NAME CHANGE FOR A GAME CHANGE, BUT WHAT NAME?

A name change for a blog is called a ‘relaunch.’

The big question is about timing. When is the right time to do a relaunch, a reintroduction, a restart?

A name change for BoomerPdx is in the works and I need a helping hand.

First, what’s wrong with a name like boomerpdx? It’s the boomer part.

Name change away from baby boomers? Such audacity, but that’s why I need the help.

The name that shows in a URL is part of branding. It’s a preview of what to expect.

I chose the name after taking a business class designed to help creative people control the financial end of their efforts.

It was a small group with me, a steampunk artist, and the instructor who wrote the book for the class.

My takeaway was to target the Boomer Generation and show a world through that lens. A blog name with boomer in the title made sense in class. I was a boomer, a targeted boomer looking for an edge.

It worked well for the instructor, given I was in her class. She laid out vital information for future success.

2600 posts and many years later, I have new information.

A Blogger Lives And Dies By Their URL

Based on this blog’s URL, I am BOOMER, hear me roar.

What that means in some circles is I’m an old man, which triggers the Pass response.

Even worse, I’m an old man living in and around Portland, Oregon.

BoomerPDX is a blog about a random old man in a backward state giving his ‘thoughts of the day?’

I’ll admit this much: it sounds familiar. But is that the limit of my story here?

Between you and I, here’s my blogging goal at the start: Write a ton of posts, gather a huge boomer following, attract sponsors and advertisers, and repeat.

It’s typical blogger aspirations.

Except the results don’t support the goal. To do that I need to appeal to boomer readers.

My analytics show boomers age fifty-five and up are consistently the lowest percentage of boomerpdx readers.

We know they can read, right? So what’s the problem? What do these people do online? Are they even online, or are they waiting for a better content delivery system?

These are questions asked for marketing research. At the same time, a name change away from boomerpdx is a marketing ploy.

Instead of portraying myself as another old fart in the PNW gazing at his navel, a new name from the get-go wouldn’t present the same hurdle as BOOMERpdx.

Imagine the internal conversation upon seeing my url for the first time: ‘Boomerpdx huh? Another baby boomer blogger telling me how great they are, how fantastic the whole generation is? Pass.’

My own damn demographic passes 95% of the time. I should hate them, but I don’t. Hate is not part of the deal here, otherwise I’d feel the same about Facebook friends who never show up.

Hard feelings? None. I’m a writer with enough problems and hate ain’t one of them.

A Name Change For The Better

This is the help part, the audience participation segment of the post.

Boomerpdx came from a marketing class aimed at boomers. A name change doesn’t need to be as obvious as ‘you’re a boomer, I’m a boomer, let’s boomer together.’

Sad to say we’re not all boomering together here. My biggest group of visitors, 33.5% of the traffic, comes from Millennials in the 25-34 age range.

Are my kids inflating traffic numbers to placate their old man? I could only wish, but no.

Younger people online may not outnumber boomers online, but they do more than share pictures of food, sunsets, pets, and reunions. More than vacation pics, party pics, and dress-up pics.

With that in mind, what would the youths rename boomerpdx?

Old and in the way dot com? Bored and tired dot com? Waste of time dot com? But enough about my kids, I’m aiming for the funny bone.

Please give me a few funny ideas for renaming, relaunching, re-imagining boomerpdx. By the way, along with low boomer traffic, I also strike out with Portland traffic. Tigard is my sweet spot.

Since my name is David I’ve recently added a bust of David for the header image. Classic David dot com? David and David dot com? Your New David dot com? Do I want to sound like a self-referencing rapper going third person on himself?

“When David talks, people listen.”

“David says read David or David gonna bust a cap.”

“David needs validation from strangers because that’s how David rolls.”

If you have a spare moment after getting this far, leave a name change comment. No one wants to think of themselves as a candidate for a narcissistic disorder.

David don’t want that. Help a David out.