A Little Change


I’ve been contemplating a change for a while now.  Not a radical, alter my whole life sort of change, but a small “this has been bugging me for a while” change.  To my name.  No, not MY name – I am and always will be Margaret – but the blog’s name.

“Homegrown – Adventures in my Garden” is a friend that I’m reticent to let go of, like an old pair of shoes.  Well, not really an “old” pair, as far as blogs go, since it's not even 4 years yet, but more like shoes that are well worn in.  And comfortable.  Very comfortable.  I did a lot of umming and ahhing over this blog’s name over the past few months - should I, shouldn’t I - but ultimately, I decided to take the plunge.

Why the name change?  There were a couple of reasons, the first of which was the specificity of the name – it bothered me.  My gardening interests over the past couple of years have “grown” (ha – had to get that one in there 😁).  “Homegrown – Adventures in my Garden” was, in my opinion, too narrow a descriptor.   Even though my main focus is still the veg garden, there are many other gardening adventures that I enjoy writing about, both in and out of my own backyard.  No, the blogging police won’t knock on my door should a post fall outside the confines of “Adventures in my Garden” but it was a small detail that kept niggling at me.

Then there was the unwieldy nature of the name…it was a mouthful.  Whenever people asked me what my blog name was, I would state “Homegrown” and then quickly follow it up with “Adventures in my Garden”, in a rushed, almost apologetic way.  It doesn’t really roll off the tongue, now does it?  When I first started the blog, I did consider shorter versions such as simply “Homegrown” or “Homegrown Adventures” but these were, not surprisingly, already in use.  I suppose my creative juices weren’t flowing at the time so I settled on a descriptive, but rather long name.

This will be my last post under the “Homegrown - Adventures in my Garden” banner and I am hoping to transition to the new name by the end of the month.  The plan is to migrate the current blog to the new URL seamlessly.  My husband, the computer guy, is facilitating the transition but this is new territory for both of us. I’m crossing my fingers that there are relatively few glitches…‘cause glitch-free is likely too much to hope for. This post has been ready to publish for over 2 weeks but I've been procrastinating. I’m actually having flashbacks to April 2014 and the apprehension I felt when I hit the publish button for the very first time.

Oh – have I not mentioned the new name yet? 😉.  In life, we all have various interests and play many different roles simultaneously – I’m a mom, wife, DIYer, knitter, just to name a few. My blog, however, focuses on only one ‘me’.  The new name?  The Gardening Me.

Comments

  1. There are so many gardening blogs it must be hard to think of a new name but 'The Gardening Me' is a good one. Distinctive. And making it clear that although your 'garden side' is important, there other important parts to your life too.

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    1. Thanks Lucy - I've had months to think about it so I'm hopeful that I'll be happy with this one in the long run.

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  2. I'm not technically minded at all so I don't know what a change of blog name entails but I hope it all goes smoothly for you.

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    1. Thanks Jo - I'm not technically minded either, which is one reason why it's taken me so long to make the change - fear of the unknown!

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  3. I've often thought of changing my blog name as it was put together in a hurry. But I haven't come up with another name yet. I like your new name.

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    1. Thank you Margaret - The original blog name was a rush job for me as well. I felt as if I was entering the blogging world late as it was and I just wanted to get on with it and not delay any further.

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  4. I’ve gone through the same considerations for the same reasons and backed off. Like, Margret I didn’t come up with a better name either I did think of keeping the same URL and just changing the banner.

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    1. I also considered changing the banner only but it wouldn't have helped with how much I disliked the URL...it was MUCH too long (the blogspot bit didn't help that either!). I figured I may as well take care of all my "pet peeves" at once.

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  5. These changes are so hard for us. I've wondered what in the world I would do with Clay and Limestone as a blog name if I moved to say a moist, well draining soil kind of place! I do like your new name and it so makes sense!

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    1. Thanks Gail :) Ha! Guess that means you have to stay put .... or do a hand-written "NOT" in the banner ;)

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  6. I completely understand. Especially when one is writing about something that is so very much at the core of one's life (or, so I presume that gardening is for you), the name is important. That's kind of why I went with something so weird for my blog name; I couldn't think of a good name, so I chose weird as a placeholder until I think of something better. I love the new name of your blog!

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    1. Thanks Jennifer! I don't think I'm creative enough to come up with a good "weird" name - yours is great (and quite inspired!). Oh yes, gardening is a huge part of my life - no matter my mood, I'll perk up right away if gardens/plants/seeds are mentioned. Too bad I didn't realize this during career days in high school!

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  7. I like the name The Gardening Me. Will I have to sign up again to get it in my e-mail when you post or will it do it automatically since I already receive the notices from your other name. Nancy

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    1. Thanks Nancy - I'm hoping that the transition will be seamless in that anyone receiving emails will continue to receive them under the new name...fingers crossed!

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  8. This is something I've thought about for over a year now, for the same reasons. My 'Urban Veg Patch' started as a record of our community gardening exploits but is now mostly just me, and the allotment, garden visits, training, trade and garden shows - a pastime that became a passion. Also, like you, I have many other interests (cooking, crafting, etc) that sometimes overlap with gardening so the UVP name is misleading. I have a new blog name in mind but no confidence to do the switch! I love your new name, Margaret, it's memorable and apt; I have my fingers crossed for a smooth transition for you and will make sure that the links still work in my reader! Caro x

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    1. Thanks Caro :) Fingers and toes crossed here! It's one of those changes that I kept thinking "oh, it's too late to do that now". I thought that a year ago and now, of course, I'm kicking myself for not doing it then. So even though I had the "it's too late now" niggle in my head, I knew that I would regret not doing anything in the months/years to come.

      I can, of course, completely relate to your conundrum but I must say that I actually love your blog name - it would make a great book title (hint, hint!).

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  9. Great name, Margaret, and you're lucky to have an in-house tech guy to help you with the transition. I've felt similarly "limited" by the name Toronto Gardens, particularly since I see and write about gardens way outside Toronto and in fact often very different from our climate. I've tried to get around that by looking at everything I write through a Toronto/urban gardener lens. Not sure how successful I am, but I try. Too late for me to change names, I think. I applaud your move and look forward to see the new "gardening me."

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    1. Thanks Helen :) You do an amazing job with your blog and keeping Torontonians in mind...and the "verb/noun" aspect is simply inspired! I think if I had only one issue with the name, I'd likely keep it but with two glaring (to me) issues, I knew I would regret it down the line if I kept procrastinating.

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  10. I love the new name! Sometimes we all just need a change..... :o)

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  11. I'm sure the transition will go smooth as silk, but good luck just to be sure! I love the new name.

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  12. I love the name! I'm predicting the changeover will go well too, and that's another 'computer guy's opinion!

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    1. Thanks Dave - I hope that both of you are right!

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  13. Oh, that's a great name, Margaret! I've often thought about changing my blog's name, too, but it seems like such a challenge to make the change--for all the reasons you mention. I think I might opt to change the name a bit, but keep the URL the same. It really is a tricky proposition, isn't it? Good luck with the transition! You know I'll be following you, no matter where your blog goes. :)

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    1. Oh, thanks Beth - I think you have a perfect name already but when it comes down to it, it's really about how happy we are with our own name, isn't it? Tweaking the name but not the URL certainly would simplify things...a lot! Of course, I would be following you even if your name was Timbuktu :)

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  14. Good luck with the transition! I hope the computer guys are right. I like the new name. It sets you up nicely to start sister blogs for your other interests if you have the desire (or time!).

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    1. Thanks k - yes, time is always an issue isn't it?

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  15. It'll work out great and you'll be wondering why you didn't do it earlier. I'm glad that you'll continue blogging about your garden, I still think about old blogging friends who've stopped.

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    1. It's definitely sad when a blog that you love comes to an end. This past year has been a tough one for me, but a lot of that had to do with non-gardening issues that really ate up a lot of my time. My enthusiasm for the garden and blogging is still going strong :)

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  16. The Gardening Me — a great name! Good luck with the transition! What an exciting change!

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  17. I'm late to reading about your news! Yay! I think it takes a lot of courage to change, especially because we identify with our blogs so much. I love the new name and the inspiration behind it. I will pick your brain after you've gone through the transition. Good luck!

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    1. Thanks Karin! You are so right about identifying with our blogs - every time I see the word homegrown (which is practically everywhere it seems!) it makes me smile. If things don't go well, I'll at least be able to tell you what NOT to do! :)

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  18. And voilà - here it is! Lovely header collage too.

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    1. Thanks Dave! I'm hoping to get the inaugural post up in the next day or so - and then I have some catching up to do!

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  19. You are brave. I like the new name.

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    1. Thanks Jason - I've had a little hiccup with feedburner & still trying to sort out the email address, but otherwiss it's been not to bad so far.

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