exist). At the same time there is a lot to be said for created a distinguishable brand for your blog, if that is important to you. I agree with Jim that it is easier to remember a branded site’s URI (for example problogger.net or, perhaps, neuvo.vo.za) and that use of a specialised TLD does suggest the blog is a little more professional than not. IMHO

    Reply
  15. Paul avatar
    Paul

    Thanks for your comments people. I don’t think either way is necessarily better than the other. Both approaches work. I tend to bookmark all the sites I visit and backup those bookmarks now and then. I think most people use their bookmarks (it is why they exist). At the same time there is a lot to be said for created a distinguishable brand for your blog, if that is important to you. I agree with Jim that it is easier to remember a branded site’s URI (for example problogger.net or, perhaps, neuvo.vo.za) and that use of a specialised TLD does suggest the blog is a little more professional than not. IMHO

    Reply
  16. Paul avatar
    Paul

    Thanks for your comments people. I don't think either way is necessarily better than the other. Both approaches work. I tend to bookmark all the sites I visit and backup those bookmarks now and then. I think most people use their bookmarks (it is why they exist). At the same time there is a lot to be said for created a distinguishable brand for your blog, if that is important to you. I agree with Jim that it is easier to remember a branded site's URI (for example problogger.net or, perhaps, neuvo.vo.za) and that use of a specialised TLD does suggest the blog is a little more professional than not. IMHO

    Reply

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