I don't agree you should use your own name as a domain name ONLY when it's a personal site. Domain names are all about branding and you should think in that way.
Generaly, the thing that makes blogs different from other sites is that in most cases that it's one author expressing his opinion. A strong voice is something that gives a blog it's edge both in content quality, readership interest as well as future opportunities for the blogger. Consider this... No matter how good your domain is, or how many keywords you have in it, the best domain won't help you if you don't have quality content. So let's not try to see domain's as a direct promotional tool, but an aspect of branding.
Branding is, as most of you know, all about building an identity. It's not about the logo, it's not about the name, but rather about what is behind it. What content, what service, what philosophy... When we look at that from a bloggers point of view here are the things I think you should consider.
Become a brand - If you write quality content on a particular topic/niche, you can easily in time become an expert (for your readership) in that particular field. Something that
Steve Pavlina is to personal development and
Seth Godin (also promoted his books via blog
) is to marketing, with the help of their blogs. Lee, who runs these forums has also become a brand in the sense that we look at him as the foremost expert on community building... So if someone out there is writing a book on forums, who do you think that person is going to contact? With blog, it isn't about promoting a site, but promoting yourself as a blogger. Blogs don't have to be monetized directly, they can lead to many opportunities (writing books or jobs for that matter - my GF is going to get a job at Croatias leading news portal via her photoblog)... See yourself as a brand, work on the brand, stand behind the brand (stand behind your work) and you can easily get better business opportunities in doing so.
Fake names and nick names - I think the lowest thing you can do to your readership is to present yourself with a fake name, and in my opinion nick names don't cut it either. I'm all for web privacy, but if you have decided to share your thoughts with the world, at least stand behind them. Using your name (your REAL name!) builds trust, and makes your blog look a tad more professional. For example, lets say an advertiser wants to contact you... Unfortunately you are "BlackMomb4" on your blog and the advertiser is kind of skeptical... You could easily loose some potential revenue... Or a big portal in your niche wants to quote or link to your article. I do think that using a real name is better in the long run.
Unique site name or real name - You should use your real name as a domain, only if you want to be seen as an expert in the topic that you will be covering on your blog. Make the niche specific, but not too small, so you can always build on it. Unique site names are good if you have multiple blogs on various topics... Darren Rowse is a good example of this, because bloggers see him as an
expert blogger, while avid photographers see him as an
expert in photography!
