image by Kevin N. Murphy
Ronke Adeyemi of The Musings of Ondo Lady has been a part of IFB since the early days and has contributed before. She specialises in popular culture and the hotest guilty pleasures. Here she gets the story behind how bloggers get their names…
So what’s in a name? Well everything actually. A brand name is incredibly important; get it right and you have a massive head start but get it wrong and you can be doomed forever. Take a look at all the large global brands out there like Apple, Pepsi, Nike, Sony etc and they are names that roll off your tongue and are significant to the ethos of the company. Titles for blogs are no different; in order to attract people the name needs to convey what the blog is about. The names that bloggers choose for their outlets are very interesting and some range from the witty, to cheesy and down right outlandish.
Fashion dominates blogsphere and a lot of blogs are focused on the author’s wardrobe so the name is reflective of that for instance Karla’s Closet , and Sophie’s Style. There are blogs that pay homage to a particular show or person and not surprising, Sex and the City is acclaimed with blogs such as Couture Carrie and Fabulously Broke in the City. The Olsen twins are feted a lot as well with In the Olsens Closet and Olsens Anonymous and of course Kate Moss has her fan base with Runway Report. So how do owners come up with the names of their blog and what significance does the title have to them? I set about asking nine established bloggers exactly what is behind their name and learnt quite a few things along the way.
Susie aka Style Bubble
“Susie Bubble wasn’t made up by myself; it was my friend Sarah Hill at primary school that gave it to me then the whole class started calling me that. It’s because I always looked like I was in a world of my own – in a bubble I have not really grown out of this and you will often see me staring into space, fixated at nothing in particular or listening to my iPod oblivious to many things.”
Brigette B aka Make Fetch Happen
“I got my blog name from a movie called Mean Girls. Basically one character keeps referring to things as “so fetch” in a lame attempt to get the expression to catch on. Later in the film another character turns to her and says “Gretchen, stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen!” which I thought was pretty funny. When I was creating my blog the line just popped into my head and I thought it fit perfectly.”
Lisa Long aka Disney Roller Girl
“Well, when I started my blog I had no intention of making it public, I just wanted to get in the habit of writing regularly so I didn’t really think of a proper name. I certainly didn’t think about Google searches or anything like that. I have a roller-skate obsession and I also love Mickey and Minnie Mouse, plus I wanted the blog to be anonymous so somehow that became Disneyrollergirl. Now, nearly two years later I’m really glad I came up with it as it hasn’t dated and I quite like the randomness of it.”
Erica aka Girl With a Satchel
“The name ‘Girl With a Satchel’ is based, somewhat narcissistically, on a photo that my husband, Jim, took of me at a very happy time in my life. I’m at Burleigh Beach on the Gold Coast, Australia, wearing a summer dress with a leather satchel slung across my body and a big smile on my face. Looking at that picture, it became clear to me that all a girl (or, at least, this girl) really needs to roam the world is a satchel holding a notebook, pen, camera and Bible. The glossy mags, gorgeous clothes, girlie books, sweet smelling perfumes and other pretty things that clutter our lives (but make our spaces alluring) are just the superficial icing on the cake. Though the bulk of my blog is based on glossy magazine reviews, I think the name (with the tagline: ‘Pop culture, magazines and pretty things’) gives me scope to explore the areas I’m interested in without feeling boxed in. A Girl With a Satchel is a free spirit and hates to feel boxed in”
Michelle aka Fantasy Ride
“I love the entertainment industry so when deciding to start a blog, it was a natural decision to write about all things creative, especially music, TV, film and fashion. Many people aspire to live the life of the rich and famous, or even pursue the dream of being a singing or acting superstar. For some it is realised, (X Factor and American Idol have helped a little!) but for some it will always be a fantasy – something they forever dream of. Also the flip side is “is this lifestyle/industry all it’s cracked up to be? In my blog I address the positives and negatives that come along with the entertainment industry and how I perceive it to have an effect on us ‘common folk’ and society and culture. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that music, film and television will always generate a reaction from people – whether it’s excitement, anger, intrigue, sympathy or sadness. Its a rollercoaster of emotions that I find addictive almost – hence the ‘Ride’ title of the blog, Fantasy Ride.”
Karla aka Brown Girl Gumbo
I named my blog, Brown Girl Gumbo because I didn’t want to focus on just one topic like many other blogs. I wanted it to be a mixture of all the things that I love — beauty, fashion and entertainment. Gumbo is a mixture of good things, so to me it just worked. The tagline, “Stirring Up Everything that Chic Brown Girls Love,” soon followed.
Leigh aka Style Canteen
“I’m inspired by a lot of things all the time! It can be a hectic job tracking what’s going on in my head. I’m fussy, curious, interested in trends, history, style and how people put it together, I love attitude. It’s a bit like waiting patiently in line for lunch, there a couple of people ahead of you. Finally its your turn to pick. What shall I eat today? Exhibitions? Yes, today I’ll do Viktor & Rolf and Union Black. Fashion has so many facets style, trends, shows, colour, trends, people like the foot soldiers who are doing the daily fashion grind. Music, photography and ooh I haven’t had graphic design for ages or should I try some cupcakes? That’s what its like – too much choice, so I take a bit of everything. I’m dissecting constantly so Style Canteen is a medley of everything I consider to be influential in the world of style I’m interested in.”
Keysha aka The Cocoa Diaries
“My blog is a celebration of Black British popular culture. I chose the name because of the obvious correlation between the rich dark tone of cocoa, and that of the array of brown toned complexions throughout the African Diaspora. The word ‘cocoa’ also conjures other qualities. It’s lush, potent, luxurious and sweet – the exact elements I aim to incorporate in the editorial. The addition of the word ‘diaries’ relates to what my blog is: an online diary documenting Black British life.”
So it looks like a lot of bloggers come up with names from personal experience but interestingly enough some blog names are chosen on the spur of the moment simply because the owner took a fancy to the name.
Coco aka Coco’s Tea Party
?There isn’t really much of a story behind choosing Coco’s Tea Party as a blog name. It was such a spur of the moment decision to even start a blog that when it came to naming it I just chose the first thing I thought of. I was like ‘I like tea parties, why not?’ Luckily I still like the name – so it was a good spur of the moment idea.?
As for my blog name, The Musings of Ondo Lady
– well Ondo is the name of the town in Nigeria that my parents come from and as the blog is full of my thoughts, opinions and occasional rants on pop culture I decided that musings would be a great way to describe it.
Ronke Adeyemi is a Marketeer by day and Blogger by night.
*This is a pseudo name.
These are such interesting reads!
I know for myself, I wanted to start a blog for months before I actually did– because I was looking for the perfect name for what I wanted it to be. Choosing the right name seems very much like it either happens or it’s a well thought out choice….