Why I’ll Never Be a Mick
Over the years, I’ve been called many names—Michael, Mike, Mikey, Mikey D, Isherwood, Little Ish, Penfold, Tottenham, StellaMan, MadriMan, and my personal favourite … that c**t. But there’s one name I absolutely won’t answer to: Mick! I distinctly remember my mother telling me as a child, that my name was Mike or Michael, and not to let anyone call me Mick, as Mick’s a dog’s name. She has since clarified that she thinks Mick sounds common and therefore doesn’t like the name or anyone called Mick, she thinks they’re scum. (She didn’t say the last bit before any Micks get on their high horse.)
Choosing MichaelIsherwood.com Over MikeIsherwood.com
So, back in 2009, when I decided to start a blog, I only looked for domains with either Mike Isherwood or Michael Isherwood—preferably .com or .co.uk. My preference was MikeIsherwood.com as I will always introduce myself as Mike, the blog is meant to be about my thoughts and ramblings, and Michael is a bit official, in fact, the only people who call me Michael are my parents and officials i.e. Doctors, Dentists etc. Unfortunately, MikeIsherwood.com and co.uk were taken therefore I had no option but to choose Michaelisherwood.com, annoying but not the end of the world.
Why I Didn’t Move the Blog
I kept a close eye on MikeIsherwood.com and about 2 years after starting the blog it and .co.uk became available so I quickly snapped them up. The plan was to move the blog over to MikeIsherwood.com, but by then, it had unexpectedly gained traction and become well-established. That made the move less attractive due to the SEO disruption and confusion to regular visitors. I wasn’t thrilled, but sticking with MichaelIsherwood.com seemed like the smarter move.
Using MikeIsherwood.com for My Professional Profile
I have over the years repurposed MikeIsherwood.com to act as a professional site for myself, when I was unemployed, basically detailing/promoting the professional side of me. I’ve redesigned this site to look more professional and to add a blog, in this uncertain world I thought it best to be prepared.
Can This Post Fix My SEO Problem?
One of the main reasons I’m writing this post is pagerank, MichaelIsherwood.com ranks well for Michael Isherwood but poorly for Mike Isherwood. With any luck, this post will help search engines realise that Mike Isherwood and Michael Isherwood are one and the same—just don’t call me Mick.
Going forward, at least in the short-term, MikeIsherwood.com will continue to be forwarded to this site, but maybe in the future, it’ll be its own blog.
Take care
Michael, Mike, Mikey, Mikey D, Isherwood, Little Ish, Penfold, Tottenham, StellaMan, MadriMan, That C**t…. but definitely not Mick!