Changing our name?

As names go, Formula1blog.com has been a sturdy domain in which to grow. Like all websites, you have to start somewhere and back in 2005 we thought we’d pick a name that said exactly what we were…a blog about Formula 1.

If you’ve listened to our podcast recently, you may have heard me mention the notion of changing our name as the powers that be at Formula 1 Management had retained a law firm to contact us about the use of the domain name www.formula1blog.com. I’m not a law-talkin’ guy so you can imagine the fun these documents are. 😉

It’s unfortunate as we like to think we’ve done as much as possible to promote their sport in a fun, expository manner that has always defended their honor and placed their sport above all other forms of motorsport. Not to mention the very concept of plainly and obviously telling everyone that we were not part of the official Formula 1 group.

We decided back in 2005 to sally forth and create a site that wasn’t a blog pretending to be a news website—actual journalists already do a terrific job of covering the sport.

Back in the early days you couldn’t shake a stick without hitting a website that cut-n-pasted news from AUTOSPORT, BBC, ITV or other professional news outlets and re-posted the content in an effort to be a F1 news website. We weren’t interested in that, we wanted to engage the fans of the sport. We wanted to build a community of like-minded fans with the feel of two friends at a pub discussing F1 over a pint (as we said back in 2007 in our first podcasts).

We wanted to make a fan community that discussed the news. News, as created by wonderful journalists, was simply the prime mover for our discussions and sharing of opinion. We always linked the sources and paid homage to those who call F1 journalism a profession and we still do.

Thanks to all of you for making F1B what it has become…a community that holds to one simple rule—decorum & civility. We have created a fan site that unpacks the sport and does so for veteran and new fans alike.

We certainly would like to work with Formula One Management more closely as part of their effort in bringing F1 back to America and we’ve asked them about doing just that. Meanwhile, we feel it would be prudent to have a “plan B” should CVC Capital feel they have everything under control and need no help from our community.

We thought about a name and we hashed out many options as you can imagine. We’ve arrived at two names that we feel might be a fun, new approach for all of us but we were worried that you (the F1B community) might not like one or the other.

Pondering that possibility, we decided to take the issue to you and let you share your opinion with decorum & civility as always. Why not engage the very people we created this website for and seek their thoughts on the two names we’ve arrived on?

So here it is, two names that we feel could be an option should Formula One Management choose not to work with us in a more symbiotic way. Let us know which one you like. Keep in mind SEO, appeal to casual or even seeking fans and brand equity for veterans and the community as a whole. Which one describes us more while appealing to those who might be seeking a new home for their opinion?

Also consider the appeal factor and how the name might lend itself for branching out to all forms of racing so we can discuss the series you might like to share your opinion on.

For you graphic artists out there, consider the possibilities for logos and if you have a great concept, mock it up and send it to us. We’d be elated to have someone in our community design our new logo to go with the possible name change.

In the end, we love Formula 1 and really do respect Formula One Management. You’d be hard pressed to find a person who has defended Mr. Ecclestone as much as me but in life, timing is important and while we’d love to work with FOM instead of against, we do appreciate they may not feel compelled to do the same.

Should we change names, please be patient with us as we get all of our social media changed, RSS feeds and podcast feeds changed. It will take time and hard work and a little patience from all of you but in the end, we will still be the same community we’ve always been.

That being said, nothing is definite and let’s hope we can reach an agreement but in the end, it really is all about YOU! The community of F1B. Regardless of what our name is, the core DNA, nuance and character of this site will always be made by and for you.

Should we need a “plan B”, which domain name appeals to you more?

MotorSportGrid.com

RollingSpeed.com

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