From time to time I check up on the Korean Blog List to scan the K-blogs out there and see if there are any that I'd like to check up on more regularly. This, along with checking the sidebar links of your favorite K-blogs, is one of the two best ways to see what's new in the K-blogosphere.
Even "the big guys" like The Brian Formerly in Jeollanamdo got a lot of their most interesting stories from lesser-known blogs who were closer to the actual issue at hand, and a blogger who doesn't update their sidebars and keep up with what's new, runs the risk of stagnating. If the newest blog you have in your sidebar links is Brian in Jeollanamdo, Metropolitician, (not to take away from those two bloggers) or me, you might want to revisit your link list, and see what's new.
I wrote at length on "How to get your K-blog Noticed" a while ago, and when people ask me for advice or help, I usually refer them back to that post. Despite what The Stallion would have you believe, it isn't an exclusive club.
Looking through the new additions to the Korean Blog List, though, it struck me again how important it can be to have a catchy blog name - which names jumped out at me while scanning that long list? If you want to have a blog people remember, three things to keep in mind when choosing your name are:
1. times and places can limit you. "Joe's Year in Korea" "Anna in Daegu" - what if Joe decides to stay on for another year? What if Anna moves to Busan? Brian in Jeollanamdo is in Pittsburgh now... but he'll have that name, at least in K-blog circles, every time we mention him. "Seoul2008" probably feels pretty awkward blogging about Daegu 2010, doesn't she?
2. It's hard to switch names after you've already chosen one, so choosing an interesting one from the get-go will help if you hope to become a "noted K-blogger" (whatever that's worth).
3. Sorry if you have one, but there are so many K-blogs that pun on Seoul/Soul and that use "Kimchi" in the name already, that nobody will be able to keep your blog apart from the others anymore. K-blog readers I talk to still confuse "Eat Your Kimchi" with "Kimchi IceCream" - two very good, very different blogs both of whom have been writing for more than two years each. There are 12 blogs on the Korean Blog List with Kimchi in the name. There are 15 blogs that pun on soul/Seoul, including two "seoul searcher"s... I don't think any of them need to change their names, and I like some of those blogs a lot... but if you're starting a NEW blog, just recognize that the Seoul/Soul/Kimchi niche is already saturated, and let me recommend you veer in another direction that won't get confused with a dozen other similarly-named blogs. Or offer the owner of one of those blogs a fat check to take over their name.
Best K-blog name I saw on the new additions to the Korean Blog List this time: Blog-gogi. Memorable, clearly Korea-related, clearly a blog.
To everybody who already has Kimchi or Seoul in your blog name: I'm not criticizing you, your blog, or your blog name. Don't sweat it. In fact, this post isn't directed toward you at all: it's directed at somebody who's thinking of a name for their new K-blog.
As apology, here are links to every Kimchi Blog: I like your blogs! Keep it up!
ZenKimchi
Kimchi Mamas
Tiffany in Kimchiland
Kimchi and Cornbread
Kimchi Ice-Cream
Kiss My Kimchi
The Kimchi Chronicles
Kimchi with Eish
Kimchi Cheeseburger
Korea, Kimchi, & K-pop
Cats and Kimchi
Kimchi World
and links to every Soul/Seoul Blog: I like some of these - in fact, some bloggers from both of these lists are among my favorite blogs, bloggers, and people...but 15 is a lot, yah?
Joe Seoul Man
Seoul Man in Tokyo
The Seoul Patch
Seoul Sucking Jerk
formerly Seoul Purpose
Seoul Searching
Seoul Food
EPs Heart in Seoul
We've Got Seoul
Seoul Sounds
JSE Seoul Searching
Deep in my Seoul
The Seoul Searcher
A Seoulful Life
A Soul-less Man
Some of the uniquer K-blog names out there...
Paul Ajosshi
ZenKimchi (nobody mixes it up with anybody else - inventing a new word helps)
The Chosun Bimbo
Gusts of Popular Feeling
Good for Man's Health
Hermit Hideaways
one expat's life in Korea
33 comments:
check this one out:
http://krazykoreanteacher.blogspot.com/
Title: I'm Not a Teacher but I play one in Korea."
Good post Rob. I'm probably going to leave Korea in 3 years, and then it'll have to be Lee's Australia Blog.
If only you had posted this in 2006...
"Kimchi for the Seoul"
I used both cliches, you see?
Seoul of Kimchi - I did it in one fewer words.
Joy: I've always loved that title, too.
and to think http://koreanselfstudyisntlame.blogspot.com/ didn't catch any attention? perhaps if it had more writing and less grammar? perhaps it really is that lame...
oh, and http://textsfromkoreangirls.blogspot.com/ is an instant classic for those looking for some laughs.
I like mine, The View From Over Here, since even if I'm at home, or in another country it still applies. :-)
Yeah, the ones that are universally applicable are good, too. Matthew: the ones that plainly explain their topic and focus are actually some of the most effective. You don't have to guess what's coming when you type in "textsfromkoreangirls" or "blackoutkorea"
If I had to rename my site now, I'd do something in two to three syllables. Makes it sound more profound. Apple. Gawker. Gizmodo. Mashable. The shorter, the easier to remember, the more profound, the shazaamier.
Okay. Next blog I'm making is shazam.com. Damn! Just checked and it was taken. As is shazaam.com and shazaaam.com. As is shaz.am. Forget it. I won't make another blog, then.
Nice post. And thanks for the nod. :)
Nice post. And thanks for the nod. :)
Eat Your Kimchi: since word combinations with Kimchi have been used by a number of bloggers, I recommend inventing a new work: "Kimchitastic" or "Kimchimatic" or "onomantokimchipoeia" or "Superkimchifragilisticexpialidocious" - it worked for Zenkimchi, though it helps zen that he's been around for such a long time.
or maybe
Seoulperkimchifragilisticexpialidocious - you'll have to get extra-wide business cards.
Good point about the "Year in . . . " blogs, and I try to avoid people who pun on "Seoul" too much, including tourism board staff. Charles, if you name your next blog that I'm going to punch you in the face. I would like someone living or working in the neighborhood to start a blog "We Be Jamwon."
It's so hard to identify new blogs because few actually stick with it. I had a "favorites" folder with a couple dozen lesser-known K-blogs that I planned to include in a post last month, but when I revisited them I saw all but four still updated with any frequency or any interesting posts. If your last three posts are about why you don't have time to post anymore, you won't reach many readers.
"Brian in Jeollanam-do" is fine because even though I live in Pittsburgh now the blog still has a Korea focus, and has been and still is responsible for a great deal of English-language content to come out of the region.
thanks for the shout out.
I need to update my blogroll for sure!
what, neither www.fatmanseoul.com or www.feetmanseoul.com get mentioned in the Seoul category? for shame!
Neither fatmanseoul nor feetmanseoul pun on soul/seoul... unless you know something I don't.
There has to be some kinda pun with sole/Seoul on feetmanseoul?
We tried to stay away from the 'Kimchi' temptation and went with something non-country specific since we'll be teaching in a few countries.
We ended up with strange-lands.com
Not particularly original, but fitting all the same.
Wow thanks a lot!
Actually after I made the name of the blog and got it up and running, I wanted to change the name immediately. It turns out I got to be mildly popular and decided to keep it.
My other idea was "Life in the lower 38" but that's probably too obscure and America centric for anyone to actually get.
At least I finally got my link tho... amongst all the other people who thought they were clever but really were not!
Other names I toyed with:
Hallyu Doin?
Surfing the Korean Wave
Seoular Power
Seoul Train
New Gyeongseong
New Hanyang
Koreality
Koreanity
C O ReA Z O N
Omma Gawd!
Onni You...
Can't remember any more.
Don't know why I decided to go with the Seoul Searcher though.
Thanks for the mention! I really like reading your blogs, as the posts are always interesting. I must confess, though, at the time I started my blog about Korea I was still at home in the States getting ready to come here and had just finished re-reading "The Chronicles of Narnia," so that kind of stuck with me.
Haha. No offense taken. What's really ironic about this post, though, is that I found your blog because someone came to mine through the link on yours.
So in a way, using a washed up 'Seoul' pun got me more noticed. Haha.
Every blog with kimchi in the name? I think not. I didn't see What the kimchi? there.
Thanks for the shout-out to my good, ol' Blog-gogi :) Although I must admit I've been slacking immensely lately.
is "What the Kimchi" on the Korean Blog list? I listed every "Kimchi" blog on the Korean Blog List.
I noticed my nemesis didn't mention my blog^^
sang-wook? is that you, Dan?
Seoul Eats isn't an obvious pun on Soul/Seoul the way SeoulFood is.
antther blog with kimchi in the title :S http://kimchisamgyeopsal.blogspot.com/
It's about my life and experiences as a Swedish adopted Korean.
great post rob, my blog site is seoulcurry.blogspot.com ,since I'm an indian and know that curry is one of the most famous items that comes from my land and also something that koreans are crazy about, the idea was to get inspired from korean culture, add my indian design sense to it in terms of indian spices and make a fusion curry. I really like ur blog.its very creative and funny.
I was just searching the Korean Blog List, and found that it's gone! According to the 7 Jan googled cached page, the owner was too busy to maintain it, and just let the domain expire.
Do you happen to know if anyone is carrying on the flag? Or at least how to get the latest database from him?
-Chris "The Stumbler"
you can check http://allthekoreablogs.blogspot.com/ -- my own clumsy attempt to fill the void.
Thanks - I've book marked it. And I'll send my humble blog's link soon. Just curious, were you able to obtain the database from the previous owner as a jumping off point?
actually, I didn't obtain it (though I might go into google cache at some point) -- there were so many defunct blogs on that list it had started to get cumbersome and unwieldy.
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