Bad with names small talk

jean gillette

Enjoy one from the archives.

The minute that pregnancy test stick turns blue, potential parents seem to lose all sense of logic. I strongly suggest you take an extra moment to consider the following things before you name your offspring.

Firstly, if a rude nickname can be made from a name, some child will shout it loudly across the playground.

Remember that teachers, future bosses and co-workers will have to be able to pronounce that name without any help from a phonetic guide.

Consider whether your child will want to go through life bearing some pretentious version of a perfectly pleasant, common moniker.

Remember people want to know if your child is a girl or a boy without major research being done.

Remember that while you are a teenager, and sometimes well beyond, what you want most in the world is to blend in, not stand out, and certainly not because your name is “spelled weird.”

If you still choose to go forward with something different, please coach your child from an early age to be gracious when it is misspelled or mispronounced.

I know youngsters who get downright abusive if you garble their strange names. I tend to remind them that having a defensive attitude will not make anyone try harder to spell or say a name correctly.

If you name your child

Courtney, it is going to sound just like the other 12 Kort-nees in her homeroom class. It won’t matter if you spell it Koortney, Quartknee or, as I most recently saw it, Courtnae.

And absolutely no one is ever going to spell it right. Ever. The same goes for Mikaela, Michaela, Mikhaila, Mekeyla, Makayla or Mekaila. And then there’s Alyc.

I’d like to blame it on population growth or possibly too much morphine during labor, but it seems there were renegades more than 60 years ago, going for that one-of-a-kind name.

I had a high school friend, Gere, who was frequently pronounced gurrr, but was actually Jerry.

And there was my husband’s family. The woman didn’t even drink, but my mother-in-law — an otherwise lovely lady — took great pride in the fact that each of her four children had names that were “unlike all others.”

She meant well, but my husband, Lon (short for Lonel, which he loathes), is frequently called Ron, Don, Lawn and Lom. His twin, Landa, was assigned to a girls gym class almost every year. (He didn’t actually mind that so much.)

If you consider nothing else, consider the odds that your child’s name will be misspelled in the newspaper. There’s that front-page photo showing your pride-and-joy making that winning shot, and that clever name you constructed is spelled the old-fashioned way.

If you have any plans of future fame for your kids, just name them Bob or Susan, not Bawb, Bobb or Rob, or Suzan, Susin or Soozan, please?

Oh, never mind.

Jean Gillette is a freelance writer longing for a few common spellings. Contact her at jean@coastnewsgroup.com.

Pendleton Band Rehearses

Your email signature is a golden opportunity

email, URL, phone) and less common items (social media links, nonprofit groups I belong to, tagline).

Interestingly, the one thing that really catches attention is my picture. There I am in all my glory with a big smile and (of course) my hat.

marketing opportunity? It’s easy to implement, quickly expands your visibility in the circles you want to travel in and has potential long-lasting pass-along value when your emails are shared.

And whether you send out two or 2,000 emails daily, that professional image will encourage people to remember you and your message.

Seeking a marketing tool that’s easy to use, inexpensive and able to reach your target audience? Look no further than your email signature.

I’m constantly astounded by the number of emails ending with “Thanks” and a name … but nothing else.

What a lost opportunity! I mean, you’re already talking with me, so why not incorporate a little subtle marketing?

Here’s how I see it: On an average day, I send out 100+ emails for networking, solicitations and project updates. At the bottom of each email is my electronic signature, acting like a business card in cyberspace. It encourages traffic to my website, touts articles I’ve written and potentially adds value to every conversation.

I understand my emails may be forwarded or have a long shelf life. Therefore, I incorporate both the usual items (name, company,

Over the years I’ve lost count of how many people recognize me because they’ve seen that photo. Some have become friends, others clients. Many are both.

Think about that for a second. Complete strangers recognize me, and we build a relationship … merely because they saw my picture in an email.

Pretty slick, no?

Of course, it’s important to recognize this isn’t a photograph of me at the beach or drinking a beer. It was done by a skilled portrait photographer and purposely presents a professional image, shows my personality and grabs attention.

Meaning it’s doing exactly what I needed it to do. And the few dollars I paid to have the picture taken was a pittance compared to the value it’s brought to my personal and business worlds.

So … why aren’t you taking advantage of this

In short, using your email signature more effectively could become an extremely powerful and valuable tool.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

Write to me for a sample of my email signature: rob@ marketbuilding.com.

Pet of the Week

Pine is pet of the week at Rancho Coastal Humane Society. He’s a 6-year-old, 41-pound, male, terrier mix.

He was living with 20 to 25 other dogs. When their owner died, they were relinquished to a shelter. Pine really wants attention, but he’s not always sure what to do when he gets it.

His family will need to give him time to adjust to his new life. He can go home with mellow kids, 7 or older, as long as he’s comfortable.

The $145 adoption fee includes medical exam, spay, up-to-date vaccinations, registered microchip and a one-year license if the new home is in the jurisdiction of San Diego Humane Society’s Department of Animal Services.

For information about adoption or to become a virtual foster, stop by Rancho Coastal Humane Society at 389 Requeza St., Encinitas, call (760) 753-6413 or visit SDpets.org.