I’m sure you already know this, Étienne, but during the Renaissance a myth arose that there was carved onto the Pillars of Hercules guarding the Strait of Gibraltar the phrase, “Non Plus Ultra”, meaning “nothing further beyond”, perhaps you could tweak this for a blog title: Plus Ultra — “more beyond”. Perhaps covers both your love of cartography and your interest in delving into interesting topics?
Actually, it would make you sound like an anime blogger--"Plus Ultra" is basically the official slogan of one of the biggest shonen manga/anime shows going on right now, "My Hero Academia"!
Thank! I guess that is the least disruptive change that satisfies my needs. Though for some reason "wonders" is the word I like the least in the current title. Not sure why.
Some (very) quick thoughts re: your bullet points:
- Paywall anything personal (passive PII collection/profiling is terrifying).
- Slow down posting to 1 HQ post per month (you have a full-time (?) job!).
- (I don't speak French, but it's a neat concept.)
***
ALT-NAME IDEAS:
- Atlas Mapped
- Maps, Metaphors, & Other Monsters
- [For the Night is] Dark & Full of Terroir
- Hic Sunt Mappa
- [SEO]
(re: last--since you're using your real name as your username (i think?), you really ought to at least consider an SEO title for your blog that directly incorporates the exact word (or at least beginning of it) used to describe your primary category (along with your secondary, if you can swing it). i've had a couple people poke fun at my half-ironic username, but a) it nudges the algorithm for my genre my way (nominative determinism is real, at least in hyperreality) + b) "King" allows me to inform people of my pronouns *without telling them my pronouns* (very surprised this isn't more common on here for pseudonymous users). anyhow, you list "science, history, art, and philosophy" on your "about" page, so pick the most important one (to you) and incorporate it into your new name somehow, if growth really is your goal (which it may not be for some folks, which is completely OK! we all have our reasons for being on here...)).
Thanks for the ideas! I do have a perennial struggle with defining the blog, though, it would feel wrong to pick any of "science, history, art, and philosophy" as more important than the others... which is a big contributor to this branding challenge!
Just discovered you and subscribed. Indexing a Substack is an intriguing idea, especially for a publication as broad as yours. I love how you designed it. I considered something similar a few months ago but decided on a glossary (with an index included) instead since my scope is much narrower.
Thanks! A glossary sounds like a great idea too. Big fan of textual tools meant to facilitate navigation... And there's a lot of value for the person who makes them, too.
I would be happy if you wrote more low effort posts. My view is that once someone mentally accepts they can write low effort posts, they become more generative and open up a part of their mind to writing about ideas, that may materialize into important insights, that they otherwise would not have explored.
No, no no! Please don't rename your blog. It's wonderful. Yes, yes, yes. Please sometimes invite guest writers about maps [I put my hand up for one, even though hardly anyone knows I was a geologist in a former life]. Anyway, having only just found you, my comment won't mean much to you. But I'm so glad to have found you, so thankyou.
Writing in French can be a good option. I'm coming from the other end. I started writing in Spanish (as I have always done), and I'm thinking about starting to write also in English. I think the challange is to define how to combine both: how much more effort do you have to put in and what level of overlap the content of each one should / would have.
On the name, You already have "Atlas of Wonders" (as others have said, that's also how I think about this) and the alternative provided by Mr. Rothwell, which matches perfectely with the approach you have :).
I used to be like you, blogging in French (to a tiny audience) and eventually exploring writing in English, leading us to the pretty good audience I have now. I don't regret the switch but I kind of which I was gaining influence and reputation locally too, which I absolutely am not.
Congrats! I too was running into the problem where I wasn’t writing as good of posts, I decided to solve it by only writing good posts (eliminating the idea that they had to come weekly.)
I suppose this is going to happen sooner or later! I do worry about losing the forcing function, though, especially since writing is fitting in a narrower and narrower schedule. Have you noticed changes in your writing habits as you've given up the publishing weekly habit?
I'm keeping the same time parameters as before, as in I still write from the same time to the same time every day, but I'm not forcing myself to publish whatever is done by Friday anymore. I'm holding myself to publishing monthly rather than weekly now. (And if I get more than that done in a month, great!)
I don't know how I do it lol. I think it works (ish) because I trained the writing muscle when I didn't work full time, and maintaining the habit has proven to be doable now (though barely)
Well, I think you included a possible 'cool Latin title' right there in the final illustration: Typus Orbis Universalis, because your blog ranges far and wide, geographically and temporally. And congratulations!
I’m sure you already know this, Étienne, but during the Renaissance a myth arose that there was carved onto the Pillars of Hercules guarding the Strait of Gibraltar the phrase, “Non Plus Ultra”, meaning “nothing further beyond”, perhaps you could tweak this for a blog title: Plus Ultra — “more beyond”. Perhaps covers both your love of cartography and your interest in delving into interesting topics?
This is a really cool name and yet at the same time I worry it would make me seem like a Spanish monarchy stan
Actually, it would make you sound like an anime blogger--"Plus Ultra" is basically the official slogan of one of the biggest shonen manga/anime shows going on right now, "My Hero Academia"!
Congratulations! And I've always thought of this as Atlas of Wonders...
Thank! I guess that is the least disruptive change that satisfies my needs. Though for some reason "wonders" is the word I like the least in the current title. Not sure why.
Wholeheartedlly agree
I was going to say the exact same thing! My vote is for “Atlas of Wonders”!
Some (very) quick thoughts re: your bullet points:
- Paywall anything personal (passive PII collection/profiling is terrifying).
- Slow down posting to 1 HQ post per month (you have a full-time (?) job!).
- (I don't speak French, but it's a neat concept.)
***
ALT-NAME IDEAS:
- Atlas Mapped
- Maps, Metaphors, & Other Monsters
- [For the Night is] Dark & Full of Terroir
- Hic Sunt Mappa
- [SEO]
(re: last--since you're using your real name as your username (i think?), you really ought to at least consider an SEO title for your blog that directly incorporates the exact word (or at least beginning of it) used to describe your primary category (along with your secondary, if you can swing it). i've had a couple people poke fun at my half-ironic username, but a) it nudges the algorithm for my genre my way (nominative determinism is real, at least in hyperreality) + b) "King" allows me to inform people of my pronouns *without telling them my pronouns* (very surprised this isn't more common on here for pseudonymous users). anyhow, you list "science, history, art, and philosophy" on your "about" page, so pick the most important one (to you) and incorporate it into your new name somehow, if growth really is your goal (which it may not be for some folks, which is completely OK! we all have our reasons for being on here...)).
best w/the (potential) re-branding! 👍
Thanks for the ideas! I do have a perennial struggle with defining the blog, though, it would feel wrong to pick any of "science, history, art, and philosophy" as more important than the others... which is a big contributor to this branding challenge!
Just discovered you and subscribed. Indexing a Substack is an intriguing idea, especially for a publication as broad as yours. I love how you designed it. I considered something similar a few months ago but decided on a glossary (with an index included) instead since my scope is much narrower.
Thanks! A glossary sounds like a great idea too. Big fan of textual tools meant to facilitate navigation... And there's a lot of value for the person who makes them, too.
I would be happy if you wrote more low effort posts. My view is that once someone mentally accepts they can write low effort posts, they become more generative and open up a part of their mind to writing about ideas, that may materialize into important insights, that they otherwise would not have explored.
Yup that’s the theory I’ve been working under since the beginning! Maybe I’m asking myself too many questions …
Je veux que tu ailles au Balado de Fred Savard!!!
Je demande beaucoup: passer de l’écrit au discours/dialogue.
Keep the blog name Atlas of Wonders and Monsters. If want it to sound punchy, you could just write AoWaM and say, “A-O W(H)AM.”
Huh. An index is a great idea, actually…(stroking my nonexistent beard)
No, no no! Please don't rename your blog. It's wonderful. Yes, yes, yes. Please sometimes invite guest writers about maps [I put my hand up for one, even though hardly anyone knows I was a geologist in a former life]. Anyway, having only just found you, my comment won't mean much to you. But I'm so glad to have found you, so thankyou.
Write better posts and keep the great name!
Writing in French can be a good option. I'm coming from the other end. I started writing in Spanish (as I have always done), and I'm thinking about starting to write also in English. I think the challange is to define how to combine both: how much more effort do you have to put in and what level of overlap the content of each one should / would have.
On the name, You already have "Atlas of Wonders" (as others have said, that's also how I think about this) and the alternative provided by Mr. Rothwell, which matches perfectely with the approach you have :).
I used to be like you, blogging in French (to a tiny audience) and eventually exploring writing in English, leading us to the pretty good audience I have now. I don't regret the switch but I kind of which I was gaining influence and reputation locally too, which I absolutely am not.
Impressive achievement Étienne, keep it up!
Congrats! I too was running into the problem where I wasn’t writing as good of posts, I decided to solve it by only writing good posts (eliminating the idea that they had to come weekly.)
I suppose this is going to happen sooner or later! I do worry about losing the forcing function, though, especially since writing is fitting in a narrower and narrower schedule. Have you noticed changes in your writing habits as you've given up the publishing weekly habit?
I'm keeping the same time parameters as before, as in I still write from the same time to the same time every day, but I'm not forcing myself to publish whatever is done by Friday anymore. I'm holding myself to publishing monthly rather than weekly now. (And if I get more than that done in a month, great!)
Congratulations 🙌! 200 weekly posts is an enviable streak. How do you have time to do a day job and this? Many of your posts are quite dense.
If you would accept guest posts, would you consider reprints? I have two that would fit here.
I don't know how I do it lol. I think it works (ish) because I trained the writing muscle when I didn't work full time, and maintaining the habit has proven to be doable now (though barely)
Well, I think you included a possible 'cool Latin title' right there in the final illustration: Typus Orbis Universalis, because your blog ranges far and wide, geographically and temporally. And congratulations!
I actually thought of this! It's kind of a mouthful though so it doesn't solve my main problem 😅