So I was sitting here all bored and stuff when I started thinking about blog names. Actually I was reading this piece about Choosing Domain Names and that made me wonder how all the bloggers I know came up with their names for themselves/their blogs.
It’s tough naming your blog. Tougher than naming your kid, I imagine. With a blog it has to be catchy enough to attract readers and something that you can live with. And it helps if it has something to do with the topic of your blog.
Anyway, so I asked some friends/L.A. bloggers how they got their names and here are their interesting answers in case you’ve always wondered, too.
Ask Fashion Kitty: Stylish Westsider (of ThisNext) who is the go-to girl for all your fashion-related questions.
I guess it’s pretty simple. I wanted to be the Dear Abby of the fashion world…so that’s where we got the Ask. FashionKitty was just this dumb name that I came up with while I was sitting around drinking beer and watching football (the Steelers) with boyfriend at the time. I said “I’m gonna call myself FashionKitty.” He said “No, you’re not.” So since I was challenged, I clearly had to do it.
Dig Lounge: Blogger Matt covers Los Angeles events, reviews, etc. Yes, it’s just one guy doing all that!
My blog name is pretty simple. It was a place for all my friends to go and see what new places (or old) I had gone to and really liked. I generally only post about things that I dig. Well, and lounge because digmag, digonline, and dig.com were all taken already!
estarLA: Esther’s site is the thoughtful insights of a cool, snowboarding, arty Angeleno.
The “LA” part is obvious, I think — I live in Los Angeles and the characteristics of the city are infused into almost every blog post I write. It could be about an event, a restaurant or even just musings about the city itself. My daily interactions with the people of L.A., too, are a constant source of inspiration and frustration. I was named after the Biblical Queen Esther… I used to be embarrassed of my dad’s accent…so my domain name is an embrace and acceptance of a recollection of this time where I had a hard time appreciating my ancestral culture. The way my dad pronounces my name is “e-star.” I like it now.
More stories, including mine, after the jump….
fauxLAhipster: Newbie blogger Shelley’s site is about stuff to do in L.A.
I wanted a name that would be evocative of something local so “LA” had to be in there somewhere. I also wanted to differentiate myself from food blogs since I’d be writing about other things as well such as clubs, events, and nightlife things. I thought about naming the blog “LAUrbanNights” but Caroline said it made me sound like a douche-y black guy. I thought it might be fun to write about my wannabe hipster lifestyle and all the “exciting adventures” I undertake for that. Though I was a bit disappointed to find a wouldbehipster also based out of L.A., I think my blog is way more fun and interesting to read.
Happy Go Marni: Marni’s (of Goldstar) site on baking fun and yumminess.
The source of this name is kind of ridiculous. The golden retriever my family had as a pet during most of my childhood was named “Happy Go Lucky” on his birth certificate. We called him Lucky for short. The blog name is…just inspired by his name. Beyond that, Happy Go Marni seemed to fit who I am. I’m a happy person and I also believe that attitude is everything. If I put “happy” in the title of my blog, I am destined to live it. Plus, it would guide everything I blog about. And by everything, I mean baked goods.
L.A. & O.C. Foodventures: Food blogger extraordinaire H.C.’s site is about eating everywhere from L.A. to the O.C. and in between.
Heh, mine’s pretty straightforward — I eat around LA & OC and, compared to my non-foodie friends, my palate’s pretty adventurous, and I am always game to discover new places, hidden gems and obscure dives around town. (Did I mention my tendency to portmanteau words like nobody’s biznitch?)
The Liquid Muse: Cocktail blogger/guru/author Natalie Bovis-Nelsen’s site.
Well, the name “The Liquid Muse” came about while my husband and I were sitting around trying to think of a good name for my cocktail blog. At first, I thought of calling it “The Cocktail Blog” and I am SO glad I didn’t! The Liquid Muse better encompasses all the aspects of what I do now, three years later!
netzoo: Crazy Andy’s site about his thoughts and rants.
I purchased netzoo.net in 1999. I thought maybe I’d be bought out to be the first online zoo. Perhaps once you could smell the monkey cage through the Internet. Well neither turned out to be. Over the years I switched back and forth between netzoo, musicaladventure.com and everythingbetween.com before finally settling on netzoo.net in 2006. Because it’s easy to remember and it sounds kind of cool as a brand — if I ever wanted it to be one. Sure I’ve got andysternberg.com — but even that will take you to the Zoo. As far as netZooOnCrack.com — well, that could be a fun mashup one of these days.
RumDood: Matt Robold is an L.A. blogger who, despite his pseudonym, specializes in writing about all types of spirits._ _
Well, the name behind my site may seem a little obvious, but there is some backstory. The name **“Dood” is actually my online handle from computer games. ** I originally started my blog as a personal blog “tehdood.com” and just fell into writing about rum. After about a month, the name change seemed necessary. I had considered getting “RumDude.com” but it wasn’t available at the time (I’ve acquired it since then), so fate — it seemed — had conspired to make sure that RumDood.com become the home of my rummy ramblings.
When Tara Met Blog: Tara’s personal lifestyle blog and she happens to be one of the Top 10 Los Angeles bloggers.
My blog name is a tribute to my favorite film When Harry Met Sally, because when I started my blog four and a half years ago I was single in New York City like Sally and a journalist like her too and was blogging for the first time so — When Tara Met Blog. Although, I was this close to naming it Tiki Tara, because I thought it sounded fun thank goodness I didn’t go with that one though, ick.
Caroline on Crack: My blog!
Of course my blog name doesn’t have anything to do with Los Angeles. But it has history. I got it when I used to write a review section for an e-zine that I did with my brother and sister — back in 1997! It was supposed to be a take on that whole “on crack” thing. You know, when you call someone crazy. It turned out that the name afforded me a certain amount of freedom. I could say whatever the hell I wanted cuz I was on crack! Of course the review section was short-lived; only four reviews. But when it came time to name this blog, that’s what I wanted, and now that’s become my pseudonym! Ta-da!
If you have a blog, what’s your story?