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How to name your startup

joel.is

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Re: How to name your startup

#21

Post by [deleted] »

panabee wrote: post #16
tptacek wrote: post #12

A recent article made the case against disregarding domain names: while Square used to be SQUAREUP.COM, and Facebook used to be GETDROPBOX.COM, neither is today; both have acquired the bare domain name corresponding to their name and use them exclusively. The issue here is then, once you make the decision to be "getFOO.COM", the better you do, the more expensive FOO.COM becomes. There is no guarantee the price for th…

> Facebook used to be GETDROPBOX.COM Perhaps you mean "thefacebook.com?"

[deleted]

Re: How to name your startup

#23

Post by slurgfest »

panabee wrote: post #16
tptacek wrote: post #12

A recent article made the case against disregarding domain names: while Square used to be SQUAREUP.COM, and Facebook used to be GETDROPBOX.COM, neither is today; both have acquired the bare domain name corresponding to their name and use them exclusively. The issue here is then, once you make the decision to be "getFOO.COM", the better you do, the more expensive FOO.COM becomes. There is no guarantee the price for th…

> Facebook used to be GETDROPBOX.COM Perhaps you mean "thefacebook.com?"

Not long ago I read on HN that tptacek is always right about everything. I think we can safely say that Facebook used to be GETDROPBOX

Re: How to name your startup

#24

Post by FuzzyDunlop »

Speaking of names, can anyone identify the current trend of $arbitrary_number + $arbitrary_noun? I saw '80Legs' in a different thread, then there's stuff like 20Cans, 32Tractors, 99RedBalloons, and god knows what else.

Re: How to name your startup

#25

Post by eCa »

FuzzyDunlop wrote: post #24

Speaking of names, can anyone identify the current trend of $arbitrary_number + $arbitrary_noun? I saw '80Legs' in a different thread, then there's stuff like 20Cans, 32Tractors, 99RedBalloons, and god knows what else.

Most likely Signals and Folders? And http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9whehyybLqU for the balloons..

Re: How to name your startup

#26

Post by b00m »

The policy used to arbitrate domain name disputes (UDRP or Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy) dictates that building a company on a site like bufferapp.com doesn't give that company the right to the corresponding .com. (buffer.com) Attempting to sue to get the name is called "reverse domain name hijacking" and the arbitration committee is very very skeptical of those types of request.

Case in point: http://www.thedomains.com/2012/06/16/rick-schwartz-wins-the-...

That being said, the price of the .com will track the perceived value of your company. It would be an awful waste to have to use a significant percentage of some round of funding to buy a domain name. Also, it seems like a significant percentage of your type-in traffic would be lost to the buffer.com. Even 10% of your type in traffic is probably worth the $xx,xxx you will pay for a decent .com name.

The arguments against paying for a decent .com seem weak.

Re: How to name your startup

#27

Post by kabdib »

paulsutter wrote: post #2

I would add: - Distinctive - Easy to spell - Easy to pronounce - Fairly unique on Google - Abstract is better than meaningful I love the suggestion that the domain name doesn't matter. A big mental shift for me, but the examples are compelling. Most people find sites with a Google search and not by direct navigation anyway. Easy to spell and pronounce are really important. If people aren't comfortable talking about y…

Easy to pronounce is pretty important. One startup I was at, I had to spell the name every time I mentioned it to someone new.

"I work for Wayfarer Communications."

"Wafer?"

"No, /Way Fare Er/"

"Wayfarfar?"

"Double-ewe Aye Why Eff Aye Are Eee Are."

"Oh . . . what does it mean?"

Not a /bad/ name, but not optimal, either.

Re: How to name your startup

#28

Post by dictum »

b00m wrote: post #26

The policy used to arbitrate domain name disputes (UDRP or Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy) dictates that building a company on a site like bufferapp.com doesn't give that company the right to the corresponding .com. (buffer.com) Attempting to sue to get the name is called "reverse domain name hijacking" and the arbitration committee is very very skeptical of those types of request. Case in point: http:…

Good luck finding a good name that is still available as a .com domain, or that can be bought for less than $2000.

(Actually, I hate the idea of paying any amount to a domain squatter.)

Re: How to name your startup

#29

Post by larrys »

tptacek wrote: post #12

A recent article made the case against disregarding domain names: while Square used to be SQUAREUP.COM, and Facebook used to be GETDROPBOX.COM, neither is today; both have acquired the bare domain name corresponding to their name and use them exclusively. The issue here is then, once you make the decision to be "getFOO.COM", the better you do, the more expensive FOO.COM becomes. There is no guarantee the price for th…

"There is no guarantee the price for the "real" domain name will ever be reasonable. It may instead become intractably expensive."

Thanks for saving me the time of saying exactly that.

I really can't stress this enough from my experience in this area both on the buying (and assisting sellers) side.

OP: "Pick a great name, then add something to get a domain name. It really doesn’t matter all that much - whether you get the domain later or don’t. Then get building!"

This is scary advice. And when contrasted with the examples given is dangerous. As you say "If you're committed to "getFOO.COM" forever, the strategy works just fine."

But then if you are "bufferapp.com" don't brand as "buffer" in your logo on your website and marketing materials, brand as "bufferapp".

Re: How to name your startup

#30

Post by jsomethings »

tptacek wrote: post #12

A recent article made the case against disregarding domain names: while Square used to be SQUAREUP.COM, and Facebook used to be GETDROPBOX.COM, neither is today; both have acquired the bare domain name corresponding to their name and use them exclusively. The issue here is then, once you make the decision to be "getFOO.COM", the better you do, the more expensive FOO.COM becomes. There is no guarantee the price for th…

This is the company naming article you're probably referring to: http://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2012/04/22/before-naming-...
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