More than a decade ago, when I wanted to register my first domain, I didn't know what to call it. But I was excited at the feeling and fun of registering and becoming the proud owner of a domain when no one had heard of Google, Yahoo or Facebook and the Web was still in its infancy. Frankly, driving a Ferrari onto your porch couldn't match it then!
So I couldn't wait and care then for all the search, thought and fieldwork you have to put in for choosing a name for my domain. When I started to fill in the online form, I looked out of the window and noticed that little street name plaque around the corner, which was always there but had never caught my attention before. It read Forge Valley Way. For some reason, quite unaware of what I was into, I typed in my first domain name, forgevalley.com.
Little did I realize then that I had inadvertently chosen a great domain name and also learned the secret of choosing great names and titles for your domains and blogs!
What I didn't realize at the time was Valley Forge was a great name in American history, well known in the U.S. and close to many American hearts.
I didn't also realize that the street name was chosen, due to its proximity to the oldest iron bridge, which is equally famous and close to the hearts of many British and history lovers, being a symbol of the Industrial Revolution pioneered in England. Perhaps a forge existed here 400 years ago when the bridge was built.
Forgevalley also turned out to be home to the best bread dogs in the world, 'Forgevalley Sherpei' turning out much ahead in Google search every time I tried to search for forgevalley.com.
Simply put, forgevalley.com rang a bell to millions around the world even before I decided what to do with it. It was already famous because it associated with something connected to history, human emotion and animal love, people always remembered.
It even came in handy for the grandiose and commercial venture I had envisaged for the domain, which I named Forgevalley Corporation, hoping to grow big like Microsoft Corporation. It still might become great one day, who knows?
Though creation of forgevalley.com was quite accidental, it has revealed the secret of great benefits of choosing any name somehow connected with great names which are already famous and to which people emotionally connect and remember easily!
How to Decide What Will Be a Great Name for Your Blog Title?
When I decided to base my blog on celebrities and stories of love and romance and their relevance to the social Web, I did a lot of search for a blog title which will reflect that, yet will meet the above described criteria of being already famous and associated with people's lives.
After a lot of search I came up with Lasting Rose, an easy to remember name which is also well associated with love and romance and Valentine's Day, the softer aspects of lives of celebrities and also ordinary folks.
I was very glad when my search showed 'Lasting Rose' also is a famous antique brand of chinaware everyone loves to possess for its beauty and delicate properties, which reflected the central theme of my blog.
Once you decide and have an idea of the central theme of your blog, it is easier to look for great and famous names associated with the idea.
Where to Find Great and Famous Names and Ideas Associated With Your Blog Topic?
Finding famous names and ideas for your blog title is easier than you think because they are all around you. Look out and find:
•List of 100 Greatest Novels of All Time
•List of 100 Greatest Movies of All Time
•List of 100 Greatest Songs of All Time
•List of 100 Greatest Battles of All Times
These are only some examples. Generally speaking any list or collection of old and famous things will be a good place to start searching.
How to Get People to Read Below Your Title and Take a Peek of Your Blog?
Now that you have got the attention of your potential visitor and a bit of his emotional urge to find what you are offering, it is time to reveal a bit more of what you intent to communicate.
Usually scanning of the title of your post or a listing of your recent post will expose the nature of the content of your blog. But there is one place you can show off your intentions more easily, it is the description of your Blog under its Title. It is also one place you can borrow from others liberally and be creative.
Like your title which associates through peoples memory of something, you description also can lean on stuff people have learned and remember for a life time. What we learn as children will somehow stick with us though as adults we live our lives far away from those. We may get attached to different ideas and values.
But the best thing is expressions of such things are all around us by way of quotes, tweets, hidden in literature and various forms of media, verse and prose. Thankfully the web makes it a lot easier to search them out using your key words.
Annotating a famous quote and adapting it for your description can be even a bit of fun.
For example, I had started with a simple straight forward description for my blog Lasting Rose:
"Shred Pillai's Blog on Celebs and Social Web." However as time passed and posts piled up, I realised that the nature of Lasting Rose has indeed changed quite a bit. It looked like the Wonderland Alice had wandered about. So I have changed it a bit.
"The time has come to talk of many things, of shoes and ships and social Web, of cabbages and celebrities."
Finding a good title and description for your blog need not be a stressful part of your life. It can be fun and creative experience with a bit of reading and search. You could even change it around to suit the evolution of the social Web and the change in the perception of your visitors.