(Nick)name it!

The marble altar made by Henry Moore is a controversial object in St Stephen Walbrook church

In our lesson on online journalism today we got to know how crucial it is to build up your own brand on the internet. Gary also mentioned nicknames you might like to give yourself or your company to be found by your target group. Coincidentally, nicknaming is a topic on my list I wanted to cover in my blog some day.

The Londoners seem to be very keen on nicknames. Just think of "bobbies" for police men - going back to the founder of the Met Police, Sir Robert Peel.

All London skyscrapers get their nicknames - often before they're even completed. The official name of "The Gherkin" is "30 St Mary Axe" but that doesn't count. Everyone who's refering to this building - looking like a gigantic gherkin - uses its nickname.

The architects of a building they themselves named "The Pinnacle" might be confused about the fact that it's "The Helter Skelter Tower" in everyday language. And two other sky scrapers already got their nicknames although they're not even ready yet: "The Cheese Grater" and "The Walkie Talkie". Guess how they got their names.

My picture shows the altar of St Stephen Walbrook in the City of London. It's a very controversial marble sculpture done by Henry Moore. It's nickname is ... "The Camembert".

Just London stays without a nickname, it seems. On the internet some suggestions are "The Big Village" and "The Old Smoke" but not many people agree on this.