Remember a few days ago when I mentioned there was a big contest brewing at Beyond the Rhetoric. Well, here it is.

Ed Lau and I have been thinking about starting a joint blog for a while now. No, it’s not about making money online or search engine optimization. We’re “good Canadian kids” as Don Cherry would put it, so we want to start up a hockey blog wherein we can express our opinions, report on some news, and otherwise live and breathe Canada’s real national sport (we all know that lacrosse doesn’t count). There’s so much going on in hockey that it needs a blog of its own.

Ed and I have run into a big of a snag, however. We can’t think of a cool name for it. We tossed around a few ideas, but most of them were either pretty ridiculous or already taken/registered. Wanna know how you fit into this picture?

ipod nano contest from the.[ed]ition and beyond the rhetoric

We’re giving away TWO iPod Nanos. Yes, TWO. The winner of the contest will receive a brand new 8GB iPod nano in black, valued at $249.99. We’ll hold a random draw for the brand new 4GB iPod nano in blue, giving everyone an equal chance at a stellar prize. What this means is that even if you’re not the big winner, you have a chance of taking home a prize with an MSRP of $199.99!

So, what do you have to do?

Step 1: Think of a good name for a hockey website and send your idea to hockeyblogideas@yahoo.com. Please include your domain idea in the subject line and perhaps a short blurb about why you think it’d be a good name in the body. Make sure that the domain is an unregistered dot com. We are not going to settle for a .ca, .net, or any of that garbage. You can check on Go Daddy.

Step 2: Make a post on your blog about this contest. Link to Michael’s blog (btr.michaelkwan.com) using the anchor text “freelance writing” and to Ed’s blog (ededition.com) using “personal blog.” Don’t mention your domain idea in your post, because some goober might go and register it on us, effectively nullifying your entry.

Example:

Michael Kwan and Ed Lau are working on a new hockey blog and they need your help! If you come up with a totally awesome name for their blog, you can win an 8GB iPod nano! More information about the contest can be found on Michael’s freelance writing blog and on Ed’s personal blog.

Sound simple enough? Good. Just make sure that your suggestion is an available dot com domain (don’t suggest NHL.com — I’m pretty sure that’s taken) and it is somehow connected to the game of hockey.

Good luck! The contest runs until the end of the month. Brownie points to anyone who Stumbles or Diggs this post.

UPDATE:

  1. A comment came up on Ed’s blog, so I thought I’d pass that information along here too. You can enter as many times as you’d like and we will still choose what we think is the best domain. HOWEVER, you still only get one entry in the random draw for the 4GB nano, even if you suggest 100 domains to us. Make sense?

UPDATE #2:

  1. Ed and I have decided that due to the number of entries we’ve received from readers who do not have blogs of their own, anyone who does not provide the linkback we required or does not have a blog will only be eligible for the domain selection prize. If you have the best domain suggestion, you’ll win the 8GB nano. Only those who fulfill the linking requirements in a blog post will quality for the random draw for the 4GB iPod.
  2. Please include the link to your blog post in the e-mail to hockeyblogideas@yahoo.com so we can verify and confirm your entry.
  3. The winner of the 4GB blue iPod Nano will be allowed to pick whichever color they want (except black) since it can be exchanged without too much trouble. The grand prize for the best domain suggestion — the 8GB iPod nano — only comes in black at retail stores. We’re not getting you the Swarovski edition or something.