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The Digital Reader is Now Ink, Bits, & Pixels

Fireworks_2[1]This is just a quick heads up to let my readers know that I have changed the name of this blog.

After nearly 5 years of operating under the title The Digital Reader, I’ve decided that a generic name no longer suits me nor does it describe what I cover on this blog.

A name can both define and confine what it’s attached to, and The Digital Reader has begun to chafe. There are stories I have covered and stories I would like to cover which don’t fit with the topics implied by the old name, and it had to go.

The new name is Ink, Bits, and Pixels. While that is almost as generic as The Digital Reader it also is more colorful and is less prone to confusion (enough with being called "Digital Reader").  It also suggests a broader number of topics – about as broad as the stories I have been writing over the past few weeks.

I’m still going to cover digital publishing, ebooks, and related topics, but I’m also going to expand the topics I cover. For example, I plan to learn more on screen tech and touchscreen tech so I can better understand new devices (enough with only covering the tech which goes into ereaders).

P.S. If you like the name, credit goes to Matt Blind (he’s great at picking names). But if you hate the change, feel free to yell at me in the comments.

P.P.S. The 24th of January also marks the 5th anniversary of the launch of this blog as Nate’s eBook News. I renamed it to The Digital Reader a couple months later. Happy anniversary, me.

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Comments


Mackay Bell January 24, 2015 um 9:13 pm

Happy Anniversary!

I love the name change. As you say, The Digital Reader didn’t seem to cover the breath of reporting you do. Ink, Bits and Pixels has a nice ring to it.

Best of success as you move onward!


Victor January 24, 2015 um 9:16 pm

I liked it! Happy anniversary, Nate!


Michael Anderson January 24, 2015 um 9:17 pm

It is funny – I have a friend who has changed the name of his running blog several times while I have stayed the same … but for him it had real meaning and felt like a mandate about the stuff he could write. For a lot of readers (like me) it just doesn’t matter , though I am sure it does for some …

Nate Hoffelder January 26, 2015 um 7:56 am

If I had chosen a unique name rather than a descriptive name, it wouldn’t matter, no. But since the old and the new names describe what I cover I feel I had to change the name.


Andrew Girdwood January 24, 2015 um 9:51 pm

A nice human touch too. Happy anniversary!


Anthony January 24, 2015 um 11:32 pm

Happy anniversary! "Nate’s eBook News?" Guess you expanded past eBook news quickly…


andrys January 24, 2015 um 11:50 pm

Happy 5th, Nate. I like the new name. And I still like the domain-name one also, which I’ve always thought fit, since you seem to read everything in this digital world, and I never felt there was any kind of limitation of topic with you.
The new name sounds more animated though 🙂 Which also matches your blog.


Brian O’Sullivan January 25, 2015 um 3:16 am

I like the name, Nate. More creative and fun than The Digital Reader. You might see a few shortenings to IBP.

Happy anniversary to a great blog.

Nate Hoffelder January 25, 2015 um 6:42 am

Thank you.


Sharon January 25, 2015 um 5:13 am

Happy Anniversary!


Danijel January 25, 2015 um 5:35 am

Happy Anniversary!


TheSFReader January 25, 2015 um 5:41 am

Happy anniversary !

Do you plan to change the url too ?

Nate Hoffelder January 25, 2015 um 6:37 am

Yes. I got the new URL months ago, and it’s already active. I will be switching to it as the main URL just as soon as I make sure that the switch won’t muck up the Google search results.


Felipe Adan Lerma January 25, 2015 um 6:33 am

Happy anniversary and best wishes with the new name, it does seem to be both eye and ear catchy – not a bad thing 🙂

Nate Hoffelder January 25, 2015 um 6:42 am

Thanks.


Destination Infinity January 25, 2015 um 6:42 am

The new name is more hip. All the best.

Try to change the header – the foreground text and background images don’t gel well.

Nate Hoffelder, The Digital Reader January 27, 2015 um 6:59 pm

I agree. I’m working on an alternative.


DSpider January 25, 2015 um 8:08 am

So… ibp.com?

Nate Hoffelder January 25, 2015 um 8:10 am

That was taken with (I think) a trade group.

I own www.inkbitspixels.com

Tyler January 25, 2015 um 8:19 am

bixels?


Bill Smith January 25, 2015 um 8:17 am

I hope you hold onto The-Digital-Reader.com URL; it’s going to take years of overcoming the habit of typing that into Firefox.

I like the new name although it will take some getting used to.

Whatever you call the blog, it will always remain one of my first "go-to" stops — always have great, thought-provoking articles and good commentary.

Best of luck going forward and thanks for all you have done in the past!

Nate Hoffelder January 25, 2015 um 8:19 am

It’s registered through 2017, so there’s no reason not to keep it active.


Bill Smith January 25, 2015 um 8:21 am

Typo in the URL, I think you meant "pixels" not "bixels"

I’m glad I’m not the only one that has this happen to them…although with me, it seems I manage a major typo Every Single Time I post something. 🙂

Nate Hoffelder January 25, 2015 um 8:30 am

Fixed it, thanks.


anothername January 25, 2015 um 9:16 am

Sorry to be a downer, but I prefer the old name. It’s catchy, simpler and is now your brand. You yourself are already confusing pixels and bixels. Of course, time may change my mind.


Rob Siders January 25, 2015 um 9:31 am

I noticed the name change a day or two ago. I think it’s good.


Summer January 25, 2015 um 10:52 am

I love the new name. But I don’t care what you call it, It’s still the first thing I read every morning.


Basem January 25, 2015 um 11:27 am

I prefer the simpler and generic 'The Digital Reader'.

Anyway, happy 5th and may you continue to prosper!


karen January 25, 2015 um 12:16 pm

Happy anniversary, Nate!! I like the new blog title. Thanks for all the interesting stories you share!


Anne B. January 25, 2015 um 2:16 pm

While I am rarely a commenter, I am a faithful reader. Congratulations on your fifth anniversary, I like the name change. Keep up the good work. Of all the blogs I am subscribed to, I read yours most often. The story links are often interesting to me, as well as useful.
I have no reason to be sucking up, so all the above must be true.


MizzBee January 25, 2015 um 5:46 pm

I love The Digital Reader as the title. I also read it first and check it all day for added posts. Some of the posts hold no interest to me, as I do not care about what is happening in Europe and the rest of the world with their laws about internet and computing. Some of your post are above me, but I believe in freedom of the press (except hate and discord). Not to beat a dead horse, but where is the puppy? Continue your work and Happy 5th. MIZZBEE.

Nate Hoffelder January 25, 2015 um 5:56 pm

What puppy?


Ralph Hummel January 26, 2015 um 1:11 pm

Hi Nate,
I was pondering my reply for a while before putting them into "bixels". Personally, I think your reasoning for chaning the name is sound, as it is more in tune with the content of your blog and, as you have correctly stated, gives you a wider field of topics to write about.
In recent months I have found myself frequenting your blog less and less, simply for the reason that what had attracted to me in the first place, content about digital reading and digital reading devices, had dwindled and been replaced by other, more generic topics concerning IT and other not necessarily e-book related topics.
Part of that is certainly due to the change in focus of the market in general and to the fact that the "e-book-hype" of a couple of years ago is certainly a thing of the past. I for one regret that tremendously.
I am unsure if the name-change is a wise thing to do as you have built yourself a name and a brand (yes you did) with the "digital-reader.com" and the new domain is somewhat less easy to remember (I am old-school and like to remember my favourite sites rather than rely on bookmarks). But, as stated before, I can understand why you felt it was necessary. I am just not sure it will work.
In any case, I wish you good look with your venture and the name change and I probably will be stopping by from time to time to have a quick look-see (at least as long as the domain-redirect works.


Eric January 26, 2015 um 7:08 pm

I wish you well and hope the change works well for you, but I have to say, the field is littered with brands who changed their identities and lost their way. I liked the "Digital Reader" because it immediately told me something about the content, i.e., the blog was related to ebooks, digital books, devices, etc. The new name, while perhaps cuter, really tells the passerby nothing about the content. It may have associations for you in your own mind, but nothing that might attract the casual viewer. Successful name changes usually involve an attempt to hide a former identity, e.g., Blackwater to XE, Arthur Anderson to Accenture, and we won’t even attempt to catalog the myriad times AOL has tried to reinvent itself.

I hope it works for you, but usually when I see that happen, I wonder what has gone wrong.

Nate Hoffelder, The Digital Reader January 26, 2015 um 9:42 pm

The thing about all those name changes is that it didn’t work. The new name was cursed with the reputation of the old.

And in my case, I’m not going to do anything to hide the old. I kept the twitter account for my personal use, and started a new one for the blog. In a way I’ve centered the existing reputation on myself and not the blog. while still keeping the two linked.


Nate Hoffelder April 2, 2015 um 9:14 am

I’m now two months in, and I’m thinking of narrowing the focus again. I’m getting the feeling that I’m losing people’s interest.


J. Kirsch April 9, 2015 um 10:16 am

Happy belated anniversary Nate! I like the new name. Really enjoyed one of the articles in your morning coffee yesterday. I don’t know what I would do without it. Keep up the great work. We appreciate what you do.


e-book-news.de » TBFKAIBAP, oder „The Blog formerly known as Ink, Bits & Pixels“ July 10, 2015 um 10:41 am

[…] zu optimieren), hatte Nate seine Webpräsenz kurzerhand in „Ink, Bits & Pixels“ umbenannt. Was auch irgendwie Sinn machte, schlieĂźlich ging es dort auch sehr oft um innovative […]


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