New Domain Name for this Blog

This blog has been in existence since 2006. Some entries, though, appear to have been posted in 2004. And that's a nifty thing about Blogger. Post entries can be ante-dated so they appear to have been posted earlier. The first entry on this blog was ante-dated to the year 2004. That's why some readers have the impression that I've started writing in this blog since 2004.

The name of this blog when it was created was isjaw.blogspot.com. This blog is still accessible by that name. That particular URL is simply redirected to my new domain name which is blackdovenest.com. Blackdovenest.com was created last September 30, 2010.

Why I Resisted Getting a Domain

When I started writing in this blog, it was simply to chronicle my development as a recreational swimmer. Although I relearned swimming to help rehabilitate my back injury, I resolved to become a very good swimmer at the same time. One of my goals then was to be able to swim in ANY body of water - shallow/deep swimming pools, lakes, ocean - anywhere. In fact the subdomain "isjaw" in my old URL reflected just that. ISJAW stands for "Instant Swimmer - Just Add Water."

I didn't get a domain name for the blog because I just couldn't justify buying one. Sure, I've heard and read of bloggers who made money online. I've also read all the supposed prerequisites for a successful website - own domain name, seo techniques, etc. But my bottomline then has always been, why incur cost when this blog has not made any money?

Actually, I'm already incurring costs with my internet connection via PLDT MyDSL, but that is to serve other purposes as well. I already have 3 kids getting into the internet for schoolwork. Two of them are in college and live away from home on weekdays. During weekends, I hardly find time to use the computer.

What's Wrong with a Blogger Subdomain

I wonder sometimes, what's fundamentally wrong with the blogger subdomain? I keep reading the phrases "to gain respect" and "has more authority" to describe the advantage of having one's own domain. And I mutter to myself, "so?"

Through the years, I learned google adsense and SEO techniques on my own. I also learned that the blog was indexed and became searchable like any other. The only thing was that it was hanging on to the "blogspot.com" suffix.

And then something happened. This blog made money online! But I also discovered that other blogspot.com bloggers make money online too. So, why even get a domain? I already make money online with it, just the way it is. I must be doing something right.

Why I Finally Bought a Domain Name

Cost was a big consideration for me, but then I also kept reading about domains now becoming cheaper. While looking for a video on Youtube, I stumbled on one that promoted discounted coupons for Godaddy domains. Of course Godaddy is vastly popular as far as cheap domains are concerned. And now here's one with a discount coupon?

So I went to the Godaddy site and applied for the domain name blackdovenest.com. The domain for the com TLD or Top Level Domain amounted to just $7.69 and no, even if the discount coupon was valid, I didn't apply it. It's weird that when applied, the price got higher!?! So I just settled for the Godaddy "sale price" of $7.69.

Why Blackdovenest.com

If you look at popular domain naming strategies, one choice is to suffix the site name with something like "site" or "home" or "crib". Since i've used the "blackdove" handle for a long time and blackdove sounds like a bird, why not a "nest" for the blackdove bird?

It's funny that when my Google ads started serving with the new domain name, they advertised for bird cages and pet supplies. I said, what the heck? Then it dawned on me that the words "dove" and "nest" on the domain name has been pulling those kind of google advertisements. That's even if the website's content was mostly related on health and fitness. There is a way to remove these unwanted ads by using Google Adsense filters. After a few days, Google started recognizing the site content and has since been serving the correct context-related ads.