Owning your online space by building a website
One of the questions I get asked the most is “why did you start blogging?”. From that question onwards, a variety of serendipitous conversations regarding questions of privacy, publicness, and how I do not refer to my family nor friends by full name, choosing instead to write about them and identify them with initials. I am quite private when it comes to personal matters, in particular my friends whom I’ve met before I was in the online space.
I usually don’t link to anybody who doesn’t have an online presence (I have lots of friends who aren’t online themselves), but I commonly will link to my friends’ websites or Twitter accounts if they do have some degree of online space. I usually ask before linking when it’s a new friend or acquaintance, but for example, I’m quite used to linking to other bloggers’ sites when I write about our shared experiences.
Lately, I’ve been mulling over the possibility of building websites for my brothers (one of them who is an academic, one of them who isn’t, he works in other field) and for my Mom (who is also an academic). I figured I could build a website for them like my own research site, because I believe in owning your own online space by having a website. I figure that it looks better when you Google my name and the first hit is my research site.
As always, I open this space for comments from all my readers. I think that there is value to having one’s own website, and owning the domain associated with your name (in my case, I own RaulPacheco.org because RaulPacheco.com didn’t work out). Thoughts, everyone?
Related posts:
- Building an Online Community with WordPress (aka Blogging 101)
- The Network Hub is opening more space in December 2009
- Twitter as an online social space to hang out virtually and enable offline interaction
- Building connections off and online
- Building a house…
I think it’s a really good idea to get the domain of your own name if possible – even if just to protect it from others grabbing it. I had to go with drbethsnow.com (I also have the .ca) because some damn squatter has the .com. I even know someone who is considering taking her partner’s last name because she could get her first + partner’s last name as a .com, whereas her current name as a .com is already taken. (And I think she’s only half kidding!)
Help them build a website but only if they are willing to keep it up to date. “I figure that it looks better when you Google my name and the first hit is my research site. ” only looks good when the most recent update is not a year old
I have reserved my nieces domains, because although they are young, and do not yet need websites, I think they will, and don’t want them to encounter the same issues I did. For YEARS, BobGray.com was a guy who wanted to run for Governor in Florida… thus BobSongs.
If they want websites, but don’t have the wherewithall to build it, great! If you are going to build it, AND post all their content, as well??? You are already a busy guy.
Certainly the “best” brand, is your own name, and if that is available, I think everyone should protect their brand, and reserve it.
Raul, by the way, I wasn’t pointing a finger at you with my comment. It was a general comment on the state of some people’s sites.