Too Many URLs
July 7th, 2009 | Categories: Online | 19 CommentsWhen I returned to the blogging scene at the beginning of this year1, I wanted to reconnect with my old blogging friends from two years ago. However, my search for old “affiliates”2 proved to be futile. Many of them had quit the blogging scene, but even more had changed their URLs so that I didn’t/couldn’t know where to find them at their new location.
I’ve never really understood the compulsion to change one’s blog URL repeatedly every several months. I’ve only had three URLs for my blog: the first one expired when I stopped blogging, the second one was a subdomain on another domain I own, and the third one is my current URL, breakthesky.net. I do not plan on changing my blog URL anytime soon, if at all. Not only is it a hassle to move databases and files around whenever there is a domain change, but I think that a URL is part of every blogger’s online identity. I associate URLs with individual bloggers more than I do with a blogger’s name, mainly because the URL is the “face” of the blogger. While there are multiple names like Amanda or Sarah or Ben online, there is only ever one URL like breakthesky.net!
I can’t keep up with bloggers that change their domain names repeatedly. I understand a change once in a while may be necessary, whether it be for personal or monetary reasons, but moving a blog around just because one got tired of a domain name that has only been used for a month makes no sense to me. It’s hassle for the blogger to move things around, and an even bigger hassle for visitors who need to update URLs, bookmarks, and RSS feed subscriptions. Sooner or later, after repeated moves in a short amount of time, visitors aren’t going to continue keeping track of a blogger’s digital trail in the blogosphere. This is why constantly changing one’s blog URL makes no sense to me: doesn’t every blogger want readers? And if so, then why do so many insist on changing their URLs willy-nilly just for the sake of doing so and without any particular reason?
- I first entered the blogging scene in late 2005/early 2006. I ended up closing that blog in early 2007 when the domain expired as I had registered the domain with a previous host (if only I had known better than to do that!) and didn’t return to blogging until early 2009. [↩]
- I use the quotation marks when talking about affiliates because blogs don’t have them, at least not in the way affiliation is supposed to work. To quote Jem, who explained it best in one of her unrequested reviews: “…affiliating websites pre-dates personal sites and the need to pat one another on the back for a job well done each time a person blogs. Affiliation is for driving relevant traffic and backlinks, plain and simple.” [↩]
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Hi, I'm Manda. I'm a college student studying communications and languages. I like to read, shop, bake, and travel. I have a tendency to listen to my favorite songs on repeat for hours on end. Sometimes I catch myself thinking in a language other than English. 
I agree with a lot of this! I mean, you are the only Manda I know online, but if I were to ever refer to you, it would be as Manda from breakthesky.net!
I think a ‘permanent’ URL is important if you’re a (semi)serious blogger, and it seems to follow on with age/time online- I swtiched domain names and locations half a dozen times in a two or three year period, and only kept one or two common blogging friends throughout those changes, but at the time, I wasn’t particularly concerned about maintaining a permanent online personality, and I believed each new URL was a better expression of my personality, etc.
At any rate, I have no plans to ditch carmabelle.com :)
Hmm.. I’ve encountered that problem before, so I can fully feel your pain on trying to reconnect with people. Mind you, (and this is a HUGE generalisation), those people that tend to change their URLs every few months (instead of years) tend to be the ones with the crappier blogs, so not a huge loss? Okay, i’m going to get shot for having just said that… xD
I’ve only had 2 domain names that I’ve used for blogging. One I had from late 2006 to mid 2008, and I’ve had my current one for a year and a half (and used it as a blog for about 14 months now). You probably know this from my recent LJ entry, but I’m not planning on giving it up anytime soon. I love the name and it just fits me perfectly. I may not always blog, but as long as I do, I think it will be on this domain.
I know people who jump around a lot. Sometimes it’s inevitable – if you don’t have your own hosting/domain, you can get screwed over my a run of bad hosts who close down their websites or move domains. But I agree… I wish people could make up their minds! :P
Oh, and sorry for the double comment, but I forgot to add this:
Sometimes it can also be hard to find a domain name that’s just right. You may think it’s cute and very “you” at the time, but after a few months you’re tired of it. I guess it just takes awhile for people to settle down, if they ever do! I find that people with more permanent homes have domain names that relate to them a lot (as opposed to a random name), although that’s not always the case.
Definitely a problem I have always encountered. I think people hosted on subdomains are excusable, but those who can buy their own domains? Not really. I don’t really care if they do change – it IS their own money after all – but if you want to have a trademark, it’s better to stick to one name.
I’ve had to change names in the past because the free domains that were given to me had expired, but I would never willingly go and get a new URL every few months. Like you said, it’s a hassle for the blogger as well as the blog’s readers. I think I’m going to stay on Blogger for a while because it makes things easier, and I have no desire to move any time soon. :P
I know exactly what you mean – I only just recently started blogging myself, but I’ve been following others’ blogs for a long time and it does make things difficult. I spent a long time picking mine out, because I figured it ought to be something that I like as well as something that I could potentially use professionally.
I’ve just got two domains – tenthmuse.net, and I also bought my name, ashleymcquaid.com, to use for my portfolio later. That at least I know I can’t grow out of XD
I think it boils down to the fact that people buy domains that mean bugger all to them and then don’t understand why the domains “don’t fit” any longer.
I’m a one-URL kind of woman, too. I’ve never had the money or the time to go moving my blog from domain to domain. When I had fanlistings, that boggled my mind even more. Why would you needlessly waste all of that time moving websites to new addresses when you could be doing something more productive?
I don’t know if I am fit to comment, as I am a domain changer. lol! In my case when I bought bleakfall for example, that made perfect sense to me at the time and did mean something but as a blog I grew out of it and wanted something lighter and different. I think I will be sticking to only-anne for a while.
I can definitely see why frequent unnecessary changes can be annoying though! Ever month is certainly excessive!
I agree! It reminds me of the days of the doll websites, when people weaved in and out. I think that people neglect to realize that online, if you change your URL, many people will forget who you are. Visitors may not remember Liz of “domain 1″ is the same person as Liz of “domain 2″. In a way I remember a person’s name and address in the same way as offline I would remember a person’s name and face.
I’m kind of back and forth on this. After reading everyone else’s comments, I can see how moving around can be inevitable (gosh, I remember being on a subdomain… I’d run out of fingers and toes before I could count the number of time’s I’d been screwed over), but I also do agree with you that it can be terribly annoying having to track people down across 5 and 6 different URLs.
That said, I’ve been contemplating getting a new domain for my blog for a couple of months now. Actually, ever since I started up writing again. I love girldisappearing.org, but it just doesn’t suit my blog any more. But I haven’t been able to find something that I really love just yet. :)
If there is a legitimate purpose, then moving domains makes sense. This domain isn’t my first, after all! But if the only reason is “I don’t like the name anymore waahhhh!!1!!1!!1″ then I question whether or not any domain names should be bought by that person until they are more certain of the domain names they choose.
Let’s see…I started off with Blogspot, migrated to LiveJournal for privacy (and moved all my entries over), created an additional public blog (obsidian-rhapsody.com), then moved to jing-wen.com when o-r.com died when the server it was was hacked.
I can’t see myself ever moving from JW short of the same server explosion happening (knock wood) because: 1) I could never abandon a domain that’s my name!; 2) I’m much too lazy to go through moving a blog again.
I changed my blog’s location to a new URL earlier this year. My main reason was because I really wanted to build up my own web presence as a writer (even though I am nowhere near published) and I felt that my other URLs did not quite fit me in that respect. As I still have subdomains and other things attached to those websites I still have those URLs up and active, although they now direct to my current one.
Even before I did it myself, I was accepting of the above example. I don’t like it when people buy a billion URLs for the sake of it, and keep jumping around because they “found something better” or that the old one “just didn’t feel right”. What a waste of time and money, if you ask me.
I’m in agreement with you. I’ve had two domains, and I suppose it’s a rite of passage to find your “domain identity”. I’m confident I’ll be staying at continuu forever.
I’ve had several domain names, though my current one is my first one :P I only changed because I didn’t want my RL friends to read my blog, but now I don’t really care about it :P
My first domain is the one that means the most to me and I still own it and use it now as my main website/blog. I’ve also owned another domain that I shortly used as a blog, but it just didn’t fit me so I moved my blog back again. Otherwise, I also own a domain for my fanlisting collective, which I am still pondering about changing, but I can’t seem to come up with anything I actually like better and I’ve had it for so long I might stick to it just as well.
I, too, get annoyed at the frequent changes of some people. I haven’t experienced it lately, but years ago, people I knew online would go changing their domain names every few months, and eventually I just decided not to follow them anymore… They should’ve taken the time to build nice websites instead of moving the little they had around so much.
I agree. I’ve had the same domain name for four and a half years now. I’ve never changed it.