Here's a useful exercise in creative domain naming.
How many relevant (or irrelevant) words and/or phrases can you squeeze out of one domain name?
I've got one I'm particularly proud of. Of course, I can't post it here. :) But I hope the idea sparks some debate and creativity, and puts the lie to the notion that there are "no good domain names left".
Here's my example:
<a><b><c>.com
The intended reading is <a><bc>.com. See further explanation below. It's a nine-letter domain name, registered within the past 2 years, and never-before registered.
I was able to register .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .us, .co.uk. e.g. "a grand slam".
<a> = adjective, 3 letters. A property of a person or place. Relevant keyword.
<b> = noun, 3 letters. A kind of commercial establishment where people might gather. Relevant keyword.
<c> = noun, 3 letters. A specific non-human creature. Irrelevant to the subject of the site, except as part of the compound word <bc>. However, may well serve as a "mascot" for the site, as it's easily drawn/stylized, and instantly recognized.
Now it gets fun.
<bc> noun, 6 letters, compound word. Slang term for a person who frequents a kind of commercial establishment <b> often. Maybe too often. :) Relevant keyword.
<ab> noun, 6 letters. Technically, a phrase, but sometimes in slang written as a compound word. A commercial establishment where, specifically, <a> persons might congregate. Also, <bc> persons, and, particularly, <bc> persons who are <a>. Relevant keyword/phrase.
BTW, <bc> persons might be <a> persons, or might not. the site is for <a> persons who are also <bc> persons, who might want information about <ab> establishments. The site is a directory of <ab>s.
I love how <b> is shared by <ab> and <bc>, and how the words plug together in different ways. Out of a 9-letter domain name, I get 5 different relevant keywords/key phrases:
<a>
<b>
<ab>
<bc>
<a><bc>
Plus our cute little mascot, <c> as a bonus.
FWIW, it rolls off the tongue perfectly, and it's absolutely clear what the site is about. It is naturally read as the intended words, yet the mind wanders into the relevant alternatives.
It's not a generic - nobody would type this in on speculation. But it's eminently brandable and you can't say it isn't keyword-rich.
Fiddle with words. Put them together and take them apart. It's amazing what you can still snag.
"The rules [webmasterworld.com]" against posting one's domains existly mainly to deter promotional or self-interest posting. However, sometimes the rules serve as an obstacle to a bona fide effort to impart knowledge, to teach, etc. Therefore, I've adopted a policy of "breaking the rules", from time to time, to facilitate a teaching moment.
jtara, IF you care to, I invite you to break the rules and post your example domain, since doing so might help develop the dialogue.
Moderator's Note The "don't post your domain" rule is off for this thread alone. So long as your post conforms to the following guidelines I will have no objection to you posting 1 or 2 exemplar domains.
GUIDELINES: IF you have a methodology for creating domains - a method that is truly unique (not another version of the standard domain name "word spinners") then this is an invite to: A) Explain the concepts underlying your methodology AND the methodology itself; and, B) Give a concrete example of the fruits of the method.
CAVEAT: THIS thread is NOT for newcomers to post their domains for comment. DO NOT POST A TOOL link or promo. Thank you.
[edited by: Webwork at 2:08 pm (utc) on Sep. 30, 2007]
Thanks for posting an excellent high-profile example of word fusion that has created a real new word. When does wikipedia officially enter the dictionary? :)
"WebMasterWorld" would be an example of my more-constrained idea of word fusion, if "MasterWorld" were a relevant keyword for the site. So, you'd have both "WebMaster" and "MasterWorld" sharing the common word "Master".
Alas, I don't have a scientific method for this. It came in a flash during a conversation with another person. We weren't even talking about naming the site, but about a potential site feature. We were talking about the feature, and they used an expression that used one of the words that wound-up in the name. (And that does not, in the name, reference the feature!)
I just stopped - said "OMG, I have the site name, thank you!" I looked it up when I got home and it was available.
I'm not going to reveal the name, as the site is in development, "no wine before it's time", etc. I don't want to encourage copycats before I even launch, as it's in an area with no good sites presently.
I think there really are two "techniques" here that I have used, as well as one so far suggested by others:
(1) Shared words. Can you put a word in your domain name that can be shared by more than one neighboring word to create more than one fused word or phrase?
(2) Listen, observe, synthesize. Not all domain names come about from using automated tools to juggle words. Sometimes they come out of thin air - or a vaguely-related conversation.
(3) Word fusion - that is, creating new "words" out of parts of existing words - is a useful technique in domain naming. One of the very top sites today (Wikipedia) has such a name. I think it has more lasting value than some of the more extreme "2.0" naming conventions. (Dropping letters, etc.)
People seems to overlook many of the common phrases which are used various places - which are extremely good for branding different kinds of products or services - since they already have a name as in a phrase which is commonly used in various situations - since they seem to focus on either the keywords in a domain name - i.e the usability method or something short and what everybody else wants.
To make an obvious example of the phrase methodology : A phrase which has been branded and is in use alot of places is the "What Would (name of famous person) Do?"
For instance, and these are just out of the top of my head - don't know if they even exist and i'm not going to check - don't care about it - but here's a few examples of the Phrase Method:
WhatWouldEinsteinDo.Com
WhatWouldDickinsonDo.Com
There's alot of Possibilities for selling some tshirts to different groups of people? Isn't there? - - but just keep in mind, these domains don't have any value in themselves without a product attached to them - but that wouldn't really be hard to set up -
[edited by: Webwork at 12:58 am (utc) on Oct. 1, 2007]
[edit reason] 1 or 2 will do for "examples" [/edit]
I don't employ this dark art all that often, since I could easily get caught up in my creativity (knuckleheaded self-aggrandizement). Calling things by their true names is not for the uninitiated. I have seen many victims of this practice, folks who dream of great profits from their "catchy domains". I limit this approach to situations where I see an issue emerging and think "this is an issue/trend/practice that I may someday really choose to blog about".
Example: CGM (Community Generated Media) or UGM (User Generated Media) or UGC (User Generated Content/Media) doesn't capture the likely evolution (to my mind) of the process of monetizing community generated content.
I'm not convinced that "the community" will forever be willing to have their time and talents exploited by large, profit making corporations. You know the ones: Those that keep comming up with business models to "make coin profit off all that free content".
I suspect that at some point "the community" - the 2-3% of member participants who, on average, "are the actual valuable content producing "community" - will choose to self-organize to form their own publishing cooperatives and keep the profits from the fruits of their wisdom and experience and writing skills to themselves. (I actually see this as a model for newspaper industry, where the reporters "own" the content.)
What is this version or vision of future media called? What is its "true name"?
I have a few ideas. It's a subject I care about - seeing the workers bees profit from their labor. So, I've registered a few "evolutionary domains", ones that will serve as a platform for presenting ideas and possibly dialoguing. I don't really care if I coin a phrase, but if that happens it's nice to know someone else won't be profitting off the fruits of my naming labor and creativity - by registering the word or phrase as a domain, and parking the darned thing! ;-/
So, to help this evolutionary process along I say "Arise worker bees and unite! Dis* The Man! Own the honey and enjoy the full flavor, sweetness . . and profits."
(* Dis as in DISintermediation, a word not of my making. ;0) )
[edited by: Webwork at 1:04 am (utc) on Oct. 1, 2007]
