Why this site is called Rocky Shore
It sounds like a place on a map. It's actually my name in Tamil, ரா கிஷோர், said a little differently. Here's how Ra Kishore became Rocky Shore, and why the name fits what I write about.
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People sometimes ask where Rocky Shore is. A beach in Goa? A cliff in Cornwall? Neither. It isn't a place at all. Say my name the way it's written in Tamil, quickly, and listen.
The name hiding in my name
In Tamil Nadu, most people write an initial before their given name. It usually comes from the father's name, so a Kishore whose father is Rajaram writes ரா. கிஷோர்: Ra. Kishore. Read the initial and the name together, without the pause, and it already sounds close to two English words.
Three small changes
- ரா (Ra) becomes Roc: the same opening sound, closed off hard like a stone.
- கி (Ki) becomes ky: the second syllable of Kishore turns into the end of Rocky.
- ஷோர் (shore) stays shore: the last part of my name was already an English word.
| Tamil | Sounds like | Becomes |
|---|---|---|
| ரா | Ra | Roc |
| கி | Ki | ky |
| ஷோர் | shore | shore |
If you like to think in code, here's the whole thing as a find-and-replace:
name = "Ra Kishore" # ரா கிஷோர்
name = name.replace("Ra", "Roc")
name = name.replace("Ki", "ky")
# "shore" stays exactly as it is
print(name) # Rocky Shore (after one more space)In Tamil ரா கிஷோர். An initial, then a name. Personal, and completely ordinary at home in Chennai.
In English Rocky Shore. A place you can picture: waves, stone, and the line where they meet.
Why a rock and a shore
Once I heard it, the name was obvious. It also happened to describe what I believe about search. On the home page I put it in five words:
Build the rock. Not the wave.
The Rocky Shore home page
Search keeps changing: blue links, then the map pack, now AI answers. That's the tide. What people actually need from a business (accurate details, honest answers, a way to call or visit) barely moves. That's the rock. And the shore is where the two meet, every single day.
What the rock means in practice
- Pages that answer real questions
- Opening hours, prices, documents, directions
- The follow-up question people ask next
- Listings that are accurate everywhere
- Measuring what customers did, not just what the algorithm did
And what the waves are
The waves are everything that changes faster than people do: new result layouts, new acronyms, new tools. They're worth watching. They're not worth rebuilding your foundations for every quarter. I wrote more about that in my Search Central Live recap, where Google said much the same thing.
What naming this site taught me
Here's the checklist I'd use for any name now, and how Rocky Shore does against it:
- Done: Easy to say in English and in Tamil
- Done: Easy to spell after hearing it once
- Done: Means something, even to someone who doesn't know the story
- Done: Connects to what the site is about
- Done: Has a domain I could actually register (
rockyshore.in) - To do: Unique on every social platform (not quite, and that's fine)
The Rocky Shore name card
The name story on a single page: ரா கிஷோர் to Rocky Shore.
FAQ
What does Rocky Shore mean?
It's my Tamil name, ரா கிஷோர் (Ra Kishore), said a little differently: Ra becomes Roc, Ki becomes ky, and shore stays shore.
Is Rocky Shore a company?
No. It's my personal site and weekly notebook on SEO, product and AI search.
Why "Ra" before Kishore?
In Tamil Nadu, people usually write an initial before their given name, typically taken from the father's name.
Is there a place called Rocky Shore?
Probably several, on coastlines around the world. This one is just a name that sounds like it.
