Why I Changed My Name

You are reading this on my new website, johnmclachlan.ca. I am ceasing to operate under the name Gliss Media, and will instead, use my own name. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for quite some time and come close to doing on a few occasions.

I started with the name Gliss Media because I thought it would make me sound better in the eyes of clients. I thought it would seem to people that I was bigger than I really was. I’m a freelancer and though I’ve occasionally hired others to help, my whole goal has been to work solo even if it means turning down some opportunities (the reason for working solo will be the topic of another post).

Over the years that I’ve had Gliss Media, my clients have really hired “me” and it’s that relationship that matters. I figured why not use my own name instead.

In addition to my “brand” being connected with my real name, I am making this move because of the new community connection tools that exist. So much of what I do now is on different networks (Facebook, Twitter, other blogs, YouTube). No longer is the source of connection an email and a web address. In fact, I think the whole domain name cachet has reduced over the years.

I felt as if I were living a dual life which could be confusing to people. Sometimes I was Gliss Media and sometimes I was John McLachlan. Add into that how personal views can mingle with business views in the same place and I figured why not consolidate.

Making the switch is not without its pitfalls. I instantly lose my ranking in Google and that will take some time to rebuild. I have to make many changes on network logins and all the other places where I connect. It will take some time.

I’m doing it however, because I believe in the long run it’s worth it to have a more unified image. It will also be simpler to manage (a topic for another post).

Thanks for following me to my new home.

John