Jul 11, 2013 / Beginner

Choosing the Perfect Blog Name: Museum in a Bottle

Museum professional and writer Alli Burness discusses how she selected her blog name, Museum in a Bottle.

We stumble upon sites across WordPress.com with great names. Periodically, here on The Daily Post, we’ll chat with bloggers on how they chose the perfect blog name. Recently, we talked with Sean Manning at Talking Covers. Today, we’d like to introduce Alli Burness, the writer and museum professional at Museum in a Bottle.

Museum in a Bottle

Tell us about your site, Museum in a Bottle.

I write about the museums I visit as I travel though Australia, Europe, and South America during 2013. The site is still young, as I launched in January this year when I began my journey.

I work in the museum sector, so this is a way to record my ideas and experiences and stay connected with others in the profession. I connect bigger ideas in the profession to my individual experience in museums, big and small, around the world.

How did you decide on the name?

I was inspired by my workplace at the time — a maritime museum — as well as my upcoming travels. I created a shortlist of ideas over a couple of weeks, and then pared it down to the two strongest options: Museum in a Bottle and Museum Pilgrim.

There’s a lot of inspiration behind Museum in a Bottle, which I wrote about in my first post, “Spin the Bottle.” It has many layers of meaning, about museums more broadly and to me personally. And underneath it all, the title echoes a song by a favorite band, The Police. Until now, I hadn’t told anyone that!

The second option wasn’t wasted, though. It became the hashtag on Twitter for my travels: #museumpilgrim.

Do you use this name on other sites? (If not, would you consider using it elsewhere?)

My online presence is mostly professional, so I prefer to use my real name. I was already using my name on Twitter and other sites, so I wouldn’t change that now.

However, I don’t know what will happen to Museum in a Bottle when I return home. I’ll see where my travels, the project, and the site name take me.

Did you buy your custom domain, museuminabottle.com, from WordPress.com?

Yes, I purchased the domain name when I signed up for my WordPress.com account. I like neat and orderly arrangements — it’s a stereotypical trait of a museum registrar — so the idea of a simple domain name appealed to me.

The purchase of the custom domain was easy; the available options and their costs were clear. Actually, I remember it being more affordable and far easier to select the domain than deciding on which theme to use!

Got advice for bloggers choosing a custom domain name?

I recommend taking your time when choosing a site title. I spent one day choosing a previous site’s name and that was a mistake in the end (although I did learn a lot)! Even if you come to a new blog with a great title idea from the start, you should first take your time to research its meanings to you and your audience, as well as its availability.

Thanks for sharing your tips on choosing a blog name, Alli!

For more on choosing a blog name:

For more info on domains:

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  3. I used my name in the domain name because I want to be an author but the site title has changed many times. Thanks for posting this about blog titles and domains.

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  5. I do like the blog name because artifacts encapsulate a cultural story, nugget. Congrats on being highlighted by Word Press.com

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  9. Hello Cherry I often enjoy your blogs although I do not always post a comment. I like museum in a bottle. I used my business name because I was hoping to find people who share some of the same interests and will possibly seek to use my services or refer me.

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