51–60 of 93 posts
Aaaaand this is where I dismiss the author as simply looking for things to complain about.
Complaining about names (as if that even matters). Complaining about the way they dress. Complaining about the way they talk.
Might as well end it with "get off my lawn!"
Really enjoying the author's prose. This had me rolling: >> It’s like watching some sadist work over a baby lamb with a rusty crowbar and a broken gin bottle. The names of these startups sound like the products of an aggressive brain tumor on the frontal lobe. Crowdegy, Placeling, Kouply, QuoteRobot, Appthwack, Makegood, Onthego, Nickler, Kahal, Tanzio, Taskk. They’re all whimsical and unique in exactly the same way.
Actually, I quite like the name Appthwack.
We've gone back and forth a ton of times, especially because of the obvious "Aflac" thing. We get a lot of comments that are positive, and of course some that are negative, but nobody seems to have a problem remembering it.
I'm way more concerned with providing a good product with a name that's "good enough." Also, it describes in slightly playful terms exactly what we do. We test apps.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually, I quite like the name Appthwack.
I don't mind it, but it sounds like someone with a lisp is trying to say Aflac.
"Hell, as I check my e-mail, I notice with a resigned shame that my coworkers—smart people I consider to be excellent writers—are unironically using the word “spearhead” as a verb in an e-mail thread." Aaaaand this is where I dismiss the author as simply looking for things to complain about. Complaining about names (as if that even matters). Complaining about the way they dress. Complaining about the way they talk. M…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually, I quite like the name Appthwack.
How do you spell it? (no really, say it to someone on the road and see if they can tell how to spell it)
Once people get it they repeat it, likely because it's an entertaining and weird thing to say.
I agree with the advice that names should be easy to spell, but I also think it depends on context. Nearly all of our customer acquisition starts visually, either through the site, banners, or press, so it hasn't really been a problem.
Who knows if we'll keep it forever, but it's working for now.
Really enjoying the author's prose. This had me rolling: >> It’s like watching some sadist work over a baby lamb with a rusty crowbar and a broken gin bottle. The names of these startups sound like the products of an aggressive brain tumor on the frontal lobe. Crowdegy, Placeling, Kouply, QuoteRobot, Appthwack, Makegood, Onthego, Nickler, Kahal, Tanzio, Taskk. They’re all whimsical and unique in exactly the same way.
"Hell, as I check my e-mail, I notice with a resigned shame that my coworkers—smart people I consider to be excellent writers—are unironically using the word “spearhead” as a verb in an e-mail thread." Aaaaand this is where I dismiss the author as simply looking for things to complain about. Complaining about names (as if that even matters). Complaining about the way they dress. Complaining about the way they talk. M…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Actually, I quite like the name Appthwack.
For those of you who are too young to have lived through the original dot-com boom, I can't recommend this 1999 article on company naming from Salon highly enough: http://www.salon.com/1999/11/30/naming/ Read the whole thing, it's hilarious. As soon as I saw the parade of names in the OP I was reminded of one of the names the naming consultants in the the Salon piece devised -- "Jamcracker": When Altman and Manning p…
and, what's more, the copyright at the bottom of their website says 1999-2012. I wonder if the naming firm still sold the name after this article!
This. This sums up how I feel about the whole startup scene. The lack of real innovation is incredible.
That's how I felt reading this blog post. A long, pedantic, raging post that does nothing but demonstrate that the author has an inflated sense of his writing prowess. His post is basically one type of Hipster raging against the Hipsterisms of a different type of Hipster.