My obsession with domain names goes back about five years. I realize I’m late to get on the bandwagon, but now that I’m on it, I’m freakishly excited by purchasing them. 9.95 to “own” a piece of the web? Shit, I spend triple that on a pair of earrings. Last week I bought three new domain names, each one yet a tiny flame of an idea in my mind, but a flame, nonetheless. Owning the domain, to my mind, is the first step in mastering another corner of the web.
Today sk*rt, one of my favorite little pieces of the web, changed names–we are now kirtsy. It was a brief battle of wills you can read about on Mashable and Design Mom and Startup Houston and Blogher. Oh, and, my favorite so far over at The Bloggess, too. The kirtsy editors, behind the scenes, were shocked and then exultant over the name change. We’re like: change? Ok, where, when and how high?
From a branding perspective, I think things will only go up for the site from here. The editors are going to spread the word, you all are going to put up new links and we’re generally going to be midwives to this new change, helping get it out into the world one push a time (with me on the visual? Great!) This week, more than $1,000 worth of prizes are being given away this week for those that spread the word the best. I mean, really…there’s nothing not to love about this thing.
I have had the pleasure of spending time with the three founders together on several occasions (the first time, at Blogher 2007, then twice at SXSW–we met Dooce together and I took lots of photos of them as they hugged her to pieces–and the next day ate cupcakes at their well-attended coffee morning). The skill, grace and openness they’ve shown through this is right in line with their personalities (and the fact that they do all this with a combined total of eight children between them, I’m constantly in awe)—I want to be like them when I grow up!
There have been moments, in this wonderful world of tech, that I have been like: fugghedaboutit, I’m outtie 5k! Those moments when I’ve thought it was too cutthroat, when I heard rumors and rumors of rumors about me, when the comment section on some blog or another made me feel like my intestines were being removed via my esophagus. But then, I’d cruise over to the site now called kirtsy and see an article like the one on the Jezebel blog banning cruel comments and I was like, ok, breathe, you can deal with this. We’re in it together.
The sk*rt to kirtsy change reminded me, once again, that what I’m doing matters. That acting with grace and dignity in a world that is sometimes less than kind is important, nay, vital to the universe of the web. I think the future of our online society belongs to those that keep their cool and love during the chaos. I also think victory will go to the ones that speak their truth clearly and with their heads held high. Even when we feel like telling the naysayers and mean girls to kiss our a**e*. This is proof: it’s better to kirtsy and walk away from the self-destruction. Onward and upward, kirtsy!
