Blogging: The Right Name

Today I'll be sharing more tips for new bloggers.  A few days ago, I talked about creating an overall theme for your blog so you can focus towards a certain audience.  Today I'd like to talk about finding the right name for your blog.  I've had conversations with three or four different people who say things like, "I'd make a blog and write about ______ if only I could think of a clever name."

To be honest, a blog title isn't that important.  So long as it's memorable, you'll be fine.  Your blog doesn't have to have a hilarious or incredibly witty title to work.

My blog name -EmilythePerson- isn't all that clever, but because it's a title I've used for the past six or seven years, I knew it would be the name of my blog before I even started blogging.  I made up Emily the Person because of my attempt in the sixth grade to be my own person rather than be another member of a stereotype like many of the other kids in my class.  "Emily is smiling" was one of the first Facebook statues I posted after I'd finally begun to realize I was truly joyful after I had struggled with a long bout of severe depression.  So you see?  Neither of the two titles of my blog are extremely clever.  But they work for me.  I can't even count how many questions I've gotten about "Emily the Person," so I figure it's memorable enough.

Try to think of a title that fits you.  If you're stuck, ask a friend or family member for help.  And remember: you can always change the title of your blog, even if you can't change your domain name.  Don't let the stress of picking the right name keep you from starting a blog.

Avoid cliche titles that use words like: ramblings, scribbles, random thoughts...  Everybody uses those words in their blog titles.  They'll make the name of your blog difficult to remember and unoriginal.  Surely you can do better than that!  If you can't, then your writing quality will most likely outshine your boring blog title, so no big deal... but I recommend that you try to avoid overused blog titles.

Your blog address can be different from your blog title.  For example, my blog address is www.emilytheperson.swingthesickle.com, but my blog title is "Emily is Smiling."  They're different.  You can do the same thing, but make sure the actual address of your blog is easy to remember.

If your last name is difficult to spell or remember, then you probably don't want your blog to be www.sarahromenerojorgensternenbergen.com.  That's too difficult.  No one will ever remember your blog's name when they try to return.

Don't use numbers in your blog address, like www.angelica73184.com or even just www.angelica731.com.  Numbers can be tough to recall.

Try to avoid purposeful misspellings too, like www.girlzlikefun.com or www.sammii.com when your name is actually "Sammy."  If you use your name, that's fine, but try to keep things very simple.  When it comes to your blog address: the simpler, the better.

No matter what you decide to use for your blog title, remember that your blog's name doesn't have to define your blog.  Even if you end up picking out a lousy name, if you write what people want to read, they won't ignore your blog just because of a lame name.  Don't worry.  Like I said, Emily is Smiling is a pretty boring name... but people still read what I have to say.

I'll share some more blogging tips next week.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below and I'll try to answer them in a future blog entry.