I own my name as a URL. If you haven’t visited my website already, go to www.eyalsolomon.com.
Living in the U.S. with the first name Eyal is not easy. Most people are unable of pronouncing it correctly — not as a variation of a southern Hey Y’all, but with an accent on the second syllable and a soft, tip-of-the-tongue L.
The only advantage of having a relatively rare name is that I got my own URL (no luck if your name is Tom Solomon or David Solomon). I also have reason to believe that had I not purchased the URL back in 2004, it would have been taken by one of the other Eyal Solomons I know of.
I strongly believe that everyone should invest in a URL that is easily associable to their name. I’ve even harassed parents into buying the URL of their child’s name. It is the equivalent to the pioneers who took stake in the western territories in the 19th century. Cyberspace is still the new frontier. We’re witnessing its constant morphing — from academic to commercial, from static pages to dynamic to user-driven. And it’s still in its infancy. Even if you leave your URL parked for years, one day you’ll find use for it, either as a personal website (like mine) or for a business endeavor.
Parents, treat your children well. Buy TheirName.com.
(Note to parents-to-be: check URL availability before naming your child. She’ll thank you.)
