What’s In A Name?

“What’s In A Name?”

In my daily visits around the blogosphere I came across a post from Rachel @ Averagegal.com with some advice on choosing the domain name for your blog.   5 Blog Domain Name Tips is a useful post to read if you are considering buying a new domain name for any business.  It got me thinking (which is what a great post is supposed to do) about what thoughts I went through to choose a business name.

I had to choose a name for both a brick and mortar business as well as an internet business.  They each had separate and distinctive steps to make that decision.  How and why did I arrive at the choices I made?  I had a list of criteria I used in brainstorming for my name.

I thought about how I chose my brick and mortar business name.

1. I wanted to be listed first or as close to first as possible in the phone book pages.  My thinking behind that brilliant idea was from my own personal routine when I am looking for a business.  I usually look at the first ten names or so and if they sound good, pick a few to call and compare.  I chose Affordable Choice Insurance.
2. The name needed to be memorable and self-explanatory.  What will people easily remember?  Will they choose my business just by the name?  Will they know what my business is about?
3. I looked for a name that would be manageable as far as advertising and logo design.  I didn’t want my competitors to use my name against me.  I wanted to be able to design a logo that would stand on its own.  You could look at the logo without the name and know who and what it was about.
4. The name had to be timeless.  I didn’t want the name to be tied to any year or decade or passing phase.  I planned on being around for awhile.
5. This is an important decision.  You are committing to a name that will (hopefully) last for years and years.  I narrowed my options to ten then to five and finally to the name I accepted as mine forever and ever.  I never understood why some businesses change their name or logo that they spent countless hours and dollars to become recognized.

There is obviously a difference in choosing your domain name.

1. Being listed first in Google pages takes a little more than choosing your name alphabetically.  Discussing  how to be listed first in Google is another post.  Actually an e-Book!
2. Choosing a name that is memorable and self explanatory is crucial on the internet.  There could be more than a few pages to go through to get to your name by searching a topic!
3. I still haven’t chosen or created a logo for my blog.  Very important.  The more popular the blog becomes, the more important brand becomes.
4. BloggerNewbie - a timeless name?  Does the name indicate that the blog or blogger is new?  Or does the name indicate the blog is for new bloggers.
5. I thought of about 40 names before I made my selection.  I sent the names to my three daughters and told them to pick a few of them and tell me why they picked them.  I don’t think any of them picked BloggerNewbie.  So much for asking for help.

One of of Rachel’s suggestions for a successful blog name was to choose a dot com name.  I totally agree.  Yet, against the norm - look at ProBlogger.net - guru of blogging.  Another tip, do not use dashes in your name.  Again, totally agree.  Okay, now we have to look at Entrepreneurs-Journey.com - another guru.

Now what?  These are not necessarily easy names to remember. Is everything we ever learned just something to throw out the window.  Anything goes?  How many blogs do you search for by the name?  Is the name really that important?  So what’s in a name?

Now I don’t know what to think!  In the comments section of Rachel’s post I found some exceptional advice.

Debo Hobo says

“What’s in a name. umm everything.

Everyone should own there own personal name as well.”

So on Debo Hobo’s advice, I bought the domain name - www.deelangdon.com.  Of course I should own my own name!  What was I thinking?  What if I didn’t buy my name first and then when I became rich and famous someone else tried to sell my own name to me for stupid money?  I would be mad. Thank you Debo Hobo.   You probably saved me a bunch of money.

So what’s in a name? Now after all this, what do you think?

Toodles - Blog Happy!

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“What we see depends mainly on what we look for…”

- John Lubbock

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Let’s Make Lots of Money Blogging!

“Let’s Make Lots of Money Blogging!”

I had a great idea! Not a new idea, but a great idea. My Blog was 6 months old on December 1, 2008! Yeah, Happy Anniversary to me…

I have put countless hours in blogging.  From my design to writing to marketing and promoting.  I love my blog, I like the look and feel.  I am proud of my accomplishments thus far.  I have learned more in 6 months blogging then I think I did the entire time in college!  Maybe not.

I am in it for the long haul because first and foremost, I enjoy blogging.  I adore writing.  The social aspect of blogging is time consuming but the best part.  I have made several acquaintances, a considerable number of peers and some really great friends.  I admit, I started blogging and found blogging as I was searching for ways to make money online.  I am not afraid of work. I have the 5 P’s of a successful blogger.

I am well aware that making money from blogging is long term goal.  I realize that.  Is long term a relative term? Like anything else - Its all relative!

I thought after 6 months, I would be making..

Instead, I am making..

Having said that, I decided it was time to review the plan here!  What’s going on, what am I doing wrong or not doing?  I decided to take a look at the A listers..

I was trying to find something that the “big guys” or “gals” as the case may be have in common?  What is it that makes them successful?  My observation was that they all had the “usual” - passion, creativity, ambitious, longevity, etc.  I have all that.  Well not the longevity.  But that comes with time, literally.  So do I just keep doing what I’m doing and let time take care of itself?

Another conclusion I came to all by myself was that there must be more to making money blogging then by just creating a blog, writing good content, then throwing up a few adsense ads.  I don’t even see the familiar adsense ads on some of these blogs!  What are they doing?  Writing e-books, offering e-courses?  I was going to investigate further by going straight to the source.

My plan was to put together a short list of questions (maybe 5) and ask 5 or 10 of the top bloggers to share their wealth of knowledge and experience in an email interview type format.

I started my draft post, wrote a couple questions, got distracted and started visiting my RSS reader.
Darren Rowse of Problogger wrote a post regarding the very same topic! Can you really make money blogging? He must be reading my mind. It is a great post and you really need to read it and get your reality check. I still have my questions about making money blogging though. I am going to formulate my email interview and will post what information and feedback I receive.

Do you have any questions you would like answered from the A list of blogging? Do you have any secrets about how you make money?

Toodles - Blog Happy!

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“A billion here and a billion there,
and pretty soon you’re talking real money…”

- Everett Dirksen

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2 Steps To Become A Productive Blogger

“2 Steps To Become A Productive Blogger”

There are so many tasks necessary to achieve success as a blogger.  Unless you are organized it will be difficult to accomplish everything you need to do.  You need a plan, a schedule or routine to follow.  I’ve noticed I say that very frequently.  I get stressed if I am not in my comfortable rut and routine.   Otherwise, I get overwhelmed and panic.  Kind of run around in circles.  You know, like the puppy who chases his tail?  Overloaded as it may be, a rut and routine eases my stress.

There are two essential areas of a successful blog.  Writing and Marketing.

First things first: Okay, so you want a blog.  Well what is a blog?

The definition of blog according to dictionary.com;

Blog -noun

An online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called Weblog, Web log. Typically updated daily, blogs often reflect the personality of the author.

Dictionary.com needs to update that definition.  Personal diary!  This is not yo’ mama’s blog!

You need to write. Period.

Darren Rowse of ProBlogger wrote an excellent detailed post about Batch Processing and how he organizes his time. I use some of his helpful hints to make myself more productive.

There is no way around the little task of writing.  For me, it is best to start writing in my notebook.  I can’t get my thoughts together while I am writing on the computer.  I literally have to tell myself - step away from the computer - way too much distraction for my undisciplined self! Otherwise, a one hour post would take me three days to write! I can’t help it! I’m weak..

Do NOT try to write under pressure.  Prepare your posts for the upcoming week.  Pick at least 5 topics to write about.  Create a tentative title and start a draft in WordPress.  I write my title first so I can set up the posts for the week in WordPress drafts.  If you don’t like it you can change it but the title will give you a place to start.  Then you can start brainstorming.  If you are a big girl or big boy as the case may be and can write in your draft part of WordPress without venturing off into the never never land of the blogosphere, then good for you.  That will save you a step.

I always put a picture or graphic in each post.  Searching for just the right one can be time consuming.  Set aside some time to get all your graphics for the week.  I also put a quote at the end of every post.  Also time consuming.  I have to have just the right one.  If the picture and quote are added in each draft, even before you are ready to add your content, you will be half way there.  Add your tags and categories and you will have your post nearly done.

Take one day to work on drafts to start.  Let them simmer for a day or so.  Go back and edit them, add to the content, firm them up. You can add some additional tweaks if you like at this time.  You can get them ready to publish.

Now what do you do?

The definition of marketing by dictionary.com

mar⋅ket⋅ing –noun

The act of buying or selling in a market.  The total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.

It doesn’t do any good to do all that writing and  make everything look all pretty and fancy if no one comes to visit!  Get out there and strut your stuff or sell your stuff whatever the case may be.  You need to spend some time on the social circuit.  This part is so crucial,so much fun, so overwhelming.  There are a staggering number of choices, it is hard to decide which social media to use.  Obviously you can use more than one, hopefully you do.  How many social sites you participate in is completely up to you.  It all depends on the time you can devote to your choices.

It is important to participate with good intentions. I focus on Twitter with quick blurbs here and there. I try to dabble throughout the day whenever I get a chance. I usually visit twitter for breakfast, lunch & dinner and sometimes when I need a little snack. I also like StumbleUpon to share different posts with different bloggers.  You can show your appreciation for good writing with others who might not have seen it otherwise.  StumbleUpon is where I often meet other bloggers who have the same interest. I have met many people and have made great contacts from MyBlogLog.  That is a fun network and allows you to share a ton of stuff about yourself.

I like to visit and contribute to other blogs as part of  my marketing plan.  Sharing your thoughts with other bloggers is a great way to add community.  it also is a great way for people to get to know you.  I don’t necessarily set aside a certain amount of time to socialize.  I try to dabble throughout the day whenever I get a chance.  I have all my favorite stops in my RSS reader and after I browse the headlines for a topic I think might interest me or that I might just have something to contribute to, then off I go for my visit!

I am just starting to browse forums.  I recently joined Budding Bloggers Network and Bloggeries. I haven’t devoted as much time to them as I would like. I will definitely put both these forums on more or a priority list.

What are your tricks of the trade that keep you on the track to success? What do you concentrate on and consider most important?

Toodles - Blog Happy!

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“Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it…”

- Rene Descartes

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RSS Reader or Website?

“RSS Reader or Website?”

Where do you read your favorite blog posts?  No, I don’t mean on your laptop or your desktop and I’ve even heard posts are available on your phone!  Of course you have this blog and all your other favorites listed in your reader. But do you read the entire post in the reader or do you click through to the site? Some bloggers don’t give you that choice.  Some bloggers list just the title only while other bloggers list an excerpt of the post in the reader, still some others list the full post.

I would think you would have to have a great deal of confidence in your title to “hope” that people are going to click through to your post based solely on the title. For the blogs that list an excerpt only, you have to click through to the blog to continue reading the post. If, of course, the excerpt captures your interest enough to bother clicking through.  Then there are the bloggers that list the whole post in the reader.  You can still click through to the site of course.  Which do you prefer?

Title Only?

We recently discussed how and why Creative Titles Are Crucial. In the flurry of all your favorite blogs listed in your reader, even one as great as BloggerNewbie, posts can get lost in the shuffle. It happens.  If you list the title only in the reader your title darn well better be interesting enough to capture attention.  It has been my experience that titles aren’t necessarily the true sense of the post.  Readers might feel tricked or be resentful if they use their time to click through to your blog because of the title only to find out the title is not a true caption of the post.

Excerpt?

So after the creative title captures your attention, the excerpt or first paragraph needs to peak your curiosity so that you will want to click through to the website.  The excerpt is the “teaser” that makes your reader want to keep reading.  In order to keep reading, they need to click through to your site.

Full Post?

If you list your entire post in the reader, your visitors won’t need to click through to your site. Unless of course, they want to leave a comment!  Do you want them to click through?  Of course you want your readers to comment. The whole point of your blog is for people to read your post right?  Well most bloggers want their readers to comment and interact in the conversation.  Your content must be so compelling that your reader will have to click through to your blog so they can offer their opinion.

Reasons to click through

What reason would you want them to click through? There are plenty of other reasons you may want people to click through to your site.

• Being on the site creates community.  Community creates loyal readers.

• Your readers can easily see other comments from other readers.  They can interact with the author (you the blogger)  as well as the other readers.

• Often, there are areas of interest in the sidebars - links to contact you at various social networks, ads of course, products that you find helpful and recommend.
  

How do you list your posts in your reader? Do you list the title only, an excerpt or the whole post? What do you find are the advantages, the disadvantages?

Toodles - Blog Happy!

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“Strategic planning is worthless — unless there is first a strategic vision…”

- John Naisbitt

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Blogging Is A Journey Of Daily Discoveries!

“Blogging Is A Journey Of Daily Discoveries!”

I just love blogging!  I learn something new everyday.  I know - cheesy!  I can’t help it.  More often than not, though, there is too much to learn and without discipline can lead to the Blogging failure plan.

Half of what I know (hey, could be a lot) about computers or the internet, I learned by mistake.  I bumped the keyboard and found a short cut, I decided to try this even though it didn’t make sense, etc.  Well, that process has not ended.  It’s harder to teach sometimes, but eventually I figure it out.  It is probably my perseverance that has brought me to where I am today.  Actually, not probably, undoubtedly.

We all use plugins on our blogs.  Some you barely notice you have even activated.  Some show up on your blog for the convenience of your readers.  Okay, plenty of plugins are for the bloggers use and benefit.

One of my favorite plugins is CommentLuv.  Do you have the CommentLuv plugin? CommentLuv is a plugin that you install on your blog that enables your visitors to get a little recognition of their last or latest posts when they comment.  Most of the blogs I visit have this plugin and I really like it. Not only do I get to read the current post and comments, but each commenter has the title of their last post after their comment.

What I didn’t know and what I think maybe other people aren’t aware of is the “mouseover”  feature of this wonderful plugin.  You are require to register your site at CommentLuv.com for this awesome feature to show up.  If you aren’t registered then the “mouseover” just shows that you aren’t registered.  If you are registered the mouseover shows how many people clicked over to your post, what sites you left comments on, a little profile and picture of you and your last few posts.  How great is that?

Besides all of that - CommentLuv is sponsoring a contest.

How You Can Participate in the Contest & Promote Your Site

You need to:

• Register your blog at CommentLuv.com
• Provide a profile description of you and your blog
  
• Leave comments here, there and everywhere (goes without saying - no spam)
  

Good for you, good for me, good for CommentLuv.

• Encourage more comments on your site.
• Get quality links back to your site.
• Spread the word - make it viral!

Now I know you want to join in on all the fun!  Simply visit the CommentLuv contest page for more information.  Did I mention there are prizes?

Okay, so leave a comment, make sure you register your blog at CommentLuv then enjoy!

Toodles - Blog Happy!

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“The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery.
There is always more mystery….”

- Anais Nin

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You’ve Gotta Be Kidding Me!

“You’ve Gotta Be Kidding Me!”

Where Have You Been? Good question. I have been working on my server! I am in the process of changing web hosts. So easy a caveman an do it! This is totally ridiculous. I had so many different titles for this post, I couldn’t choose. There is no reason this process needs to be so difficult. Read more

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What Are Your Challenges of Blogging?

What Are Your Challenges of Blogging?

Blogging is STRESSFUL! I am fairly new to blogging - a BloggerNewbie. Having said that, blogging is challenging with all the “must do’s” in our daily schedule. Then, of course as with any business, unexpected difficulties will arise that can throw you off your schedule.
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