Selecting a Name for Your Forum

Most of the time when a person starts a forum they have already picked out a name. There are occasions when naming your forum does become a difficult task. If you are wanting to start a forum, but can't decide on a name take a look at these suggestions.

First, think about something that symbolizes the theme of your forum. If you are creating a Harry Potter forum, then think about things from the stories. Make a list of all the words that remind you of the story. Examples: magic, broom, portal, muggles, elf, dragons, Gryffindor. Once you have your list look over it and find something that is catches your attention. Match a few of the words up until you come up with something that is catchy, recognizable, and unique. From the short list I have made I could have a forum named The Magical Muggles or The Gryffindor Portal. Play around with several different names until you find the right one. Giving your forum a name based around your theme will ensure that visitors know what they will expect when coming to your forum.

As I mentioned above, you want the name you select to be unique. There are so many web sites today that it is hard to come up with a forum name that is not already being used by someone else. Once you find a few names that you like, go to a search engine. Do a search for the names you like. Make sure that you put the name of the forum in quotations. This will ensure that the search engine will only search for the exact phrase you have typed in. If another forum comes up with the same name, then it is time to move on in your list.

If you still cannot find a unique name, turn to the dictionary or thesaurus for help. Look up the words in your list and find words that have the same meaning. Again, be creative when putting together your name this way and make sure that it is still recognizable when a visitor comes to your forum.

Once you have a name for your forum, you will also need to select a URL. Make sure that the URL has something in common with the name of your forum. Also, do not pick something complicated for your URL. The easier it is to remember, the easier it will be for visitors to return to your site.