I got two emails this week, asking for advice on blogging identities — and not just when it comes to niches, but names.
From Raya:
I am changing my blog (and, of course, my domain name) to simply be my full name dot com and I was wondering-since you’ve done the same-if you have any advice on putting your full name out there for everyone to see. My family is somewhat concerned (and I guess I am too, a little bit) about me using my full name. But my reasons for doing so are to create a “brand” of myself and get away from simply being a runner’s blog (of which there are sooo many). Have you had any safety concerns/issues/feedback on using your full name? And do you monitor your name in any way?
And from Tricia:
I’m not really a health or fitness blogger, but I do blog about it sometimes. Is it okay to change your blog name? Do you think it would hurt my readership (not that it’s much at the moment!)? I use the free WordPress platform. Is there a way to change the name on my current blog without having to start over?
Since one sort of has to do with the other, I thought it was time to talk about my choices when it comes to blog branding and identity…to help these ladies and anyone else who might have questions.
BTW, if you want to see posts that go into depth about my blog journey and my thoughts on standing out in the crowd:
- New Blog, New Rules
- Privacy: You Don’t Gots It
- Do You Know Where Your Name Is?
- How to Change Blogging Direction Without Going Off Course
Let me answer in reverse order, since I think Tricia’s question is easier to answer. In one word — is it OK to change your blog name?
YES.
Should you do it in a way that preserves your existing work, SEO, branding and more? Sure. But keep in mind — it’s better to write authentically, on topic and in a niche that excites you than to stick with the status quo because you’re afraid to make the jump.
When I made my move from Silly Tater Tot to KatyWidrick.com, it was a risk — but it paid off. I no longer have to ask myself who I am, because I have defined (and re-defined and re-re-defined the website) my blog to be who and what I am.
A few tips, though:
- If you can afford to hire someone to help with the move, it’s a wise investment — if you have put in months or years into your existing blog, the actual template and theme files are relatively easy to transition. But one missed step or accidental mis-type can cause serious problems (for example, if you host all of your photos on one site, and don’t move the theme file that holds those images over, you can end up with posts that are photo-free). It’s slightly more complicated if you’re moving from one platform to another (say, from Blogger to WordPress), because the code that controls each is different. And if you’re moving from WordPress-hosted to self-hosted, the files are the same but any customizations you have made need to be carefully moved over.
- Whether you hire someone to help or not, be sure that you properly (and seamlessly) re-direct your old content to the new website, so that you don’t lose that traffic or search engine optimization. Redirection is usually pretty invisible — for example, if you go to a post on my old site — http://sillytatertot.com/2010/01/09/wdw-marathon/ — you’ll see that it immediately moves you to the same post on my new site.
- If you do make the jump, try and give your readers a week or two to get used to the idea, and possibly to show them screengrabs of the new website so they are not shocked the next time they visit you. Once you have made the transition, make sure that your photo, a brief bio and a clear About page are there waiting. You may even want to put something in your sidebar for the first few weeks, saying “this is so-and-so, formerly known as so-and-so.”
- Note: See my “Audit Your Own Blog” post for more ideas on this
- If you are making the move so you can blog on a broader level, consider using an editorial calendar — either public or for your own use — so that your readers know what to expect and when. That way, if you’ve always been a fitness blogger, but you’d like to start writing about fashion and animals, they can know when to check back for posts that are relevant to their interests (you can even offer specific feeds for categories!)
Overall, do what is best for YOU. Give yourself the room, both technically and spiritually, to write about all of your varied interests. If your goal is to keep a journal, or to use blogging as an emotional outlet, perhaps you don’t care about keeping your existing readers. But if you’re just looking for the next iteration, plan it out and then make the jump.
Next up: I tackle Raya’s question about using your real name and identity. Do you have any thoughts I should include? Leave me a comment below, then check back for the new post soon!
About Katy
You mentioned multiple blog hosting sites but didn’t mention tumblr. I just started my blog and used tumblr to do it and it is pretty great to a novice likes me. It’s very inviting. Your thoughts?
P.S. in my question I accidentally spelled the blog name wrong. It’s lepitchet.tumblr.com. Also, do you know an easy way I can follow your blog? Rookie mistake and Rookie question.
Hi cousin!
I should have mentioned Tumblr — because I do think it’s a really good option, especially for people who want to share a lot of information but don’t necessarily care about major customization (in fact, I had a guest post on the site a while back: http://katywidrick.com/2011/01/10/tumblr-posterous-and-microblogging/)
And in terms of following me — do you use Google Reader? It’s my fave tool: http://katywidrick.com/2010/08/18/google-reader-subscribing-to-and-organizing-blogs-video/ and http://katywidrick.com/2011/03/12/blog-auditions-and-additions-how-to-make-it-into-my-reader/.
If you’d prefer to subscribe by email, you can enter your info in the box on the right sidebar of my homepage.
So excited that you’re blogging!
Thanks for the support, but it’s nothing more than a hobby at this point, if you can even call it that, although I always keep an open mind about the future, especially when the internet is involved. I really started it because some people on Facebook simultaneously told me that I am a good writer while others, with minimal subtlety implied that my posts are too long. I figured that it would be nice to have a place to park these posts, out of context, but with provocative titles. It’s as much an open journal as anything else. In honor of it’s stream of consciousness style my posts come in fits and spurts.
I do have a google reader set up, and I think I might actually already follow you, but I get all my content of a blog-like nature through Twitter. Now that I follow some great news sites, I get almost all of my news through Twitter as well (at least the news I find when I’m specifically searching for news). So I guess my question RE: following you should have been do you know how I can follow you through Tumblr specifically? If not, I’m sure I can figure it out, but maybe you can pass on a pro tip.
Thanks for keeping it real in Orlando as if you’ve spent more than 5 seconds on my Facebook you know how I feel about Miami. If this offends you, blame Lebron James. I dig the Magic a lot and am loving the rumors of Dwight Howard coming to the Lakers when his contract is up. It would be funny if we have 3 7’0”ers and still no star point guard. Ok enough about Basketball. Hope all is hoppy.
I’m glad you are addressing this issue because it is something I am currently struggling with myself!
On using the full name issue … you can easily find my full name anywhere on the Internet due to my work at two different newspapers and other various publications, so I never really thought twice about using my full name on something like Twitter. My name is also unique … I don’t have a “Jane Doe” name! Sometimes I do pause, especially when I see something like the Craigslist Killer, but I really have no reservations.
I’m really interested in your opinion about using your full name as your domain name. When I started my blog a few months ago, I decided to NOT use my full name. I’m very concerned about privacy, not only my own, but also my family’s. I’m not sure what my current or future boss and company or my BF’s current and future clients may think of my blog, as I started it just for fun. Blogging is my hobby, and I want to keep it separated from my professional life.
I had your same thoughts about separating blog and profession until I realized that if an employer has a problem with my blog, then it’s probably not the best place for me to be working. The blog is a big part of who I am, just as my career is a major part of who I am. I fully understand your desire to protect family and friends.
I never say where I work in my blog or my Twitter feed. That way, I feel like the thoughts are my own and don’t necessarily reflect the organization where I work. As a health professional, I try to keep my blog posts and tweets evidence-based, but I do have some opinions that fall outside traditional nutrition/health science!
I honestly think that in this day and age people can find your last name if they really want to. Like anything, it is important to be mindful about what you are sharing and how you are keeping yourself safe. I think that using your full name adds credibility to your brand and recognizability and will open up more opportunity for the the future.
My blog is my name. The real reason is I couldn’t think of something I wanted to stick with for the life of my blog. I wasn’t attached to fitness or cooking enough to make it my title, and some names sounded cheesy to me. So it’s my name! I do worry about privacy, but you know, it’s an Internet world. People can find my address by knowing my name whether they read the blog or not. As far as safety, I never take pictures of rooms or things in my house, or the front of my house, and always talk about trips when I return, rarely while I’m gone.
It’s also good to use a tagline or secondary headline to define your blog. Like mine says about being a healthy living blog in the subhead.
And I wanted my blog to be professional and like a working writing sample too. Didn’t want a silly name for that.
That’s my thoughts!
When I first started blogging almost six months ago, I wanted to keep it as anonymous as possible. Soon, I realized I couldn’t blog and connect with readers if I wasn’t able to be myself. And then just in the past few weeks, I realized that I’m not an anonymous person anyway. My full name and educational background is on the faculty page of the law school I work in, and my name is out there with my first few professional publications. This is only going to increase.
My Twitter account was not me either. But now, it’s my full name. It’s who I am. I’ve integrated my Twitter account with my blog and professional identity. My profession and my blog are the two things I spend most of my time on in life, and I’m proud of both. So there’s little reason to try to be anonymous. Too much anonymity in blogging (unless you need to be in a witness protection program or something) should lead one to question whether what they’re writing should be public at all.
Bottom Line: If you’re not willing to own it and put your name on it, don’t post it online.
When I started my blog three years ago, I tried to keep my last name hidden as possible. It was a hobby at the time and I wanted to keep my life private. But, as that hobby grew into a career – and opportunities started presenting themselves – my full name was sort of outed. I think if bloggers want to grow, then that is just a step to take.
And I’ll admit, there is a blogger out there who never tells her name on the blog, but always posts race photos where she’s wearing her race bib. One time I was so annoyed by not knowing her real name (or age) that I looked her bib number up at the race site and easily found her name, marathon time, age, and city. Yes, that would classify me as a stalker, but if I’m smart enough to figure that out anyone can.
I’ve done that with people, too!
um, I’ve done the exact same thing! No shame here. I’ve come across a LOT of blogges who seem really concerned about privacy yet let things like this slide, not realizing how easy it is for people to track them.
Maybe you should tell them. Some people may not realize that what they publish makes tracking them easy.
I agree with your thoughts about BRANDING. Blogging is like a business card chock full of information about yourself. So why not brand your url with a full name. Though I am still unsure if co-branding (with spouses first name e.g. my url) has the same or oppose effect
As a very casual reader of blogs, I always think it’s super cheesy when people do so-called “co-branding” with their spouse. Just to be clear, I am not talking about using your spouses last name when it is your new last name, but I think names like “Adam&Zooey.com” are kind of silly in MOST contexts (not all), so uh, yeah, trust your instincts and go with just your name.
I use my full name as my portfolio site, since I wanted to keep FitBlogr and the design stuff separate. But slowly I’ve been mashing the two together. At first I was really iffy about my last name being found out, but I got over that quickly because I knew if people searched enough, they would find it.
I have tried to conceal my full name on my blog because when you Google my full name you get work related documents/sites AND my blog.
As I blog only as a hobby I don’t like my personal and professional life colliding.
I’ve even went as far as protecting my tweets, because I don’t censor them very well and I don’t like not-knowing who could be potentially reading my non-sense!
LOVE this post-thanks Katy!! Can’t wait to see the next one!! I’m also loving reading the comments, it’s soo helpful. My new header is done and I’m having someone switch over all my content to self hosting…should be up and running soon!!! Super excited
This issue is one that I think about a lot – and one that makes me think about what would happen if I had kids – would their whole lives be online for anyone to see? It’s a little frightening, but I think if you are going to participate in online activities, you have to accept that people can find out quite a bit about you with not too much effort.
As a graphic design professional, putting my last name out there on the web was a no-brainer. Clients, potential employers, etc. will want to know who you are.
I don’t really mind if people know my name, but I don’t think I’ve ever posted it in text on the blog. It’s been in screenshots of race results I’ve posted and such, but not really Google searchable. I prefer that potential employers not be able to easily find the blog just by searching my name. In fact, since I may have to change jobs soon I googled myself to see what came up. Also, I completely locked down my Facebook profile.
This is pretty much my reasoning for not sharing my full name. I don’t care if people know my real name, but I don’t want my blog connected to my name in text for search results. I think in some professions a blog could really help you or it could really hurt you.
I’d rather choose who I share it with, but I’m still mindful that anyone could see it.
Same here. I only use my first name, and if I post a race-bib photo (as mentioned by someone else above), I know that people can look that up. I used to blur it out, actually, but I’m OK with it now — if somebody wants to go thru that extra step to figure out my last name, that’s fine . But if you search for my full name you won’t find my blog.
I’ve had people find my blog randomly, but I prefer to keep it separate from work. Not that I don’t stand behind my blog or anything … I just don’t think my co-workers need to know that much about me!
Here’s a good rule of thumb:
If you find yourself wanting to put content on the internet that you don’t want someone to see, whether it be family, work, strangers, whoever… don’t do it.
I kinda mention my name, but I doubt anyone can stalk me JUST with the blog, it’s on facebook so I am not super worried. It’s not like I am putting my SSN out on the web
I definitely want an answer to the “real name” issue. I never use my last name on anything online. It’s uncomfortable how much information is readily available with a Google Search. I’d rather keep some mystery out there.
I’ve been a firstlast.com blogger for, WHOA, 9 YEARS!!!! While my focus and attention to blogging has it’s ups and downs— I’ve been a here-and -there poster for several months now… the nature of my emergence in the online world was public in nature, so using a pseudonym was out of the question.
I have since married, which means that now my online presence, blog name, etc is technically my first name and MAIDEN name. I have no plans to change it to my married name, however, and it has sorta become my online identity, while maintaining at least a thin barrier of privacy between my social networking life and my “real” life.
I also have an online nickname, KelsNotChels, which has been mine for over 10 years, and is, according to my readers, just as recognizable and tied to KelseyToney.com as anything else. Of note, I also use KelsNotChels as my username for ALL other social networking/web2.0 sites… ALWAYS. It allows for consistency, while also forcing those connecting with me via those mediums to go ONE extra step if they want to get to the actual blog, which for me, is great, because I’m all about quality readership over quantity…
As far as branding goes, I think that TIME is just as important to building a brand as the content is sometimes. I know nothing about tons of celebs, movies, tv shows, and books, but know OF them because of the regular presence of their name/branding over time.
I think there is some value in that.
Also, I want to throw out there that I like googling my full name and seeing what pops up. It’s a hobby of mine.
This is a little off-topic from the “name” issue, but what about information about where you live? I’m in the process of building a house, and I really want to share the journey with my readers. And yet I’m worried it’s a security issue to be open about what town I live in AND posting photos of my new house. Thoughts?
That’s a good point! I think it’s ok if it’s a big town, but small towns are tricky. I know a lot of bloggers live by the ‘don’t show the front of the house rule’ but then others (like YoungHouseLove) have the house as their header.
I don’t use my real name in my personal blog because it is *personal* and not related to my work. When people Google my name, I want/need them to see my work-related stuff, not a post about my lastest workout. I do have a work-related blog associated with my full name, and I’m glad to see that come up in Google. On other personal info, I’m not trying to hide who I am, so I have posted where I live and some personal info, so if you know me, you will know it’s *me.* I do try to be smart about not posting too much detail, but sure I’ve slipped up once in in awhile. That’s why we have a security system and vicious guard dog.
This topic has always bothered me. The way I see it, if you don’t want people to be able to find out anything about you, don’t publish a public blog, Facebook page, Twitter feed etc. People act like there were never phone books and reverse lookup phonebooks. If I want you to read my blog, why wouldn’t I tell you my name? If we met in person, would we have the same conversation without exchanging names? Seriously. You’re not getting much more than superficial small talk out of me without telling me your name. And honestly, if someone wants to find out your address, telephone number, credit score… it’ll take them all of five minutes if they know what they’re doing. They run background checks on you sometimes before you even get a face to face job interview. Sometimes they don’t even tell you they did it.
You can all have my phone number and address if you really want it. What would you even do with that information? Call me? Drive past my house? These were issues in 1992 when it was a big deal to send an electronic message on your college’s VAX system and you had to have a cool handle for the dial-ip bulletin boards and later to remain anonymous in the chat rooms. If your company can’t see what you’ve published on the web then maybe you’re content is inappropriate. Is that why people want to be anonymous?
Michael,
I totally agree with the sentiment and do feel that some fear about releasing your real name on the internet is irrational, but I’ve also spent my whole life as a boy/man. Unspeakable crimes against women are still a real problem in American society (with some staggering statistics as to how common they actually are) so I have a hard time endorsing a view that tells women that their fears are unfounded.
That said, if you have a Facebook or Twitter account with your full name, city, and picture I can’t relate to being overly cautious about having a blog which provides the exact same info. Although the media would like constantly remind us that the internet is unsafe, it may be, in many cases, more anonymous than we even know. Ultimately it’s complicated. From a branding/credibility perspective, I, when reading a new blog, will always tend to give more credence to anyone (male or female) who is willing to tell the world who they really are.
Excellent post! Question: how did you get the URL redirect set up? I migrated the posts from a single category on my WP.com blog to a WP.org self-hosted set-up under a new domain… but haven’t yet figured out how to redirect the old posts to the new ones (since they get a lot of hits from Google). Is there a guide somewhere? I’m concerned b/c I’m only redirecting a single category (about 30 posts) that redirecting may be complicated/ not possible. Any tips/links to guides?
Thank you Katy for addressing this issue for me! Now, as someone who hasn’t really scratched the surface of working with a blog other than set up and writing, what do I do? Start a new page with the new name and just link back to the old one? I have no knowledge of how to transfer anything.
I can’t afford to hire anyone to help me. If I could afford that, I would just be self-hosting! I could pay in trade, but I don’t know anyone near me who does it! My skills are Reiki and Reflexology. Definitely hands-on skills!
Any advice from anyone would be great! Thanks!
I made a name & domain change this summer. It was on a whim but I felt so tired down at my old URL. New name, new website, and I feel like a whole new writer who can write about anything! The right name can be liberating!
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GREAT post. I have been thinking lately about changing mine as well, but as one of my friends in Newhouse said, “You’ve already marketed your brand”. Can’t wait to see the next installment!