I try to keep my posts within the voice of Ana, but since many of my readers are also bloggers, I had to tell this story.
At my graduation, my sibling and their significant other sat me down to tell me about my graduation present.
"Well, we know how much you like to write and blog," they said. "So we got you your own domain, hosting for a year, and free website design."
Holy cow! I was so stoked. My blog could totally get a makeover. I could get out from under blogger. This was seriously like the best gift ever!
"Yeah, and the name of the domain is myrealfirstandlastname.net."
WTF?
I write short stories about a neurotic, flighty single girl who drinks a lot, and you think as an attorney I would post these stories under my own name?
"Well, maybe you could just write about yourself and post stuff for the family?"
Oh yeah. That would be thrilling:
Today I got up, went to work, and drafted a memo. One person at work actually talked to me. Then I came home, ate some cheese, and watched Star Wars movies. I'm very excited because tomorrow I'm going to get the oil changed for my car and it's close to a Sonic sooooo CHERRY LIMEADE HERE WE COME!
That might be more embarrassing than being mistaken for Ana.
I could write journalistic pieces, I suppose - except that I myself never read those types of blog because I find them woefully boring. Chances are, if a random individual is blogging about it, a real reporter has already done a more thorough job somewhere else.
And how awful would it be that any Tom, Dick, Harry, girl-that-hates-me, boyfriend, or internet psycho could find my site just by typing my name into google? (Yeah, it's not the being found by employers thing that bothers me. It's the people who sort-of know you and then silently stalk.) Totally, totally creeps me out.
Of all the domain name possibilities in the world, you picked my own name? And last name - just so there can't be any confusion?!? (And I have a slightly odd name in real life - it's not Anne Smith or anything like that.)
And the worst part was, by the time the conversation was over, I'm sure I had the most horrific look on my face, like the woman whose husband gets her a vacuum for their anniversary - because that's kind of how I felt. Nice sentiment, but I can't do anything with it. In a way, it was almost negligently mean.
Sigh.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
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7 comments:
having not been previously told, the godbrother starts to wonder if he's irl or a figment of ana's imagination...
You may be able to just get a different domain name. Wherever they signed you up for hosting--go there, and see if they also do domain name registry. Buy a new domain name to associate with your hosting. It's about $8 a year, so not super expensive.
You can use the real name domain name for something else--maybe host your resume?
You may be able to just get a different domain name. Wherever they signed you up for hosting--go there, and see if they also do domain name registry. Buy a new domain name to associate with your hosting. It's about $8 a year, so not super expensive.
You can use the real name domain name for something else--maybe host your resume?
A domain only costs $7 a year. The hosting and web design is the more expensive part. So here's what you do:
1. Find a domain name registrar (there are tons, I use 1and1.com. Don't use godaddy).
2. Cough up the $7 and get whatever domain name you want.
3. Make yournewdomain.net point to your brand-spanking-new website.
#3 is a little complicated, and if you have a web-savvy local friend that would be best. But I'll try to explain it here. (I'm assuming you're not totally web-savvy. If you are, ignore all this.) The hosted site will have a certain "nameserver," something like ns09.yourwebhost.com. You can set up your domain to point to this nameserver. Then set up the firstnamelastname.net domain to NOT point to that nameserver, and instead to just have an index.html page that will be its homepage that says, "Hi, my name is Ana and here is a picture of my dog."
End result: yournewdomain.com uses the free hosting/web design that you were gifted; firstlast.net says, "Hi, my name is Ana."
Just be careful with the hosted website because if you stop paying, it will go away and take all your content with it.
Yes, FGB. You are like a character in Breakfast of Champions and I am the Creator of the Universe.
Sigh... I guess that just confirms my utter realfirstandlastname.com-uber-dorkiness; sounds like an awesome gift to me. ;-)
I hope you keep posting once you're working. There are too few people posting about the realities of life post-law school. I think your family's gift sounds great (you have soooo much more control over your own hosted site) but, being anonymous not eponymous definitely has its pluses. I agree - find a new domain and use the masking so people can't find the owner.
As for real life stalkers, ITA. The more I share (and God knows my blog has turned into TMI central), the more I worry about people I know figuring out it's me. But I just go by the "don't write anything you'd be embarrassed to tell the guy sitting next to you" rule. And very little shames me so there you go.
I think the Cherry Limeade sounds delish. ;)
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