Monday, April 5, 2010

What's My Name Again?

When I was setting up this blog on Blogger in May of last year, one of the first questions was "What is the name of the blog?" which completely stumped me.  My property has a TON of blueberry bushes, and it's on a hill, so my first thought was Blueberry Hill.  Which, it turns out, is pretty common because of a certain song about finding a thrill.  So, since my blueberries are in multiple places - one group is on the downhill slope, another group is on the uphill slope, and a third group is on a different downhill slope - I decided to call it Blueberry HillS Homestead, seeing as how even though it's a stretch, one could say that my berries are on multiple hills, plural.  That's the homestead.  I spent about 30 seconds making up the name.

Even though there is nary a goat to be found on the 'stead (yet), I have a company name and website, which I spent weeks thinking about.  The company name is Good Earth Goats.  The logo (designed by Jenna Woginrich of Coldantlerfarm) is below:
That was one of the first things I did when I settled onto this rocky land.  It seems a little ... wrong ... now that I'm not entirely sure what the enterprise will be.  Not so certain it will be completely targeted grazing, that is.  But anyway, that's the goat company name. It will work pretty well for anything goaty.

Here's the rub.

If I were to do something farmy and not so much goat related like make tinctures of my comfrey and sell them, or grow and sell ginseng, what should I call myself?  It seems like I should have a farm name.  Something like Rocky Windy Acres, or End of the Dirt Road Farm.  Or maybe The Space Between the Trees Farm, or No Barn Farm.  I have no idea - but the question comes up every once in a while for me, and has recently again because nagoonberry, a reader and commenter suggested I make a Facebook page for the homestead.  It's a great idea, but I'd like to maybe make a FB page for the "farm" and have the goat company and homestead be a part of it.  Or maybe the other way around - page for the 'stead which includes the goat company and farm.  I could call it Blueberry Hills Farm, but that one's pretty common as well.

It's all a little theoretical now, since I'm still a ways away from making money at this.  As the logo above shows, I can think something very strongly and a year later look at it and say, "boy, I boxed myself in with that one!"  But I would definitely like to build up a "brand" that encompasses what I am and want to be, and what this place is and will be, and that works for potential customers.  It's a heavy load for a few small words - I'm open to suggestions!

9 comments:

  1. Do you plan on having some goats and you love them anyway?? leave it the GEG and just drop the underneath part.. I like that little goat there..and instead say 'and much, much more." It leaves a multitude of ever-changing options for you.

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  2. I was going to say the same as Karen Sue! Just change the tag line. It's too narrow for all your interests. Or skip the tag line.

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  3. I was just thinking about you and your kitchen when I found this blog. http://knockoffwood.blogspot.com/ She has kitchen islands, shelves and they all look possible to do yourself. I'm your newest follower and I wish you luck with your endeavors.

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  4. Maybe you could call it Mooseberry Hill. :)

    Seriously, though--have you ever used Wordle? It will give you a word cloud from text you enter. You could gather up some of your favorite blog posts about the homestead, plug them into Wordle, and let it tell you what words you're using most often to describe your home.

    Or you could go low-tech and put one of those huge post-it notes on the wall, and every time you think of something related to your dream of the place, put it on the post-it.

    Or....go on a farm walk with your camera, and do a pictures post, and see what your readers are inspired to say...

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  5. I kinda like No Barn Farm. It has a good ring to it. May or may not be reflective of the place over time, but that's OK, it makes for a good story and is catchy.

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  6. Excellent suggestions, all! Sweet Bee Cottage, I checked out that site - I could spend hours there! And nagoonberry - I will give Wordle a try!

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  7. Comfreytable Blue Goat Farm.

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  8. I vote for the "main" name to be Blueberry Hills Homestead, and then everything else can fall under that. It's kind of like for me, some things are Swamp River Ridge (the homestead, the physical place) while others are Chicken Mama . . . [whatever], which is me, the person. I just don't think you want to spread yourself too thinly with a name for this, a name for that, and a third & fourth name for those. That gets to be TOOOOO confusing for your readers, customers, etc.

    If Blueberry Hills Farm is too common for you and you're not sure about the blanket title of Blueberry Hills Homestead, what about . . . Blueberry Hills Farmstead?

    I like No Barn Farm, too . . . even if the reality of that changes over time.

    Annnnd, for what it's worth, Good Earth Goats makes me instantly think of the Good Earth restaurants in the Twin Cities. Not necessarily a bad thing, but if you're worried over a name being too overused, Good Earth 'anything' would do it for me.

    That said, you gotta go with what YOU LOVE!!! ;)

    P.S. Re-reading what I've written here before I hit post, I REALLY like 'No Barn Farm'. Heck, you could even change the name of this blog to that (keeping the original URL).

    No Barn Farm

    No Barn Farmstead

    No Barn Farm Grazing Goats

    No Barn Farm Comfrey Poultices

    "Situated atop blueberry-covered hills that rise above the Hudson River valley of New York state, No Barn Farm is a study in determination and entrepreneurship. From humble beginnings came a goat grazing business which is enhanced with by-products including rich, organically grass-fed goat cheese and gentle-to-the-skin body soaps. Call now to arrange a tour of No Barn Farm, and don't forget to stop in at the cozy gift shop stocked with No Barn Farms handmade products."

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