help me pick a domain name

there is a real estate agent who owns annejackson.com and won’t sell it, even though i offered her everything i own. which isn’t much. which is probably why she won’t sell it.

so…

i need to get a main “author” site up and running soon and already have a fab designer working on it. i just have no idea what to do about the domain.

should i stick with a version of my name? (i already own annejackson.org) or should i use something writer-ish and clever?

shaun is going through this identity crisis too. i am glad i am not alone.

so…you creative and wonderful people…please help…

Comments

48 responses to “help me pick a domain name”

  1. Andy McMahon Avatar

    I don’t know. It looks like annejackson.com expires on 14-jan-2009… If you wanted to be aggressive you could try to swipe it if she doesn’t renew it soon enough.. :) Other Domains to try:

    Anne[middle initial]Jackson.com
    Jacksonanne.com
    theRealannejackson.com
    bookwritinganne.com
    OR
    you could just change your name to something a little less common like, Rhiannon Jackson.

    Or.. Marnie Jackson… I don’t know. Just an idea. :)

  2. Ryan Detzel Avatar

    I’m all for the creative effort. I actually don’t like it very much when someone’s site name is their own moniker. That’s just me though. This is why flowerdust is a good blog name.

    When I think of good blogs that I want to return to…names seem to mean something:

    Flowerdust
    RagamuffinSoul
    The Pioneer Woman
    Fat Cyclist

    Having said that…if someone is looking for your “professional” website…it may be in your best interest to make it easiest to find you by name.

    Ah crap, I don’t know.

  3. Amy @ My Friend Amy Avatar

    Definitely absolutely it must include your name. that is what readers will look for and what they will try typing in. It’s a bummer you can’t get your own name, but I would be in the same position. Can you get something like annjacksonbooks ?

  4. Tammy Marcelain Avatar

    I agree with Amy, your name is so important when people are trying to look you up on the computer. I would use the .org that you already have, then if the .com opens up grab it!

  5. Carol Avatar

    That would have to happen to you.
    How about Author Anne Jackson.net?

  6. Bernard Shuford Avatar

    I hate it when people who are actually KNOWN by their name have to resort to some trickery in order to get their name in. As the author of MCD, you NEED a site that is “Anne Jackson”, not just flowerdust. annejackson dot SOMETHING is important, IMHO. That’s the easiest thing to remember about you. Your name. I recommend using it. Somehow :)

  7. crystal Garcia Avatar
    crystal Garcia

    i like annejackson.org

    It’s just like annejackson.com only with the .org it’s practically the same.

  8. portorikan Avatar

    You could go with MsJackson.com (even though you’re married) and have the Outkast song play in the background when the page loads.

    “oooo, I am for real…”

    That probably wasn’t helpful.

  9. scott Avatar
    scott

    How about a flashback to the late 80’s early 90’s?

    http://www.nomyfirstnameaintbabyitsannemissjacksonifyourenasty.com

    I’m sure Janet Jackson won’t mind.

  10. Tom E. Snyder Avatar

    Three that appear to be available are “annejackson.me” (new extension), “annejackson.info” (that’s what you’d be sharing isn’t it?), or the really hip “annejackson.tv”.

  11. julie Avatar

    anne-jackson.com looks like it is available, as well as anne-j.com

  12. bryonm Avatar

    ask the other anne jackson if she’ll take a check…

  13. bryonm Avatar

    i noticed anne lamott doesn’t own annelamott.com…

  14. bryonm Avatar

    how about flowerdust.com?

  15. Steve Avatar

    Options:

    1. Kill the other Anne Jackson. Then you go to prison and write. Writers need torment. Angst is good for deep thoughts and selling books.
    2. Get the other Anne Jackson married. Then she won?t want it anymore. Offer to take it off her hands for a small fee. Tell her you?ll give it a good home.
    3. Rewrite the namey bits of the internet so you can both have the same domain name.
    4. Move to the UK and get AnneJackson.co.uk
    5. Change your name to Gloria Gumblesplotch. I?m thinking that?s probably free.
    6. Start writing under a pseudonym and use that. Again, no one?s used Gloria Gumblesplotch as a nom de plume as far as I know.
    7. Or stay with org – I did.

  16. joshbrown Avatar

    Personally I agree with Tom and would go annejackson.tv or see if everyone would help you raise the money to buy annejackson.com

    I personally enjoy the creative site names, but .tv domains aren’t overused yet imo

  17. jonathan Avatar

    buy up all the annejackson .net, .org, .me, .tv, .info, .biz, .edu. Then make a huge blockbuster trade for annejackson .com

  18. Jennifer Griffin Avatar

    I love the answers on here…..bahahahaha!

    .tv sounds super sweet to me!

  19. John C Avatar
    John C

    I’d stick with annejackson.org

    Also – Zondervan should give you an author page, shouldn’t they? But it would be tied to Zpndervan of course. (at least that’s what I’ve seen with other authors from them.)

    – J

  20. Anne Jackson Avatar

    Thanks everyone – I do have a Zondervan author page on their site…this is just to connect all of my other pieces out there — it will link to Flowerdust and to the MCD site but will be the hub of all things written…

    Although I do dig Gloria Gumblesplotch.

  21. Alli {Mrs. Fussypants} Avatar

    Anne Jackson RAWKs.com

    hee, hee

  22. candyce Avatar
    candyce

    as long as you don’t do anything ridiculous like changing your name to something silly (a la, ‘chad ocho cinco’ from cincinnati), it’s good. probably annejackson.net would work. or maybe annejacksonthewritingninja.com. :)

    hope you’re doing well!

  23. yeidy Avatar
    yeidy

    Keep the annejackson.org because I agree with everyone else that its easier to find you that way. With the way real estate is going…. annejackson.com will probably be available very soon and I dont mean to be mean but have you looked at the website? I would not want her to find me a house..

  24. Yonas Avatar
    Yonas

    annejackson.org just like others have said…and there’s always .net also

  25. Kristy Avatar

    I’d go with annejackson.net
    .org is supposed to be for an organization, .tv makes me think of well, tv like the sight is all video.
    But I think of .net as pretty synonymous with .com

  26. Lisa Syler Avatar
    Lisa Syler

    what @ ann(e)jackson.com

  27. Molly Avatar

    Knowing what I know about realtors (having worked with them for a LONG time) is that she is not, and will not ever release that domain, Just like having a picture on her business card. Not gonna happen. And with a quick search of other Anne Jackson Realtors….they may have already tried to get the domain themselves.

    I like firstname, midle inital, lastname.com for me .net, .org and all the others are just not as memorable.

    (I would also ask Mrs Jackson of Re/Max if she would mind to add on her site, if you are looking for Anne Jackson the awesome author-here is her link [grin])

  28. Anita Avatar

    I agree with Molly. .org makes me think of a not-for-profit. If you’re only writing books that are ministry related you could do AnneJacksonMinistries.com. I dunno. That may be constricting if you wanted to branch into a genre that wouldn’t be considered ‘ministry’. I think I like Anne [M.I.] Jackson.com

  29. Tyler Avatar

    because you work at crosspoint.tv……..

    i think you should name it annejackson.tv

  30. aaron Avatar

    stick with your name

  31. Harold Avatar

    iworkforpete.helpme.com

  32. mamaof2boyz Avatar
    mamaof2boyz

    what about including your middle name?

  33. Devon Avatar

    Man this really is hard. The other AJ needs to sell her real estate. That’s just mean :)
    try..
    aj.com
    anne.com
    flowerdustanne.com
    or something along those lines.
    Good luck :)

  34. Brett Morris Avatar

    You could try to get the other Anne Jackson’s realestate license taken away. And then she wouldn’t need annejackson.com

    There’s my crappy thoughts.

  35. tony Avatar
    tony

    anne – pls forgive me for this:

    i just left austin and the place is absolutely filled with Ike evacuees – and their pets. I personally have 100’s of friends on the coast around texas city and galveston and houston – they are people i work with every day and for years.

    please,please pray for them – their homes WILL be gone by Sun morning as we go to our churches – i have talked to several this afternoon as they are travelling north to safety –

    evidently many, many (24,000 on galveston island alone) did not leave and now they are basically trapped and may already have drowned -i know it’s gruesome but pls pls pray that people leave if they still can

  36. Stretch Mark Mama Avatar

    I agree about the .org (you are not a business) and .tv (you are not a show). Blech. Go for .com or .net.

  37. Anne Jackson Avatar

    Would if I could….annejackson.net is also taken.

  38. Tom E. Snyder Avatar

    For the record, .net is supposed to be for networks, as in ISPs.

    Anne, if you decide to add your middle name or initial (or maiden name or initial) to a .com domain name you need to start using that name on your books and elsewhere. For example, I go by Tom E. Snyder and my domain name is tomesnyder.com. (BTW, I not sure .name was mentioned.)

  39. Phil Thompson Avatar

    AnneJacksonLive.com

  40. Joanna Avatar

    Avoid having – or _ in your domain name. They are annoying when telling people your address and people tend to use the wrong one of the 2 (or leave it out completely)

  41. Gloria Gumblesplotch Avatar

    So…you find my name amusing, do you?

  42. Clif McKinley Avatar

    Branding is a big deal, so you need to keep it simple, .com’s stick n peoples minds more than the other extentions so if you can’t have annejackson.com go with something like http://www.annejacksononline.com

  43. Beth Avatar

    As a sidenote, realtors are taking over the world. Every remotely common name-based URL I’ve ever searched for is being used or squatted on by a realtor.

  44. Crystal Renaud Avatar

    annelinebarger.com — wait, no. umm… i like annejacksononline.com that Clif suggested but its kinda long, huh? our church is having a domain identity crisis as well. we don’t want westsidefamilychurch.com anymore cause it is sooooo long for email address, digital signage and on print pieces.

    just thought of ajackson.com but it is taken by alan jackson. lol.

    hmm… this is hard.

  45. oklahoma cheap mls Avatar

    Howdy,

    I wanted to say that I have been reading for a while and I would like to sign up for the feed. I’ll give it a try but I might need some help. This is a great find and I would hate to lose contact, and maybe never discover it again.

    Anyway, thanks again and I look forward to reading/posting again in the future!