What to do when you outgrow your blog name?

Each time I moved, I lost readers. (And when I was in the BlogHer office last week, Jen (not calm dot com) was talking about how she lost something like 1/3 of her readers when she moved.)

Some people seem to be able to keep them - others, not so much. I don't have any really good advice for you except to suggest you make sure the link to your new blog is prominent on the old one - and you remind people to switch their feedreaders - and you contact every place that you've listed your old blog to change the listing.

There are some posts out in the blogosphere with tips on how to make the move - here's one that I happened to have handy for something else I was looking at last week.

http://www.labnol.org/internet/switch-from-blogger...

~Denise BlogHer Community Manager
Flamingo House Happenings ( http://www.flamingohouse.net/ )

Hi,

I'm coming to this conversation a bit late but I'm also wanting to change my blog name and URL. Can anyone tell me what happens to subscribers and followers if I change? Do I lose them? I'm on blogger at the moment.

Always one for biting off more than I can chew, I was also thinking of migrating to Wordpress at the same time...again what happens to my current blogger followers and RSS feed?

Good luck with your changes Dawniemom :)

Nic - domesticallychallengedhousewife.blogspot.com

I agree with what everyone else has said about it being your space.  I think if you figure out a couple of great names you really like you should go for it and ask your readers to help you choose, then they will feel included! 

In 2001, I decided it would be wise to include the year in my email address. Apparently I didn't realize that I would still be using email after 2001. Rather than endure the hassle of changing my address, I just pretend that my email is a reference to 2001: A Space Oddesey. You can do the same! Just imagine that "nursery" is referring to flowers.

I blog about my health and disability issues regularly at http://loveablehomebody.blogspot.com/

Guess you're quite an blogging addict.. that's the real way to go ;)

I've never changed my blog's name, but I have changed my blogging name and people simply rolled with it.  I actually loved it when Cecily involved people in the changing of her blog name from "and I wasted all that birth control" to "Uppercase Woman."  There were suggestions, a vote, etc.  Because she discussed it for a bit, people eased into the change. 

Melissa writes Stirrup Queens ( http://stirrup-queens.com ) and Lost and Found ( http://lostandfoundandconnectionsabound.blogspot.c... ). Her book is Navigating the Land of If ( http://thelandofif.blogspot.com/ ).

Well, the reader/comment thing isn't much of an issue - I think they all died LOL  Which is also telling me that I don't have much to worry about ... [flatline] LOL

welllll, actually I'm not from WV, we just moved here last Fall. But in any event, thank you for your input as well. I do agree, it's MY place, was just wondering the repercussions.  Thank you :)

Ok, that is a funny blog name LOL Thanks for your input!

Ok, I am so glad (if not somewhat embarassed) that I posted my mini-bitch last night and you all came and gave me your thoughts & ideas.  Thank you ALL so very much!  It's given me lots to think about, and  will start with my readers!

MWAH!

~Dawn

There once was a blog named big yellow house. Very popular. Blogger changed the name of her blog. It is now one of those incredibly popular blogs. Still actually. Yes, there are two people in the world who still call her Big Yellow House when we see her in person. We still read and love her blog though.

On the other hand, I have had a bunch of middling blogs on one middling blogspot site. Some blogs with great names but no oomph here and there. Then I have the blog I am known for...and yeah, when I think of changing focus it feels like cheating on my blog name. In the end-blog success is about you and not about the name. 

( http://twitter.com/thatwoman )
Retro-Food.com ( http://retro-food.com )

I think the key is to keep your readers in the loop. Tell them your feelings and thoughts about your journey over a few weeks. Let them know the change is coming. Discuss it with them. It's absolutely your decision (and I think it's fine to change your blog's title), but you've built a community. Keeping the community aprised of your thought process and coming changes will help them make the switch mentally and, in a perfect world, help you retain their loyalty. They may even have ideas for your new name that you can use or tweak. I found my personal blog's name (Don't Try This at Home) by showing my readers the image I wanted to use and then asking them to help me find a title that suited it. I chose one I liked, then tweaked it a bit.

A second point to consider is whether you think you'd like to your new blog name and URL to match. If yes, change them both at the same time (my opinion). Making several changes at once (after preparing your audience) may be easier for your readers rather than several small changes over the months.

Melanie Nelson
Contributing Editor at BlogHer.com (Web/Tech)
Owner, Blogging Basics 101 ( http://www.bloggingbasics101.com )
Co-author, TypePad for Dummies (due in stores Feb. 2010)

I've contemplated doing this myself, though the circumstances of my blog haven't changed (I still have two kids, they still have these nicknames). I guess I decided not to, because this way, I don't have to explain what the nicknames mean to every new reader--people just have to read the blog sub-head.

I think this is definitely a YMMV type of thing--though it seems less disruptive than changing your url or something.

Landismom blogs at Bumblebee Sweet Potato.

I'll preface this by saying I have been blogging since before blogs were even called blogs, so while I don't have hard numbers to show you about success of name changes, I do have a bit of experience.

People are not static. At the same time, people who come to a blog to consume content expect the nature of the content to remain the same. I have experienced backlash every time I have made a radical change to the content of my blog.

The most notable of these times was when I stopped drinking. My blog went from being a chronicle of the life of a martini-guzzling, jet-setting wild girl to being the musings of a woman working to redefine herself in a new country without the one crutch on which she'd always depended.

A lot of readers hated it and quit the blog. You'd think loyal readers would be supportive? Here's the thing: blogs are written by people, but they're also stories people consume, like soap operas. They inhabit a strange place between reality and fantasy. There was no harm intended in the response by readers, though it did hurt.

What I learned was that the audience matters and you do have a responsibility when you're a content creator, but they don't matter more than you do. Your blog -- especially your personal blog -- is a reflection of your life. Be true to that. That's the surce of all content.

The name of a blog in a way is the mission statement. Over the years, I changed my personal blog name several times. I think this is tricky as far as branding goes, but it's necessary when you feel the direction of the blog going elsewhere, too.

In the end, there may be backlash, but if it makes more sense to the content and if it helps you feel more at home in your space, I think it's well worth that risk.

AV Flox is the editor of Sex and the 405 ( http://sexandthe405.com )--what your newspaper would look like if it had a sex section.

And I've been thinking of it. I don't think it's uncommon to outgrow your blog name. I've seen plenty of women do it, especially moms who mention how many kids they have in the blog title (and then it changes) or who mention their kids name(s) in the title (and then have more kids). 

I think you have a couple of different options. You can keep your current URL and just change the blog title. You can get a new title and URL. You can get a new title and URL and have your old blog redirect to the new one. 

I've known a number of people who have changed their blog titles and URLs. I've changed the title of my blog once. I've moved the location of my blog a number of times (on the long road to self-hosting). I don't think it ever hurt me. Probably an initial dip in readers and comments but it always bounced back (helps that it was always pretty small to begin with!). 

Contributing Editor Sassymonkey also blogs at Sassymonkey ( http://sassymonkey.ca ) and Sassymonkey Reads ( http://sassymonkeyreads.ca ).

When I made my current blog (I've been through many, deleted many), I tried to come up with a name that would be relevant no matter what was happening in my life.  Obviously, you're past that but I really think that if you feel that you are past the "nursery" theme with your blog you should absolutely change it.  It's not blasphemy to change the name.  It's YOUR blog.  It's YOUR space.  Ultimately, YOU are the master (ahem, mistress) of that domain.  Your followers will understand.  There might be some mix-up at first, but they will find their ways back to you. 

Also, I'm tickled to see you're from WV.  I was born and raised in Clarksburg.  It's so rare to see other WV bloggers (even though I now live near Philly). 

Anyway, there's a little insight for you, dear.  I'm all for staying current and relevant.  Your followers will find you if they love to read you.  A nice heads-up post before the name switch will help :)

Somer blogs at Merry Wife of Canon ( http://www.merrywifeofcanon.com ) as well as Smell My Plate ( http://www.smellmyplate.com ).

I say do what works best for you.  If someone gets mad because you changed your blog's name, it makes me question that person.  As long as your readers can find you, what's the harm?

So says someone who came up with a gimmicky blog name based on a topic she rarely blogs about these days, but doesn't change the name because she still finds it funny...

Suzanne also blogs at Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS) & Other Rants ( http://cussandotherrants.com ) and is the author of Off the Beaten (Subway) Track ( http://offthebeatensubwaytrack.com ).