VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

imaginator · Last edited by imaginator on Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:27 pm; edited 1 time in total

Chris Mezzolesta's thread on websites and domain names got me wondering.

I was going to let my hold on voices2go.net expire at the end of this year. Back when I claimed it and directed it to my voices2go.com, the conventional wisdom was to buy several versions of one's chosen title (alas, i wasn't smart enough to think of buying voicestogo.com at the same time. Someone else has that now and isn't even using it).

What thinkest thou? Should i spend the bucks and keep the net? ...or let it go as an unecessary duplication of expenses?

Your opinions are valued.

Thank you.
_________________
rowell gormon
www.voices2go.com
"Mr. Warm & Friendly Voice...with Character!"
Rowell Gormon's Clogged Blog - http://voices2go.com/blog

agettig · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 4:13 pm Post subject:

For $10 a year, it's cheap insurance for your website and brand. Just my $.02.

Deirdre · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 10:48 pm Post subject:

I don't buy .nets any more— I think they're a waste of money.
They're the weak little tag-along brother of the internet.

Nobody thinks "dot net" when looking for a website.
_________________
DBCooperVO.com
IMDB

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 1:07 am Post subject:

Also, you get zero SEO value from redirecting a site to your main page. Gogle doesn't even index sites with duplicate content. So if you want any search engine value from your dot net, you'll need an actual site there.
_________________
Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
Voice-overload Web comic: http://voice-overload.com

Bruce · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 5:49 am Post subject:

If you're going to pay for another domain name, how about rowellgorman dot com? It's available.

Sadly, rogovo.com is taken.

B
_________________
VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

heyguido · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:39 am Post subject:

Bruce is right..... If rowellgorman.com is available, jump on it. Today. While your existing site is known to your clients, owning your name in lights is worth the investment, and should eventually replace voices2go as your primary. You are the product, and having your name as the address is worth its weight in gold.

I'd still hold onto the v2go.com, as it's KNOWN. The .net you can ditch. If you eventually transition to rg.com, you can probably find a buyer for v2go without much trouble. Hell, I'd buy it on speculation, alone....
_________________
Don Brookshire
"Wait.... They wanna PAY me for this?"

DougVox · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:59 am Post subject:

imaginator · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:32 am Post subject:

...am truly grateful for all the good and thoughtful advice.

bruce's post, though, points out exactly why i never went with my-name-dot-anything to begin with....nobody knows how to spell it. and it's multiplied. bruce is a very good friend, but he spelled my name wrong.

most people reasonably assume the last name is g-o-r-m-a-n. indeed, my daughter learned on her trip to ireland that it really is the correct spelling of the family name. i'm still not sure where the variation came into being in the US.

so if i have rowellgormon.com, and nobody knows how to spell gormon? i get it...buy both "mon" and "man" and link them. but then what to do about the blank stare i get when i tell them my first name is "rowell" (which is actually someone else's last name.....dad figured he was doing both of us a favor, i guess). i mean, when i'm introducing myself, i rarely even rate a "who?" with my first name. it's usually more of a "what?"

i'd go broke buying up all the variations of both names in domain-land.

that's why i originally used a blanket title of "imaginator" back in the 70s. but that turned out to be a corporate name, and also the name of a rock band, and a software product line, and i don't know what the guy using it as a domain name now is all about.

now granted, once they know the name "rowell", it's usually remembered and remembered with a positive spin. but i still get typographical and spoken variations of it all the time, even from long-time friends and clients. "role", "rolls (as in "royce"), "raul", "roland", "rOWl" (accent on the OW, which sounds painful), " and many more. my policy has been to correct people once or twice and then give up and smile. i know they're not doing it to mock.

doug actually got it right in his post, but then he already knows me (and is a genius at noticing detail). with bruce's misspelling, i take it in stride. even my credit union and the IRS found ways to improve the spelling, and i let it ride (as long as the checks go through).

wow....this inquiry took a whole new turn, but it's something i've pondered myself, and i will take genuine interest in any further opinions.

thank you to those who've taken the time.

rg
_________________
rowell gormon
www.voices2go.com
"Mr. Warm & Friendly Voice...with Character!"
Rowell Gormon's Clogged Blog - http://voices2go.com/blog

DougVox · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 2:52 pm Post subject:

Rowell,

It might help to consider how you expect people to be finding you and your web site in the first place.

If it's through searching for your name on Google, you'll be relieved to know that once I typed "rowell g," your full name popped up as one of the auto-complete options. So whether one thinks it's Gormon or Gorman, they'll find you.

The beauty of using your real name is in its uniqueness. Nobody's gonna get you confused with another voiceover artist. However, if someone goes to VoicesToGo.com, (an easy mistake to make) they might think that you've closed up shop and give up their search for you.

But that brings us back to how you expect people to find you in the first place. If they're clicking on a link in an email that you've sent them, or reading it off of a postcard that they've received, or some other piece of proactive marketing you've done, it (almost) doesn't matter what your domain name is, 'cause they'll have it right in front of them. The same applies to those people who aren't searching for you, (by name), but rather for someone who does what you do. And if a link to your site comes up in the organic search results of someone looking for "character voices," or something similar, they'll have a link right there, and again, the exact spelling of your URL is inconsequential.

I've got similar problems with "Turkel," which is why I focus my marketing efforts on UNnouncer.com. People seem to find it more memorable than my full name. Though honestly, very few people find me by searching for my name or for the made-up word "UNnouncer." Most of my traffic is thanks to long-tail keywords, and other text on my site that relates to what I do, rather than who I am.
_________________
Doug Turkel (tur-KELL)
Voiceover UNnouncer®
UNnouncer.com

Bruce · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:42 pm Post subject:

Actually, to some degree you could get by with a URL of something like: BeBoppALulaRowellsMyBaby.com. The reason being almost nobody types in your actual URL these days. They usually click on a link to get to you, a link that can say anything but yield your addy when clicked. Browsers that already have your site bookmarked also give both the title of your page as well as the URL as you start to type.

Yes, something more normal is better, but still almost anything goes.

B
_________________
VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

SkinnyJohnny · Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 4:39 am Post subject:

Hey Guys...

Sorry to threadjack, but could you check out my new site?
www.rowellgormon.com

Thanks!
John
_________________
John Weeks Voice Overs
www.johnweeksvoiceovers.com

Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

I couldn't see your site just now, Rowell, but I'm looking forward to it!

I'm going through a mid-life crisis with my online presence! Smile

I hate using lanceblair.net I don't really want to brand myself too much with my name anymore because the other Lance Blair is an amazing person who does outstanding charity work (search for him, give him some traffic!). I want to brand myself through my work and what people are looking for. So, while I get a fair amount of biz through searches, I know it could be better. I come up first-page for the keywords I'm targeting, but I think I need to shift my targets!

Also, blogging seems to be working well for my online presence, and that experience has made me re-consider what I'm all about and what I should be doing. Like I said in another thread somewhere it's a process of elimination - learning what's not a good fit, and settling down into doing what you do best. That's a good formula for being very happy with one's work too, no?

So yeah, I've got three sites I need to build/rebuild with all new (and unique content) Fun, fun, fun! Smile

A general site, a corporate/e-learning site, and my UK site (which was a failure on the first launch because I had some duplicate content...duh!)

I like the idea of having a zany URL. Hey clients, check me out at 47zebracrossingvoiceovers.com !!! Wink

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Skype: globalvoiceover
and now, http://lanceblairvo.com the blog is there now too!