Why This is Called Understandably (Not 'The Byliner')

Or, What I already have in common with brands like Apple, Burger King and the WWE.

There are a few “housekeeping” posts I want to write — a new “about me” section and some FAQ, eventually. But this post is about the name.

Why is this called Understandably? (Or: Why did I change the name from The Byliner, which is what it was originally?)

The short answer is that those two names were the finalists after I went through a bunch of ideas. I had to pick one, so I did. But then, a trademark issue made me go back to the other one.

The Byliner

I originally started this site as The Byliner. The name’s appeal is that if you want to unpack why certain things get covered, or why a writer has a particular angle, the very first place I’d look is the byline:

Who wrote this? What else does he or she write about? Where is he from? Where did he work before? What circles does she move in?

I really wanted either The Byline or Byline.com. But, I also wanted the top-level .com domain, and the people who owned them wouldn’t budge. So I added an “R.”

My one hesitation with this name was that i…