When starting a blog, I usually meet people that fall into one of two camps:
1. Those that simply started a little blog to keep their family members updated on how their little peanut was growing and to share pictures of their BAYBAY
2. Those that read all the well known blogs before they were REALLY well known blogs and idolized these writers and then one day decided to take a leap of faith and start writing their own blog
Either way, both types of bloggers started with one thing in mind: A PURPOSE.
I can readily admit that at worst, I had no purpose, and at best, my purpose was pretty weak. You see, I was trying to get a job in marketing and everyone was asking for writing samples. The samples were, of course, supposed to be something that showcased my ability to write properly and effectively. And the most prominent writing samples I had were PowerPoint slides that went approximately like this:
Yes, I actually wrote that. Pretty riveting stuff, right?
And that’s why I started a blog. I simply wanted a place to spout off intelligently crafted sentences in hopes that I could find a job. And so I picked a name that best represented the body of work I intended to create: All Things Fadra.
Except back then, it was actually allthingsfadra.blogspot.com (yes, it’s still there). I had no real purpose in mind and no theme to my blog (as evidenced by my very first blog post What’s my theme?).
I eventually got a little wise to the ways of blogging, secured my own domain allthingsfadra.com, and set up shop with Wordpress.org. So why does that make me an idiot?
More like an idiot-savant in some ways. I picked a domain that appears very high up in an alphabetical list (totally unintentional) and I picked a domain that uses my rather unique name (Fadra) to help me stand out in a sea of “mommy bloggers.” For the most part, it’s worked for me. But I’ve picked up a few other domains along the way.
I also own fadranally.com, because everyone should own their own name.
I’m lucky, though. There aren’t many Fadras out there and I’m pretty sure there is no other Fadra Nally in the world, which means competition for anything related to my name is close to nil. (On the other hand, I’m still fuming that Twitter won’t release @Fadra which has been used exactly one time for one tweet).
Recently, I was at a conference where one of the topics was all about rebranding. Jo-Lynne Shane, a well-known lifestyle blogger, revealed that she had recently begun the process to switch her blog from Musings of a Housewife to, simply, Jo-Lynne Shane. It’s a trend that’s allowing bloggers and influencers to gain personal visibility beyond their blog and it’s a great strategy.
But what if your name isn’t as unique as Fadra Nally or Jo-Lynne Shane and your potential domain, MaryJohnson.com has been taken by some other Mary Johnson living in North Dakota who’s blogging about her knitting business? Sure, you could go with MaryLJohnson.com or MaryLeighJohnson.com or, gulp, MaryJohnson.info (P.S. don’t do that).
It’s easy to get stuck when the .com isn’t available. But when you’re talking about your personal identity and a unique URL, you have other choices.
From the standpoint of personal branding, I love the idea of having a personal domain name ending in a .ME. Now, you can have MaryJohnson.me or FadraNally.me or Despicable.me (that one’s already taken). And lest you think this is a “lesser” domain, .ME domains are available through over 160 accredited registrars, including mine GoDaddy.
Talk to me about your personal branding. Does your current site name express yourself? Is it a unique URL? Is it a professional URL that might help you get that marketing job you were looking for? If you’re looking for other options, consider Domain.ME for an available premium domain that finally suits your needs.
And now I’m thinking about picking a up a few new domains for myself.
I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere has provided me with compensation for this post. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
17 comments
There was a presentation at Blogalicious from the folks at .me and it was very interesting. I wasn’t familiar with it at all, but think it’s a great idea especially for personal branding.
Since I already own FadraNally.com, I’m wracking my brain to come up with something clever like Despicable.me (but something that’s obviously not a Hollywood movie). Stay tuned because I’ll be giving away some FREE .me domains!
(P.S. Did you do a write up about Blogalicious? I’d love to read it!)
I think the last time I renewed some of my domains and I was looking to add another but it was taken it gave me (haha) the .me option but I was kind of iffy about it all. Now I am rethinking that…
I’m not going to lie, if I’m going through my list of subscriptions, blogs that are at the top of the alphabet usually get read first, while the others tend to languish.
lisa lehmann exists out there…i hate that. i’ve been trying to figure out which way to go for YEARS 🙁
I am now seriously considering buy the domain for my name, in case I get famous one day and it’s in high demand. I like the .me domain idea – makes a site sound more personal than .com.
might as well grab another domain. and this one is relevant!
Always great to have another domain on hand!
I so need this. I’ve been wanting to get domains for all of us in the family and the .me would be perfect.
As someone with a ridiculously common name, I have to be very creative bout urls. most of mine have some form of photo or photography tacked on the end, but as I write more I wonder if photo is still appropriate for branding.
Sarah Manley .com is taken but not being used which makes me sads. .me has a nice little ring to it though.
I would love to have my own .me page!
I think discus might have lost my original comment, but I apologize if this is #2 from me. Basically, I haven’t loved my domain for years, particularly because of the .net instead of the .com, which hasn’t been available since I looked first in 2008. I’ve considered a .me many times!
I don’t know much about the .me domain, but it sounds like a good idea for a personal portfolio site.
I think it is fantastic!
Seems awesome to me!
I have many domains. Was sure I had the .me, but I don’t. Off to buy ALL the .me!