Lots of people have unusual names and the more you mix with different cultures, the more unique names you're going to find.
Take "Eilidh" for example. How do you get "Ay-lee" or "Ayley" or "Aley" from "Eilidh." It is just not logical; unless you happen to know Scottish Gaelic and let's face it, not many people do!
Eilidh defies common sense and even my lecturers at Glasgow called me "Eye-lid." A client's partner used to delete my emails as he was convinced that E.I.L.I.D.H. must be a virus! And yet I like to think the only thing infectious is my sense of fun.
My father had dyslexia - he picked a perfect name for me don't your think? Saying that, he never could spell it, which is another twist for a name that I have been explaining all my life. At school, I liked being different and felt bewildered the first time I met another girl with MY name! Some people experience a loss of confidence if their names generate nasty nicknames. However, I felt quite the opposite and loved how people responded when faced with Eilidh! It generates amazement, disbelief and questions which lead to conversations and friendships.
If you are not sure how to say Eilidh, listen to the audio file in the website banner - I explain its Celtic origin and meaning - Eilidh means Helen with the same root as Eileen and Aileen. There's also a new interview hot off the wires from Australia. Listen to Diane Ward from the Radio Station 2RE. She starts off our ten minute chat trying to explain to the listeners how to say my name!
For my part I am not precious about Eilidh and am happy for people remember me in their own way - "Lady Positive" as was Tweeted recently ... or the Scottish lady with the funny name! Some called me "Ellie" and others simply "E."
However, when it comes to being found by the search engines what do you do? How likely is it that someone will:
- Remember my name?
- Be able to spell it?
- What will they Google to find me?
Paul (the Bulletman) Kerfoot asked me this very question - the very one that prompted this article in fact. His concern being that I was potentially losing business on web searches because people could not find me. Paul's advice:
"Create a blog post and talk about your unique name and all the nicknames you had at school – and what it did for your confidence – plus all the variations. If these were then TAGged as well this would work a treat I reckon! And try on your current website.
You could also TWEET about it as these would also get picked up on the search engines. A social media strategy on all the wrong ways to do it and a link to the right way (your website/blog post) if you see and get what I mean?"
Read more on this follow-up post "How to remember people's names ." In the meantime please let me know if you have a different way of remembering me or "alternative" spelling as it will help the search engines find me. Thank you!
I am going to action the advice of another expert Paul Kerfoot - right now - off to tag this blog
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