UPDATE: If you submit an idea and I go with it, I will give you $100. Details at the bottom of this post.
For a long while, The Traveling Writer was the perfect name for this blog.
You came here knowing you’d find ideas, inspiration and tips on writing and traveling. Plus, I appreciated the hidden meaning behind “traveling,” that I’m traveling through life, figuring out my place, my style, my priorities — and so are each of you. We’re all traveling through life together.
That’s YOU with the fabulous idea. Yup, YOU.
But things have changed. Even before becoming careers editor at U.S. News & World Report, I found myself writing more about how each of us can get where we want to be and tips for creating the lifestyle and workstyle we want.
And now that I’ve left that day job to pursue my own business — about to hit the one-year mark! — I’m thinking more than ever about the changing world of work, how to make a living doing something you enjoy, and the best ways to make our own luck so we can all reach our goals.
It’s time for my blog name and theme to reflect that. And since YOU know what to expect when you visit, and YOU know what inspires and motivates you to move toward your own career and life goals, I’d love to get your input on this branding transition. That’s really what this is about — branding — since content here will continue as you know it.
What should I call this community going forward?
Here’s one big thing I don’t like about The Traveling Writer (and this is a good tip for anyone who’s preparing to start or rename a blog): it sounds like it’s about one person. I don’t want the blog to be about me! I want it to be about YOU, this community and our ideas.
I’d love my new brand to be more of a concept, in the same vein as The Art of Non-Conformity, Live Your Legend, The Unlost, Zen Habits, Bootstrap My Life and The Juggle (to give a shout-out to a few career-and-life-related blog names I like!).
Ideally, new readers would know what this blog is about as soon as they land on the page.
Here are a few words, phrases and concepts we could incorporate into a new title/brand:
Over the next few months, I’ll work with a branding specialist and website designer to help me nail down my new name and figure out how to represent that brand visually. But since YOU know me best, I’d love to get YOUR input first.
Which of these concepts resonate most with you? Are there any other ideas I should incorporate? What words come to mind when you think of this blog?
Finally, do you have any ideas for a new blog name?
No idea is too big or small. Brainstorming is all about throwing out ANY ideas you have, so I hope you’ll help this comment string take off 🙂
Thanks for your help!
UPDATE: If you submit an idea for my new blog name and I go with it, I will send you $100.
Originally I figured this would be a good way to invest my $100 from WDS. But I feel strongly about using that money to help someone else, not myself. So I’m throwing in my own $100 for the winner. This re-brand is THAT important to me. And besides, I like the idea of rewarding this community for brilliance and creativity!
(If two or more people suggest the same name, whoever comments first wins the cash.)
Oooh I can’t wait to see what name you go with!
Lexi, How about this one: Career Leap Chronicle (I like alliteration) with the tagline “Making the Job (and Life) You Never Knew You Wanted.”
Good one, Louis — Thanks for chiming in!
Hmm… might need to put some more thought into this. CrowdSpring is another good source for such projects.
Metamorphosis
Become the change you desire.
Write of Passage
How to get where you want to be.
(A rite of passage is a ritual event that marks a person’s progress from one status to another.)
Empowering Change
Learn to love the life you live.
Yes — Love crowdsourcing sites, so might need to turn to that. Thanks for these!
– Leapfrog Your Life
– Redesign Your Life
– Work, Life Reset, Redesign
– Leapfrog From Ordinary
Just some ideas or a play on words to get it going.
Like the redesign…
Just had another idea – Leapfrog to Freedom.
As you can tell I have a thing with leapfrogging. 🙂
Luv the mental brainstorming…. after playing with “Potential”, “Perspective” and “Growth”, this one keeps resonating for me:
QUANTUM POTENTIAL
or
UxU=QUANTUM.U (or You X You – QuantumYou)
or
QuantumYou
My brain is working on this… more to come.
TXLADYWRITER
Make Your Own Luck
MasteringSocialMedia.com
LifeWorks
Get There from Here
Dreamers, Schemers, Do-ers
The Life You Dreamed Of
Living Your Dream
Dream Work Life
Social Media Works
Making Your Work
Choose to Live, Work, Succeed
Social Media Mavens
Life Your Way
Thanks, Elise! These are great!
You can’t go past Make Your Own Luck, Alexis. This is your tag now – you use it often enough! Really sums up where your site is at.
So funny — A few of us were talking about this last night. Might make the cut!
Making Your Dream a Reality
From the Goal to the Finish Line
or- From the Goal Post to the Finish Line
Finalize the Dream
Wake From the Dream and Live it
I agree “Make Your Own Luck” needs to be part of your brand — not sure how to convey everything you do into a name, though…
Right Where You Want to Be
Write Where You Want to Be (egh, that pun)
Your Career, Your Way
Your Dream, Your Way
No Luck Here: Workstyle design for go-getters
Journey, the New Career
Make Your Own Luck! I think I saw it listed twice up there. Do it!
I agree that Make Your Own Luck would be a great name! It’s your message.
Alexis, I am inspired by your challenge. I wrote a blog post recently called: How to create a minimum viable brand. The post deals with many of the issues you discussed 🙂 and really works well for those who are rebranding. http://www.konstantchange.com/how-to-create-a-minimum-viable-brand-in-3-easy-steps/
Best of luck to you with the naming of your blog. I will think about it a bit before I reply.
Make Your Own Luck is kinda your thing…
But, here’s my go:
Transition to Freedom – from your sales page
Destination: Freedom
Following the Dream
I agree with the others – Make Your Own Luck. The tag could be “Creating The Life You Love.”
Hi Lexi! How about: Creating the Write Life
It says career/life intersection and that the career is writing.
It encompasses all the content that you currently produce and leave plenty of room under the umbrella for the blog’s direction to evolve along with your own life interests.
It’s a present/tense active verb and uses a writerly play on words.
And “creatingthewritelife.com” is available. 😉
When I try to find a new name for a business, I go to Godaddy and type in ideas. If I can get the domain name then I can proceed.
The domains I found were:
outsideofyourbox.com
life-leaps.com
A quote = “Life leaps like a geyser for those who drill through the rock of inertia.” Carrel, Alexis
openingyourlife.com
That’s all for now.
What a great moment, birthing the New Face of your blog. Congratulations on this milestone.
I hope you’ll choose the name after August 9 2012. Please excuse a digression of astrology lingo — Mercury appears retrograde now (a 3-week cycle usually) and goes direct August 9. A new name would be more likely to “stick” (and a web launch would tend to be more successful) after the Mercury retrograde cycle is complete.
Creative Life Sharing is a name that comes to mind, that you might enjoy.
All the best.
Cynthavi
Name idea for your blog: “Things To Do”
I suggest your blog should be named: From Here To There.
It speaks of growth and adventure and moving toward new horizons