Misadventures in Blogging (2) – Capturing that Elusive yet Perfect Blog Name

May 11, 2014 About Me 41

Welcome to another edition of my Misadventures in Blogging!

As some of you may know – even though I’ve been around the blogosphere for a number of years, I only just recently launched NOT YET READ. Thus, I figured I’d share with you the drama I went through while picking my Blog’s name. It was so maddening I tell you and all of you that have a blog know exactly what I went through!

3 sisters layingdown

Things I thought about when starting my hunt for the perfect blog name:

  • Does the name give an easy infusion of what the blog is about?
  • Can it be misconstrued as something else? If people can think something naughty they will
  • If it’s naughty they will come (why another bullet because seriously…they will)
  • Name needs to flow easily off the tongue
  • I really didn’t want “Book, Reading, Read, Shelves, etc” the obvious booky blog words in the title
  • I tried to use funny famous SFF quotes or known things from favorite movies / books
  • So your first second third and hundredth choice is taken, what now?

When I started compiling my list I came up with all sorts of names. It was like birthing a baby…or pulling teeth…or really just any other painful experience. You’d think it would have been fun. It was downright stressful because so many of the “good” names were already taken and likely years ago – OR other people were still coming up with good names and maybe I’m just not that creative. *pulls on my eyeballs like some crazed monster*

stitch aggravation

Would you believe I almost even convinced myself to buy a $1600 domain name that was already being sat on by one of those companies that just buys up domain names so they can swindle people out of their money. Below is a list of some of the discarded names for one reason or another that I came up with and then ditched. Like I said many were already taken, some I thought on and went hmmmm nope, or still others just really didn’t sound like ME. Can you guess which one of the names below would have cost $1600? LOL.

* The Red Pill
* Multipass
* It’s a Multipass
* It’s a Trap
* Carpe Librum
* Strange Horizons
* Strange New Worlds
* Losing Time
* Straight on Til Morning
* Better Off Read
* Blurbing

I actually had WAYY more names written up besides these that I’m sure some of them were better than what is shown but by the time I got around to writing this post they have all flown from my head.

Ultimately, I have no idea how I ended up coming up with the name NOT YET READ. I think it might have gone something like –

“OMG I have so many books I’ve not yet read that there is no way I’ll ever get through them all. And perhaps a lightbulb went off? I like that – I’m going with that.”

So if you have a blog – how did you come up with your blog name?
Stalk me!

Tabitha (Pabkins)

When I'm in the zone I can flip book pages faster than the eye can see - screaming "More Input!" I'm a book, yarn, & art supply hoarding goblin who loves to draw, make toys and craft all sorts of creepy cute things. My current habit is to listen to audio books while I'm arting it up!
Stalk me!

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41 Responses to “Misadventures in Blogging (2) – Capturing that Elusive yet Perfect Blog Name”

  1. Nathan (@reviewbarn)

    It’s a Trap! – That would have been cool. I like the one you picked though. It is easy to remember and pretty unique.

    We started out as Nathan’s Fantasy Reviews even though there were two of us at the time; silly. The new one came from a couple of areas. One is Barn is half of my last name, so it still gave me ownership in a hidden way. The other is we originally planned on be more of a multi blogger blog before stooping at three, and Barn gave that all encompassing feel.
    Nathan (@reviewbarn) recently posted…Mystery Review: ‘Talus and the Frozen King’ by Graham EdwardsMy Profile

  2. Asti

    In the end, I think you chose the best blog name of them all! I mean, it does have the word “read” in it, but it’s obvious that it’s a book blog and I still think it’s unique.

    Oh, the Books! was Kelley’s creation, and I think she sort of discussed it’s coming about in our Grand Opening week. When I solo-blogged at A Bookish Heart, I wrote a post talking about how I came up with that name. I really loved it because it showed that my focus was on books, but didn’t limit it to reviews and could be personal as well since it’s me and my heart and my loves. t still absolutely love it, but it doesn’t feel as original as it did when I started it since so many others have used the word “bookish” since. 🙂
    Asti recently posted…Weekly Recap| May 4-10, 2014My Profile

  4. Jules @ Jules Bookshelf

    Thinking about it. I always wanted my blog to be named: “Jules Bookshelf”. When my blogging life lasted for 6 more months, I realized just how general my name was. Hahaha. But honestly, I am too comfortable with my name now to change it. Tho I’d love to change my blog name… maybe… 😉

    Great post! 😀 I love it 😀
    Jules @ Jules Bookshelf recently posted…Blog Tour + Review: Torn Away by Jennifer BrownMy Profile

    • Tabitha (Pabkins)

      Yeah – having your name in the blog title makes it personal though so don’t get down on it. =) I think when it comes to starting out as a new blogger you learn all these things so long after the fact that you wish you could go back and change. But if you really wanted to you still have time. I think though after like a year it would be harder to change cause then you’d sort of be locked in with everyone recognizing you by that title.

      It’s still a good blog name =)
      Tabitha (Pabkins) recently posted…Rjurik Davidson discusses: Mixing Red and Blue – On Magic and Technology & GiveawayMy Profile

  5. Cait @ Notebook Sisters

    I’m really glad you went with Not Yet Read. It’s AWESOME. But…oh gosh. Seriously??!! $1,600 for a blog title? I COULD NEVER DO THAT. That’s like a NEW COMPUTER. Phewf. >_<

    Mime came up with our blog title. We were throwing a few things around and then she's just like Notebook Sisters. I seriously, it probably took us like 5 minutes. I'm seriously lucky to have her around. I probably would have called it Wherein Cait Has No Idea What To Name A Blog. Which would have been awesome, but probably a bit of a mouthful. 😉
    Cait @ Notebook Sisters recently posted…Stacking The Shelves #20My Profile

    • Tabitha (Pabkins)

      DUDE! yes – $1600 for “BLURBING.com” which you know the publishing industry calls those things on the back of the book the blurbs or “so and so blurbed this book” you know – so I thought it was a cool title cause my author buddy recommended it to me but then whammo it was of course taken and no way would I pay that much for a darn BLOG TITLE!

      I love your blog name its so freaking perfect and fits the two of you well because you write as well as read.
      Tabitha (Pabkins) recently posted…Rjurik Davidson discusses: Mixing Red and Blue – On Magic and Technology & GiveawayMy Profile

  6. Amanda @ Book Badger

    Nothing makes me happier than the fact that Kelley of Oh! The Books spotlighted you, you’re fantastic Tabitha and your blog is gorgeous! My blog name? I remember that I really wanted to work something with Pandas or Magpies because I much prefer those black and white animals but unlike you, I wanted to work a booky worm into the title si it was clear what I worked on predominantly, and somewhere between ‘this is a waste’ and ‘oh my god I can’t do it’ I looked at my Badger puppet and saw Book Badger just look and sound right, so I swung with it. Not a fantastic story, but it’s true.
    Amanda @ Book Badger recently posted…In Bed With Badger #10My Profile

  7. Miriam

    I like your blog name. Especially with your icon – you haven’t read these books yet because, you know, they’re half eaten. Om nom nom :p

    I don’t know why I picked Inky Realms really. I was trying to think of something a bit fantastical/bookish that didn’t have book in the title. Although when I mentioned my blog to some workmates their first reaction was to say – Kinky Realms? What don’t we know about you? – so yeah. Either I have to enunciate the I much more clearly or change it somewhere down the line!
    Miriam recently posted…Book Review: A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia SamatarMy Profile

  8. Melliane

    when I created the blog with Vanessa we had this big problem. Because when you have a name you also need to have something different from others and it’s the worst. Before the blog I tried to do one with 2 girls but it didn’t work and I left, we had a nice French name but it was a French blog and I wanted more. Vanessa had a blog but as she was alone she didn’t really use it so when she closed it we chose to keep the name and here we are.

  9. Charleen

    And here I figured it was a reference to Spamalot (“Not Yet Dead”).

    I came up with Cheap Thrills pretty easily – I read mostly thrillers and I get all my books at the library – but I hemmed and hawed over that potentially sounding dirty issue for a while. I finally decided since it’s not blatantly dirty, I didn’t care if a few people interpreted that way.
    Charleen recently posted…Bookish (and not so bookish) Thoughts – #20My Profile

  10. Mogsy

    Ha, I remember going through this particular misadventure with you.

    Coming up with The BiblioSanctum wasn’t so bad, considering. I knew two things at the time, that I was going to be reviewing spec fic and that I didn’t want it to sound generic or borrow from quotes/catchphrases. I also wanted to choose something that didn’t sound like I only focused on a certain sub-genre or category, like sci-fi vs fantasy, or adult vs young adult, so the name couldn’t be too specific or sound too formal either. Anyway, one of my gamer friends suggested having “Sanctum” in the name because that sounded “fantasy worldish” and implies a quiet, personal retreat for reading. I was playing with “Book Sanctum” but then Biblio just sounded cooler 😛
    Mogsy recently posted…YA Weekend: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison GoodmanMy Profile

  11. Kel

    I know exactly what you mean. I started my blog in late December as “No Cucumber Sandwiches,” realized shortly thereafter it wasn’t doing a good job of communicating the blog’s subject, and went through all the same thoughts (and lists) before getting frustrated and picking the next random name that entered my head. 😉
    Kel recently posted…Discussion: Low Diversity in YAMy Profile

  12. Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf

    Haha – I agree! Thinking of a name for your blog is such an important decision, and it’s so hard to choose because there are so many great names out there! I’m glad you went with Not Yet Read though…$1600 for a blog called “The Red Pill” seems awfully expensive, don’t you think? 😉

    Thanks for sharing!
    Zoe @ The Infinite To-Read Shelf recently posted…We Were LiarsMy Profile

  13. Aimee

    I’ve already changed my blog name TWICE. Yup–super hard to pick a name. As of now, it’s “Deadly Darlings” and doesn’t really come off as bookish, huh? Anyway, Not Yet Read is a blog name anyone can relate to, so kudos to you, Tabitha! But $1,600 for a domain? Can I just buy books with that? 😛
    Aimee recently posted…The Book Blogger Test + The Chocolate Book TagMy Profile

  15. Michelle @ In Libris Veritas

    I honestly hate my blog’s name and I’ve thought about changing it several times, but I just haven’t. Mainly because I have business cards printed up and I’ve been around for a while so a name change is kind of ‘meh’ at this point and it is fairly unique. In Libris Veritas is Latin, roughly for In Books is Truth (there is Truth)…it’s a play on an old saying In Wine There is Truth (In Vino Veritas). I came up with it because all the names I wanted were taken and I just gave up, lol.
    Michelle @ In Libris Veritas recently posted…Mini-Read Review: Red & Wolfe Part 1 by Ella James (18+)My Profile

  16. Charlene @ Bookish Whimsy

    Thinking up blog names is such a hassle! I remember going through at least three before I got to my own. And I do sometimes wish I could change it to something much more unique – just so there are absolutely no other blogs that are similar to it. But I do like my name generally so I probably won’t go through all the trouble. I went through all the points you mentioned to come up with it so I should just stick to it now! 🙂

    Although I hadn’t thought of it before, I saw Charleen’s comment on the Monty Python aspect of your blog title and I love it even more now too! I think having a sidelong reference to something in your blog name is really cool! (Though I guess it wasn’t intentional! :D)

  17. fishgirl182 @ nite lite

    I can only imagine the pain you went through. I love the name Not Yet Read though. I feel like it sums up my life anyway. I also would have liked Better Off Read. My blog name story is pretty lame. I was already contributing on a YA blog and thought I’d just do a little offshoot for all of my smutty/scifi/UF/etc reads. I asked my friend and web designer to help out and she came up with Nite Lite Book Reviews. I actually like Nite Lite and was find keeping it. The Book Reviews part is a little dry but, frankly, I do not want to go through the hassle of changing it or finding a new name. I am not clever with titling things so I don’t think I could come up with anything better. I did try to think of some new names once but all of the ones I wanted were taken. I think it’ll stay this for the foreseeable future. Fun post!

  18. Livia @ Butterfly-o-Meter Books

    Hmm… I guess it helped that I lost my first hosting due to host abuse :)) I started blogging March 2011 and my blog was first named L.E.Olteano Blog or something like that, name-centered, because obvious reasons, lol. Then I started using butterflies to rate things so the Butterfly-o-Meter Books came up real easy for some reason. Then I lost my hosting in like October and had to restart from freaking scratch. That’s when I got my Blogger blog-name-dedicated address so everything was consistent 😀

    When I moved to WordPress and got the domain, I could take my pick of blog name domain combos, lol, none of the butterfly-o-meter including domain were taken 😀 strange name, most likely, a mouthful, so nobody bought it to try & charge me for it afterward, lol.

    I dunno if it’s a good blog name or not, maybe it’s too long, or maybe confusing, or whatever. But it’s mine, I haven’t actually seen a similar name until now, it doesn’t sound like any other from what I’ve managed to dig on online since I first picked the name, and the butterfly is my blog’s symbol for lots of reasons, it’s not changing, so I feel it’s all good 😀
    Livia @ Butterfly-o-Meter Books recently posted…Picture Perfect by Elisabeth Grace & GiveawayMy Profile

  19. Lisa (@TenaciousReader)

    I really like the one you picked! So easy to remember, too 🙂 I still toy with changing mine one of these days. I almost did before I grabbed the domain name recently, but couldn’t put myself through the naming process again, it is SOOO hard!
    Lisa (@TenaciousReader) recently posted…Mayhem by Sarah PinboroughMy Profile

  23. Joséphine @ Dudette Reads

    Oh. My. Goodness! I can totally relate! I tried so many different names when I started book blogging last year and every last name was taken. Dudette Reads was the only that I thought of that didn’t exist yet. Trouble is, I wasn’t entirely convinced with that blog name because I wanted something more gender neutral. But I went ahead with it anyway because I knew if I didn’t finally get stated on the actual blog, I would keep postponing it, all for a measly name.

    Then recently I decided I really want another blog name and made a list of possible names that spanned several pages in my notebook. Then I found a URL that worked but realized two days later that that name is technically taken. I say technically because the blog in existence has an ‘s’ at the end while the name I wanted doesn’t. That made me so sad. I found a couple of domains that cost more than $2000. That sure was mind-boggling. So sad about these domains that’re just sitting around because we can’t justify the exorbitant cost.
    Joséphine @ Dudette Reads recently posted…Retrospect #20: May 18thMy Profile

  24. Finley Jayne

    Oh my gosh yes! Picking my blog’s name was probably the hardest thing about setting up my blog. I also had a long list, but nothing was clicking. I finally went with my blogging pen name and what my blog’s focus is about and voila! Finley Jayne’s Going to the Library…to find a good book, was chosen 🙂 It’s longer than I would have liked, but it fits and I think it’s pretty unique, so it’s a keeper!

    just found your blog and now following through bloglovin 🙂
    Finley Jayne
    http://finleyjayne.com/
    Finley Jayne recently posted…Review: The LochMy Profile