Blogging 101: What’s in a Name?

screen shot blog tagsToday’s assignment is assertive and succinct: Take Control of Your Title and Tagline

The title Gardening Nirvana and the tag line pics and prose sit undisturbed at the top of my blog. They’ve been holding hands since May, 2011.  I briefly altered my tag line last October in honor of Halloween but the following month I put everything back, nice and tidy.  Nearly four years and over 800 posts later, it fits like a well-worn garden glove.

So, what’s in a name? If I were selling something, I might have put more thought into a catchy title.  Instead, I joined two words from the dictionary and called it a day. I planned to write about my experiences gardening and the joy that comes from putting your hands in the earth, hence:

gardening [ˈgɑːdənɪŋ]
noun: the planning and cultivation of a garden

nir·va·na (nîr-vän, nr-)
noun: An ideal condition of rest, harmony, stability, or joy.

When the winter months rolled around that first year, I had a bit of a freak out: what would I write about during the more dormant months?

I needn’t have worried. Once I hit my stride and developed a blogging community, the subject of my posts didn’t matter.  It was more about sharing my experiences in and out of the garden. Local hikes, a trip to Victoria, and our Little Free Library all made it into the blog. I’ve shared personal essays, linked up with other bloggers and even shared one or two do-it-yourself projects.

And with that, I think I’ve written my new tag line: sharing my journey in and out of the garden.

As for a new title, I still don’t know. My tag cloud makes one thing crystal clear: the word Gardening still stands out from the crowd.