What to Do with a YourName.com Domain
If you’re at all like me, you might already have owned the domain with your name for a little while just to be sure someone else doesn’t snatch it up. Shoot, I saw someone on Twitter say he’s already gotten his small child a domain with her name. (I’ve got to get to work on that with my three little ones). But then KelbyCarr.com was just sitting there, doing nothing.
Meanwhile, I’ve been developing my own sites as well as writing and blogging for several sites. My email signature was getting a bit out of control. Despite being all over the place, there was no central place to just promote me. So I installed Wordpress, edited my About page, and started blogging on the many disparate things that make up my interests.
I know as a general rule, it can be hard to pull off a name domain unless you have, well, a recognized name. But using your name domain doesn’t have to mean this is a place where you pull in hundreds a month in revenue. You can view it as your e-resume, and a place to send clients, friends or family. If that is your mission, who cares about revenue.
There are some benefits to having a site with my name:
- This gives you control over what people find when they search Google for your name. As it is now, there is one site I write for that consistently pops up in first place. It isn’t necessarily bad, but that is just on one topic I write about. It will be better when my name domain pops up in first place, simply because people will find information about all the topics I cover. It’s highly likely to rank at the top since I have my name right in the domain, too.
- It’s fun and a little bit freeing to have a site that’s main focus is to be about whatever I feel like talking about. All of my other sites have a very specific focus. Also, those sites run by someone else have specific guidelines and rules. My site has just my rules, and I can handle things the way I think appropriate.
- I used SpringWidgets to create a cool sidebar widget that displays the latest posts from any RSS feed that features just my authored content on a site. It’s a cool way to quickly and easily display latest content for you bloggers who, like me, are a bit all over the place.
- Part of my blogroll is linking to my sites. Since it’s a new site, that isn’t terribly helpful, but it is additional incoming links.
- It is one link I can send people when applying for a blogging job or when I want to show off what I’m about, rather then a series of links to various web sites.
Do you have a YourName.com site? I’d love to hear what you did with it, and how that worked out.
MC | April 15th, 2008 at 8:22 am #
Yes i registered a .com and .net of my first name so that on one else would snatch it up. What have i done with it? One uses my reseller account and the other was to be a portfolio site, however that didnt happen, i then did a slash/blog which i wrote for a little while before i gave up. Now they’re both just sitting there waiting to be renewed every year for no specific reason.
Edmond TOURRIOL | April 15th, 2008 at 8:46 am #
Hey Kelby,
Well, I bought tourriol.com a few years ago and gave e-mail addresses to all of my family who wanted a cool e-mail address with just their first name and family name as the domain’s name.
After trying to create an old school HTML site by myself, I just decided to create a wordpress blog and redirect my .com towards the blog. I think the next step will probably be to upload the actual blog on my own space.
For the time being, as long as the .com points towards my blog, that’s great to promote my comic book writing carreer in France.
Kishor | April 15th, 2008 at 10:17 am #
Actually I am trying to think of a good domain name first. I want to use that domain for doing several things. Like several kinds of blogs, some experimental applications etc. I don’t think that domain going by my name is appropriate there. Also, almost all words I could think of were already taken.
Robert Nelson | April 15th, 2008 at 10:26 am #
I have had my name registered for several years now and simply use it as a homepage of sorts. I just have a small picture of myself along with all of the places I can be found online. Overall its nothing special, but it works, I have also had several older (long-lost) friends locate me using it.
With domain pricing so inexpensive it seems silly that anyone who wants or currently has an online presence not have their own name, unless of course its already taken.
Adam Dempsey | April 15th, 2008 at 10:28 am #
I own AdamDempsey.net and last time I checked it was No1 in Google for my name and I just have it as a portfolio style thing linking to some of my main websites.
I originally bought it to use as an online CV sort of thing but never got around to it, and I thought it would look good having my email on the domain.
James Mann | April 15th, 2008 at 11:10 am #
I tried to get http://www.jamesmann.com a couple of years ago but it was taken. I did manage to get http://www.askjamesmann.com though.
I have not decided what to do with it yet so currently I have it redirected to one of my other blogs.
I may end up talking about what I am doing on my other sites and use it that way but for now I am not sure.
It did seem kind a strange to go to a site with my name and see articles with my name on them that aren’t mine.
Fitz | April 15th, 2008 at 11:56 am #
I’m trying to brand it to become synonymous to the niche of my blog.
Sherif | April 16th, 2008 at 2:57 am #
Kelby,
Great post. I registered both the .com and the .org versions of my name a while ago. I have been using it exactly as you mentioned in your post, sort of like an e-resume, and a place to express my short- and long-term goals.
Sherif
Steven Lohrenz | April 16th, 2008 at 9:06 am #
Like you said, I had my own domain setup for some time. I accepted email but never set up a site. Until last summer when I put a blog on it. Mostly to start asking questions of some big name marketers who don’t allow comments on their own blog. Then it just sorta took off into one of my main businesses.
6 months into blogging though, someone went are registered the .org and .net versions of my name. Obviously thinking I’m going to be huge someday!
I think it’s great for branding yourself - for things like speaking events and seminars in the future.
ryan | April 16th, 2008 at 10:21 am #
I use it as a type of business card and catch all. If people search for me, they find it and are directed to my other sites. Not to mention they get a definition of who I am. ryanopaz.com
Xiomara Ochoa | April 16th, 2008 at 10:43 am #
that’s a fantastic thread hi every1, heck yeah!!
Expired Domains | June 3rd, 2008 at 2:18 pm #
Thanks for the informative post, It is very informative for newbies at developing.