Help Us Choose a Domain/Brand Name….
Monday, April 14th, 2008We would like to start with a big, make that a very BIG, “Arigatou gozaimasu!” In total we received over 5,000 submissions! We were blown away by the incredible response to our request for help.
We would like to thank everyone who submitted a suggestion, and also would like to let you know we’ll be sending along a very special e-mail for you in the near future. Please keep an eye out for it.
Below are the finalists. After 7 straight days of analyzing, testing, comparing, brainstorming, and more, below are the finalists.
We would like to ask you help one more time, as we would truly appreciate a vote for your favorite.
Thank you everyone for voting. The final results are below:
Thank you again. It is you, the listeners, that make our community and site so special.
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
Posted by JapanesePod101.com in General Announcements |
April 15th, 2008 at 3:02 am
Two points to consider for the top two at this point. “ifluency” does not inform the
uninformed what you actually do. It reminds me of the word “effluent” which can be understood as the outflow from a sewer. Very bad imagery.
“Languagepod101″ connects the future with the past highly regarded “pod101″ idea.
The “pod” is just techy enough without being cute. The “101″ suggests the beginning
to your obvious student learning base. Finally, the overall “Languagepod101″ is the perfect master site name that has under it all the specific language “sub-pods”
Jerold
April 15th, 2008 at 5:41 am
I agree with Jerold. I find the other names to be too generic. Languagepod101 is already associated with your sites and therefore easy to remember.
I noticed that when I voted Languagepod101 did not show up in the results. Will this affect the results? Did my vote go to another option? Just checking.
Deb
April 15th, 2008 at 7:07 am
I don’t really understand why everyone wants to name this amazing site after an apple product that has nothing to do with language?
Just seems overtly pop-culture driven and random.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Argh, no offence, but I really hope iFluency doesn’t win. :O
I think the whole i-Something trend of naming will die sooner or later, and not to mention the problem of there being no caps lock in addresses so it’s just going to sound like ‘ifluency’ which… if I wasn’t aware of your site, would likely have me wondering ‘what’s ifluent?’ And it reminds me a lot of effluent which… yeah.
(I still think my suggestion was awesome.
Shame on you! 
)
April 15th, 2008 at 7:09 am
Good lord, none of the above.
…Gomen.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:09 am
I know its a poll and all, but I don’t think iFluency is good because the ‘i’ way too overused, like iPOD and everything that evolved from that. Just my opinion.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:09 am
I think it has something to do with the iPod podcasts that this site is known for.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:11 am
That was a really tough choice. The 8 finalists are all quite attractive.
I can see that iFluency is getting the most votes so far, but I have to wonder if people would make the incorrect assumption that you are affiliated with Apple (iPod, iMac, iPhone) if you were to use that brand name.
Good luck making your choice.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:15 am
I think it’s amusing that so many people are commenting on thier dislike to the iFluency.com when it’s clearly the favorite at the moment. I wonder if they actually voted.
I did vote and I really think
Lingovation.com
could really work. on a marketing level it really pops and could have a fantastic bright future.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:15 am
honestly, I’m not very fond of any of those names - especially iFluency.com for all the reasons stated above. keep “pod” in the name - it is easy to understand. I have some better ideas, maybe I can email the team.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:15 am
i really dont like the ones listed. cheesy if you ask me.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:16 am
All of these suck. I am not voting for any of them.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:16 am
maybe it’s time to go back to the big NY ad agency.
Whatever they showed you you didn’t like had to be better than those…
April 15th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Actually, I don’t think the iFluency is that bad. Pretty much to the point, really.
I’m wondering what the z in zLanguage is supposed to stand for?
I’m gonna sleep on this for a bit and really give it some thought ^_^
April 15th, 2008 at 7:19 am
iFluency… its just too much :/
April 15th, 2008 at 7:19 am
ifluency does seem a bit too affiliated with Mac. Plus, it doesn’t seem unique enough to grab people’s attention. The “i” prefix has become pretty commonplace these days
April 15th, 2008 at 7:19 am
For what it’s worth, I don’t like iFluency either. The whole “iBlahblah” thing is just too faddy.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:20 am
I agree with peoples comments about iFluency. Pod made sense because of the podcast lessons, but i-whatever is lame and not an improvement from japanesepod101. Pod has become more ubiqutous and less ephemeral than i-whatever.
lingopod?
lingolearn?
rosettapod?
sorry I missed the deadline.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Yeah, ifluency shouldn’t happen. Liking lingovation the most out of these.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:25 am
i agree that all of the names aren’t that great, however, all the other names besides ifluency are terrible…
-jjk
April 15th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Why is the one I voted for last time gone, the best 101languages or something like that, all that are left now are far too cheezy for my taste
April 15th, 2008 at 7:27 am
I believe that it’s a mistake to include any names that would be a trademark violation, as we don’t want the company to lose a lot of money over this. I know for a fact for example that Apple has put a trademark on i-anything, so if you try that, you’re in for trouble. The only way I’d do it is if the publicity from a public trial will offset the sums you have to pay in reparation, and of course then you’re left finding a new brand name.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Here I thought my Lexicon Artists would totally steal the show, but I guess I should have went with iSomething or SomethingZ. Not really thinking these are at all attractive.
Sigh. Well, no use being a spoil sport. Good luck to the finalists!
April 15th, 2008 at 7:27 am
Can I vote to keep it japanesepod101?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Sorry, but I don’t like any of these suggestions either. It’s too bad there are no suggestions which keep the “pod” name scheme. worldpod101.com? worldpods.com?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:32 am
None of those are any good. I hate all of them.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:34 am
None of these names strikes me as being particularly original or memorable. If these are the options I would just stick with the current name.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:35 am
I like InnovativeLanguage the best. It’s actually real words and seems to be something that could draw a large number of people to try it, at least to see what it’s like.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:35 am
I think that the whole pod101.com says it all.
I vote to keep the original, because the options I am seeing are no good.
And what exactly is wrong with the original anyway. Everyone already is familiar with the old.
I work with a non-profit, and our # 1 Rule is don’t change what most people know.
Big mistake if you change the name.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Whatever happened to “lingua-junkie”? I thought that name was great! Some of mine were pretty good too… (linguaphile?) I’m not so keen on any of the above
April 15th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Yuck, they all seem very formulaic and gimmicky to me. Why are these any more appropriate than what your add guru attempted to provide?
I abstain on the grounds of sheer banality.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:38 am
I don’t quite dislike this i-fluency (somehow too Apple-related indeed), but starting from that whole generation phenomena I would much prefer something sounding like in-fluency: too bad both www.in-Fluency.com and www.inFluency.com are already taken! Better yet, www.wiifluency.com // JOKE! www.topfluency.com, www.weFluency.com, www.webFluency.com, www.nowFluency.com, etc. could perhaps save our collective soul; www.soulfluency.com
April 15th, 2008 at 7:38 am
I too think Innovative Language is the best, but isn’t that the company’s name already? I thought you ere trying to steer clear of that/change it?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:41 am
i agree with the prevailing sentiment here…can’t vote for any of these.
perhaps the adage “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” applies.
i’d vote to keep the existing name.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I’m getting sick of the whole iWhatever thing. It’s lacks originality. Where are the people who are voting for it? I want to know their reasoning to it. For me it’s always belonged to Apple and Mac. What’s with the ‘z’ though?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:50 am
These are some cool names, but …I really like ….
languageMe.com
April 15th, 2008 at 7:50 am
I really liked the name I’d submitted (”Polygloat”). Why isn’t it among the options?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:50 am
I also agree with comments about iFluency.com - I can’t believe it’s ahead! It’s just too overdone and links straight to an Apple product. Something new and fresh is needed in this market, not a rehashing of the same old shmame old. (No offense to the person who came up with that, it’s just worn out at this point in my humblest of opinions - and I do a lot of poking around for my freelanguage.org website.)
Out of the available options, my vote was for fluentforward.com because it expresses movement and relates directly to where people want to be: fluent! However, none of them grab me and I am surprised with all the submissions that these are the tops.
Are you still accepting any new ones or is it too late? This is just too important of a decision and from the comments above, there is already a load of disappointment.
Just my one-and-a-half cents…
April 15th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Having posted my most inner provocative thoughts already (please vote for: www.soulfluency.com below!), I would suggest to hang on the great JapanesePod101. I.. simply love it as it is.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:53 am
I agree - most of these names are weak, un-original, and un-exciting.
The best of the bunch is LingoLizzard.com - it stands out, sounds original and professional.
Vote for it!
April 15th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Or maybe Apple should buy out the whole thing altogether. That would certainly please a few hardworking volonters out there. By doing so, Apple woulod just become my true hero!
April 15th, 2008 at 7:57 am
I actually liked iFluency….it’s short and pertinent, and since I listen to all my lessons on my iPod, I saw an obvious connection. However, it seems everyone else who has commented hates it, because of it’s ubiquity, and this connection to Apple. What if it were to be more generic, instead of iFluency, go with eFluency? The name needs to relate to language and the internet, and I think it needs to be short and catchy. I don’t quite get the Lizard connection.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:57 am
zLanguage wouldn’t work here in Australia. We’d have to call it ZEDLanguage!!! I agree with everyone else. None of those names really grab me much. What’s wrong with sticking with the Language 101 idea as it is now? Taking a 101 course always implies an introduction to the topic with the option of moving on to a higher level if desired.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:57 am
Friends, international and local:
i say this as a loyal subscriber to three of your sites.
none of the above.
keep it japanesepod101, which was a fine name. what you have above sound like second rate eikaiwa or the kind of after-school grind academy my brother goes to for improving his school grades.
5,000 entries and “InnovativeLanguage”?
I thought you were fine the way you were. Now it’s just getting cheesy.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Sorry, none of these are any good. The i plus name trend is way over. So, if forced to pick, I will pick LingoLizzard because it is catchy, and something easy to remember is useful. But I agree with somebody above who said an ad agency (a really good one) should be consulted before making the final choice, and don’t feel you have to stick with one of these, please!
April 15th, 2008 at 7:58 am
ifluency…………..hahahahahahhahahahhahahahaha
wait…. are you serious?
April 15th, 2008 at 7:59 am
Or maybe eFluent.com….
April 15th, 2008 at 8:03 am
I don’t see CunningLingo up there. I’d vote for that.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Hi,
I too am surprised by the top-runners in the list.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Bit too late, but I’d like to suggest : languages101.com
The name’s message is pretty clear to me. Plus it reminds me of the original japanesepod101.
On the other hand, IAmFluent101 would be nice as well (as in I R Baboon, if you know the Cow and Chicken cartoon series
Lloyd
April 15th, 2008 at 8:05 am
Good luck with the next step!
四六七九
April 15th, 2008 at 8:06 am
Please help us out. Can you explain the meaning behind these names? Why “Forward”? What’s “z” mean, or “i”? How is misspelling “lizard” at all related to learning languages on my computer?
None of these names looks very good to my eye, but that must be simply because I’m not understanding what they mean.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Let’s see…
fluency4all.com - So there’s a 4 instead of the word “for”. That’s it?
iFluency.com - I agree with the above criticisms. It could be a legal liability, it’s overused, etc.
Lingfinity.com - Just two words mashed together does not equal awesome. Hard for non-native English speakers as well, if you plan on appealing to that market.
zLanguage.com - And your motto could be, “The Z stands for Awesome!” Isn’t that the only purpose for the z? /sarcasm. Bad name.
The rest range from 5-7 on a scale of 1-10. Not great, some are just OK. You don’t have to be democratic about this process. If you like a name, use it. Most people don’t know a thing about corporate identity.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:08 am
Ok, so I R Baboon is not that fluent anyway
April 15th, 2008 at 8:09 am
I think eFluency.com came to mind immediately when i saw “iFluency”. Looks like I’m not the only one that thought of that. I think eFluency says it all.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:09 am
At zLearning, we make learning ‘z’!
April 15th, 2008 at 8:10 am
Personally I don’t like any of the entries above. I have some suggestions below. Maybe these aren’t any better too.
Can we have a second round please? Then everyone else who is late can submit their suggestions. The first round came and went too quickly. And I really hope you’ll find a great domain name!
Maybe it can be an open round where participants can see what other participants have submitted since that could be inspiring.
Good luck anyway!
1) linggeek.com (lingo + geek, sounds like ‘think geek’ )
2) lingogeek.com (lingo + geek, geek is a very fashionable web2 word these days, many of your readers are self-proclaimed geeks too)
3) lintaku.com (lingo + otaku)
4) babelistic.com
5) linguilistic.com (might confuse with lingualistic?)
6) lingoed.com (lingo + education or like ‘being lingoed’ )
7) linguaddicted.com (lingua + addicted)
All available at time of writing.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:11 am
to be honest, they all sound bad, I voted for iFluency because it’s the only name that has a coolness to it.
What the hell is a lizzard and why was “lingovation” chosen out of 5000???
April 15th, 2008 at 8:13 am
I think ifluency is the most professional of the finalists. There are many software tools out there with the i”something” naming that have nothing to do with the iPod, so I don’t think it’s really a big deal.
I still like “Relatively Speaking” best!! どこ？
April 15th, 2008 at 8:14 am
‘Lingfinity’???
Didn’t Captain Picard require a specially modified gamma-ray disruptor beam in order to defeat him???
April 15th, 2008 at 8:18 am
I too am surprised by the top runners in the list. Many sound like software products. I agree strongly with those who have commented that the ‘101′ monika fits very well. You have already established a great brand. ‘
Changing your name now seems like a step backwards.
101 is a community - just like a college class. The class material is always up to date, relevant to the “real world” and taught by enthusiastic teachers who love their vocation. We get to virtually socialize with other students who are eager to help each other…. I think the reason it’s so hard to find a new name is that you already have one that fits extremely well! Stick with it.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:18 am
OK, I came to comment against iFluency but other people have beat me to it.
Effluent in the man-made sense is generally considered to be pollution
such as the outflow from a sewage treatment facility or the wastewater discharge
Anything else on the list is fine.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:30 am
I don’t think choosing a name should be democratic. Can you imagine what it would be like to name your kid via a vote from family members? Parents are solely responsible for the name of their child so that some family members do not feel left out.
here is the email i sent:
you are a broadcast company and .fm and .tv come to mind much more
than .com. using .us might be fun.
here are some ideas
http://www.dot.fm/
.fm & .tv
=======
language.fm is being parked
language.tv is taken
babel.fm is available
learntospeak.fm is available
conversation.fm is available
lynx.fm larynx + links so newbie.japanese.lynx.fm, beginner.japanese.lynx.fm
lynxus.fm
.us
=======
allof.us
lynx.us is parked. i really like this one. japanese.lynx.us
then again there are sites like
amie.st
April 15th, 2008 at 8:37 am
P.U.! Peppy le Peu! I deserve a free month just for having to sniff my way through that stinky list.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:40 am
None of the above. I’m especially against ifluency.com and lingfinity.com
April 15th, 2008 at 8:41 am
I agree with the feeling of being underwhelmed by these options. (iFluency, no way; FluentForward — tongue twister) LingoLizzard is cute, if some kind of lizard is going to be a part of the site image. But why two z’s? I don’t get the misspelling, especially for a language site.
My vote’s for sticking with jpod101, too.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Ok so i voted for ‘ifluency’ but am now seeing the error of my ways … :/
if i could change my vote it would go to ‘innovativelanguage’ but i’m with everyone else in asking “they were the best that came from 5000 entries?’
Any chance of having a second round for submissions?
April 15th, 2008 at 8:47 am
why is ‘InnovativeLanguage’ put in singular? I thought the whole point was to showcase your multilinguality?
‘InnovativeLanguages’. We’re innovative!!
But it’s still a big heap of ‘who cares’?
April 15th, 2008 at 8:51 am
esperanto was a very InnovativeLanguage. As was Klingon. And Tolkien. All very innovative.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:55 am
i’m sorry, but i would also insist on keeping a name with 101 on it…. for all of us that liked the original one!
April 15th, 2008 at 8:56 am
It smells like a new round of “finalists”. And people, you have to remember the name cannot be Japanese-centric or any other language for that matter.
Guys, you even own languagepod101.com, what else do you want to use, for me that says it all.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:56 am
I think you should continue with Japanesepod101. None of the above are winners. ifluency stands for internet fluency or fluency through internet. So it is just not the fluency we are talking about.
what dictionary has to say:
fluent adj. 1 (of speech, style, etc.) flowing, natural. 2 verbally facile, esp. in a foreign language (fluent in German). fluency n. fluently adv. [Latin fluo flow]
So we are here talking about overall language development. Hence none of the above suit. I think you should review once again the enteries you have received impartially. All the choices made above definitely do not represent educational tool over internet.
So Peter san please review the entries once again. You should be unbiased.
Site name should represent as to what it intends to achieve i.e. Enhance Japanese language capabilities.
April 15th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Nice work building up your brand name recognition only to destroy it with those horrible suggestions.
Why not go with a slight variation on what you (and your customers) know…
languagepod101.com
April 15th, 2008 at 8:58 am
i agree, japananesepod101 is fine..actually, its much better than what they listed above.. Why change it when its already great ???
April 15th, 2008 at 9:00 am
For Cryin’ out loud, just keep the current name. It is what it says! I don’t know which marketing person came up with this idea. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cringed as companies make mistakes like these because some marketing person needed to justify their existence. Did you know any marketing majors in college? Oooh, not so impressive. Couldn’t keep up with the “Communications” curriculum, because it was too intense. For instance: A slow release form of an ADHD medicine made by a European company is called “xxxxxxx Retard”, from the French for slow. Woops. To be fair, there are some *very* good marketing people, and they create some truly brilliant campaigns. But clearly none of them came up with this idea.
Peace,
Eric
April 15th, 2008 at 9:03 am
Wow, I am really surprised by this list. This isn’t at all the direction I thought the team would take. I’ll go ahead and try to vote, but I must say that the selection isn’t what I was hoping for. I’m certain there must have been more exciting entries than these. Where is the pizzazz? the punch? the cutting edge? Are you sure you all aren’t sleep-deprived or something after looking at 5000 entries?
April 15th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Ouch. All of these names are like getting sand in your popcorn.
GJ
April 15th, 2008 at 9:08 am
I agree with everyone else who thinks that pod is a key element of this site. The thing that attracted me to this site was the idea of the podcast, something I could listen to at work to passively learn a little each day. I think by taking that out of your name, your losing your appeal.
Also, InnovativeLanguage feels especially horrendous in my personal opinion. Is it the language itself that is innovative? Even if it was Languages, the same applies. To me it just doesn’t conjure a clear image of what your site is.
That’s just my humble input.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:10 am
I think InnovativeLanguage.com is the best one. Granted, it’s a bit boring and not the least big cute, but I think it describes quite accurately the nature of the product being sold. It is nothing if not innovative, for a way to learn languages.
I think it’s important to have a domain that describes accurately what you’re selling without having to go into any other detail besides that name.
This does that.
So while it’s not the most exciting name ever, it will get the point across and people will click onto it based on that.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:13 am
I voted for one of the listed, however I wish that I could retract the vote and enter “None of the Above”. Surely out of 5,000 entries (?) a more meaningful and descriptive name could be found. After reviewing the comments I am unable to find any of the favorable comments (which are iffy) that I can agree with; Now, the unfavorable comments are right on the button !!
Stick with what we have JapanesePod101 !!
April 15th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Unfortunately, I’ve got to tag along with many of the other commentators and say I prefer, by far, the original japanesepod101 in comparison to these new names. Less cheesy, and overall easier to remember..
Best of luck with whatever happens, though.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Since L means language and infinity means no limit. These two words are combined and can cover things that JapanesPod101 do.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:29 am
Hmm, I thought i voted for languagepod101.com but now i don’t see it on that list, did something happen here?
April 15th, 2008 at 9:30 am
This is great fun.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I didn’t end up submitting a suggestion because mine were all as bad as these: LinguaPod, Linguanator, Coolio St. Cool’s Linguatorium, Last of the Linguicans, etc.
Fluency4all.com - probably the best for an (extremely generic) company name.
FluentForward.com - to say this lacks imagination would lack imagination.
iFluency.com - see above x 10 + what everyone else said.
InnovativeLanguage.com - claims innovation but actually just ripped off the old name.
Lingfinity.com - sounds like it’s named after a Chinese Toy Story fan.
LingoLizard.com - your sites teach a lot more than a bit of lingo, this really cheapens the image. Also, Lingua flows a lot better.
Lingovation.com - see above but worse.
zLanguage.com - most people at least aim for a C.
None of them are better than the original, and it’ll be a travesty if iFluency ends up winning. I was really expecting a lot better, so I’m going to have to sit on the fence for this one I’m afraid.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:40 am
Hmm… I had somehow hoped for better options than these!
These sound like a second-rate or low-budget website:
Fluency4all.com
Lingfinity.com ~~ i don’t think people will get the “lingua” connection
Lingovation.com
Sounds questionably like an :
FluentForward.com
Sounds cheap and obvious:
iFluency.com ~~ anything like iffluenza?
zLanguage.com ~~ zzzLanguage…. sorry, too boring, zzz
Er… what?!:
LingoLizard.com ~~ sounds like it is geared towards kids. Having that entry here (lingolizard.com) sounds like someone on your brainstorming team really, really thinks is the best choice, and maybe has already drawn sample logos or site mascots or whatever, and now the rest of the team is humoring this person by including this choice among the options and “let’s just let the public decide…”
Of these, the remaining choice is the only one that wasn’t immediately ruled out. It sounds like a professional company, maybe not as zingy as you want, but it works well anyway:
InnovativeLanguage.com
April 15th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Mr. Galante,
These selections, if I may use the argot of the American high school, “blow big time!”
I mean,, blow blow me down. As in shiver me timbers.
(shake head). You guys need, and deserve, a long holiday. The florescent lighting of your Tokyo office has corrupted your ability to spot creativity when you see it. I mean it — your site(s) is fantastic. FANTASTIC. And you deserve better than this stuff.
Just shelve the idea for a while. Don’t go with something lame.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:51 am
“Coolio St. Cool’s Linguatorium”
BRILLIANT!!!!!!! Please let me vote for this option, PLEASE!!!
April 15th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Despite that I didn’t vote for the current leader, I feel it seems to represent best what the language-pod group of websites does best. (:
Ganbatte!
April 15th, 2008 at 9:54 am
While many people are simply averse to change, I have to agree that, in my opinion, none of the finalists are significant improvements at all and I would stick with the pod101 theme if possible.
However, I would like to re-submit my name choice which I think is very strong:
podlingual.com
April 15th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I love the name ifluent!
Fluency is one of the distinct areas in which I assess my English language learners. It has nothing to do with mac, little more than ipod does, which I believe has a mac symbol on it, though I could be wrong. I’m assuming that’s where “JapanesePod” got their name.
Anyway, fluency is the goal of all of a language learner, and a slight change to “efluency” could introduce the whole “electronic” edge to the name.
Just a thought…
April 15th, 2008 at 10:10 am
What’s wrong with Pod101, it is a heap better than those 8 names? If it aint broke don’t fix it.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:10 am
Agreed with most above the existing name is great and already an established brand, please don’t throw that away!
All these options are pretty aweful, but if a change was needed I prefer my “eLinguist.com” entry ^^
April 15th, 2008 at 10:19 am
“Grammar with Galante”
“Taliban Interpreters Inc.”
“Unlike Your Grade 10 Spanish Teacher, We’re Sober!”
April 15th, 2008 at 10:31 am
the best name was submitted by a friend of mine but didn’t make it to the finalists…
PodLingual
it’s a good one, no?
April 15th, 2008 at 10:42 am
“Z-Language”??
Is that some über new programming code for the OS used in Stealth Fighters??
C++Language.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Not that keen on any of the names except that I like animals and therefore Lizard, but to me has no connection with languages… The other point is that for me none of the above words translate well to other languages and aren’t we trying to include a brand that covers half the globe??
Also a short name is always easier to type into a browser and remembered
how about
lingo101.com
or
lingopod101.com
as many people like the 101 thing
I know these probably dont translate but had to offer something
just an aside, would be great if the latest posts were at the top of the page…
April 15th, 2008 at 10:43 am
oops! saw some other people had thought of Podlingual too. languagepod101 is also a million times better than anything up there. they all make me feel weird inside.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Why don’t you toss up a site with all of them in it?
Use Pligg (pligg.com) and let everyone vote on them all for a month or so?
I think Languagify.com is good. It is a mixture of language and diversify.
If you look at the word and break it down in language and -ify it also produces good meaning.
The dictionary states:
-fy or -ify
suff. Cause to become; make:
So, if broken into language and -ify: Cause to become or make language.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:48 am
These are all so ugly!
Dearest Japanespod 101, If you really want to attract new customers then you need to think outside of the box (ie. not name your site something that everyone expects your site to be named).
But that just might be too much work for you.
So I guess just stick to these atrocious suggestions.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Yikes. The majority of those are abominable choices.
I kind of like FluentForward.com because it best represents the core values of your company (language and innovation). It does, however, have an unfortunate similarity to worst-movie-of-all-time candidate Pay it Forward.
April 15th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Sorry to be rude, but out of 5,000 entries these were the best? Lingfinity? I think you should start the contest over and find another professional for help!
April 15th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I second languagepod101 -
April 15th, 2008 at 11:07 am
i love japanesepod101!! i’m always filled with anticipation when i hear the intro that goes japanese podo ichi maru ichi!
i like the word babel but that means confusion as in the languages were confused so that people can’t understand each other…
how about speakingintongues101, it refers to an incident where people were unconsciously speaking in foreign languages that the native speakers could understand.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:07 am
hahahah these guys are pretty straight forward down here!!! I think the suggestions are all cheesy, too, except for lingfinity.com, I think it does have a personality and you have all the potential to turn it into a sucess brand. Good luck with the change!
April 15th, 2008 at 11:23 am
I dont like any of the suggestions. If you go with innovative language.com you’re on to a loser as the name is way too long!
April 15th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Honestly, none of these names are that attractive to me. It seems like you just randomly picked most of those out of a hat… Lingfinity is horrid, seriously. Finite means something has limits, so in essence you are advertising that your site is linguisticly finite.
iFluency has already been completely taken apart here, so I don’t need to go into that.
Luckily, the only decent choice, InnovativeLanguage, is winning. If anything else wins, I might see myself losing interest in the site.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Actually, I think this list might be a joke. Maybe they are just having some fun with us. I seriously amo wondering if this is a practical joke, and they are just sitting in the office there snickering.
I mean ‘fluency4all’?? That sounds like something my neighbors dad my come up with after he has has a couple too many. Like when he is just kidding around. I can just here him. ‘howz bout fluency for all’?
I have seen a couple in this thread that are better than any of the ones listed.
And whoever chose Fluentforward did not have a bit of foresight, or know anything about phonetic difficulties that might be encountered. As someone said above, it is a tonguetwister.
Japanese will replace the English labio-dental ‘f’ with a Japanese bi-labial fricative ‘f/h’. Then they will drop the ‘r’/
So it will come out like hooento houwad.
Koreans will replace every ‘f’ sound with a plosive ‘p’.
Then they will get poo-ent-po-wad.
If Peter is getting his Phd. in Linguistics then he should be aware of this but I’ll bet he has not even given much thought to it. Maybe he did not even look at the answers.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Not a fan of any of the finalists. Too complicated, too long, too complex. After all your customers are from a variety of language backgrounds. Word of mouth is always the best advertising therefore keep it short and simple or maybe just two syllables. That way when you tell a friend they can easily remember and find it. Leave it as it is (sounds good to me) or keep it short and simple. Thanks.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Peter, here is my entry. I truly feel that it is the
best.
You need something that is global. But not so boring
as to just use the word “global”. That would not be
Japanese to do that, and I fully realize that you want
to appeal to a broader audience than Japan. But,
there is a certain Japanese sense of style, and class
that I think cannot be matched in America, or
anywhere. Thus, you should capitalize on the assets
that you have.
You need something which speaks to what is that you
actually do. And, what it is that people actually
FEEL when they listen to your show.
What I feel like is that I am hanging around with
friends. Playful friends, friends who care about each
other, friends who respect each other, friends who
give each other a hard time, friends who allude to
romance, friends who are clever, friends who are
letting me in on the inside scoop on the real Japanese
that is spoken, friends who want their friend (me) to
succeed, friends who are professionals, friends who
are cool and successful.
That is what I feel when I am with you guys.
Peter, what you are branding is yourself, and the
special gang that you have hired there. The advantage
of that is you do not have to worry about someone
copying you because they can never be you(all). they
cannot be you any more than a different group of four
could be the Beatles. they would always be an
imitation.
Imagine someone trying to imitate your family? They
might do a good job and be nice, but they cannot be
your family.
And, on the show Bewitched, there was one of those
Dicks who was the real Darren to you.
Or, everybody has their own idea of who is the REAL
James Bond.
Even in that show the 6 Million Dollar Man, they had a
guy come on in one of the later seasons who cost 7
million. He was stronger, faster, and etc.
Well, of course no one accepted him because he wasn’t
Steve Austin, whom they were familiar with.
My point is, your team, is your brand and so you have
to sell that,and develop it, and KEEP it because that
is why people keep tuning in. If Sakura, or Naomi
don’t feel good one day, we want to know about it etc.
You also need something that transcends Japan, so you
can grow into other markets.
You need a name which rolls off your tongue, and one
that is not too hard for English speakers to
pronounce.
More importantly, you want one that they can remember.
Anyway, I have a name which speaks to that.
Tomoroku or Tomoroku Languages or Tomoroku101
The meaning of the word in Japanese means internet
friend, or internet buddy list. Isn’t that perfect!!
Four syllables.
And it is so easy to remember, because there are so
many double meanings and homonyms.
1)tomorrow cool
2) tomorrow will rock!
3)my friends rock
4) I live in Tomorrow-ku. I moved here from Chuo-ku.
4) tumor, oh cool!!
5) It means a group of internet friends in Japanese,
how cool is that. And people will have fun learning
that, and it is not too hard to learn.
You teach them that and they will really think they
learned something.
And, after all, that is what you guys are….an
internet group of friends.
Tomoroku
Tomoroku
Tomoroku
Tomoroku
Tomoroku
Tomoroku
Best Regards,
Toby
April 15th, 2008 at 11:44 am
What can I say, these names seem very unfit for you guys… I honestly can’t come up with a logical reason which would make you focus on those particular eight, they really all give a very unprofessional image of you. weren’t there any better names out of the 5,000?
April 15th, 2008 at 11:47 am
I’ve already posted about how I hate iFluency (see 4th comment) but I’d just like to add that I agree with all the above posters saying to keep japanesepod101.com the way it is. Because you know what? I remember it. And I’m used to it. And even if it changes, I will STILL call it JapanesePod101, just because that’s what I’m used to, and I think I can say the same for a lot of people here.
Also, not everyone listens on their iPod. I, personally, listen on a Sansa.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:53 am
Hmm well I don’t really like any of those -_-’ Personally, I liked some of my own suggestions better, and even some of my mother’s… and I really dislike the iFluency thing because of the whole “iPod” and things like that. I’m sad that none of my suggestions were choosen… hehehe.
April 15th, 2008 at 11:57 am
オレの意見不合格だか？ 残念だな〜 意味が良いだと思たのに
Wow… so many people against iFluency.com… it’s not that bad really… yes, it’s overused… but definitely pretty catchy and people will remember it!
For example, do you know of the Japanese website that teaches English? www.iKnow.com !!!!! LOL!!!!!! Now that name is funny!!!! But it’s aimed toward the local Japanese market, and it works.
I also like the xxxxxxxx101.com traditional… I would suggest Fluency101.com….
One last thing… by posting all the names out here, I hope that means you’ve already registered all of them!
April 15th, 2008 at 11:58 am
One more thing, if you want Sakura to come and work for you full-time, do you really think she is going to be proud to tell people where she works if the name is Lingolizard?
“I work for Morgan Stanley in Ebisu”
“I work for Louis Vitton in Aoyama, how about you Sakura and Naomi?”
“oh, us?……We work for Lingo Lizard”
“aa souka, ringo rijad desu ne, urayamashii ne”
April 15th, 2008 at 11:59 am
I personally don’t like any of the names… they all sound too contrived, not to mention hard for non-native English speakers to pronounce easily. You should try to find something that emphasizes the fact that you’re a global company, something that will appeal to many different cultures and languages. None of the names above did anything for me… 101languagepod.com would be good, even if not all the languages had the 101pod thing on them… still would encompass the languages you’ve currently got up, plus any others you add… it’s a beginning language podcast, thus the 101languagepod. Just like in college, a 101 class is the basic class, no prerequisites. *shrug* It’s ultimately up to you but I don’t think any of these are where you’re trying to take the site…
April 15th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
Ok, April Fool’s was a fortnight ago, boys . . . this is a joke right?
I will lose all faith in your organisation if a person is entitled to a lifetime of free subscriptions for ‘iFluency’ . . . which has about as much originality as a Burger King milkshake.
Complete rubbish, the whole lot. Boo!
April 15th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Wow, welcome to the internet. Where a potential name change makes people start thinking it’s the end of the world.
The most ridiculous thing I heard in these comments is the comment “If anything else wins, I might see myself losing interest in the site.” Honestly you guys? It’s a name. It’s the name that will brand all of their products, taking the place of “Innovative Language Learning.” That’s what is being replaced, not JapanesePod101.com or anything like that. And either way, the name of the company does not have anything to do with the quality of the product. It’s still going to be the same great stuff, no matter what the company name is. So, if you’re so upset with this ordeal, just vote for InnovativeLanguage.com, which is essentially the status quo, and stop whining.
FluentForward is almost good, but it’s a little too hard to say. I think FluencyForward sounds better.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
And I agree with Tracy above. Whatever you choose should be easy for non-native English speakers to pronounce.
Like Tomoroku.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
And I’ll still go with my own suggestion: LinguaTonic.com
April 15th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
I respectfully disagree with Matt above. When Jack-in-the-Box changed their name to Monterey Jacks, they almost went broke, so they had to change the name back.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
Linguatonic is good too. I would prefer that, or Linguaddicted to any of the so-called “Crap-8″.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
And when Nintendo changed the name of the Revolution to “Wii,” everyone thought they were so stupid… and you know what happened next.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Hello everyone !
First thank you very much for the great service JapanesePod101 !
I hope the new name brings all the best !
But I have to say sadly that, I’m not happy about any of the names.
Since I studied Product/ Brand Management, of course it is important to find a unique and interesting name but this doesn’t mean every strange name is gonna be succesful. The most important thing is “interesting” yes ! But also “short” and “easy to remember” names. And please don’t forget that people from “all over the world” are using your service. People may have difficulty to remember most of the names above and I am sure if I want to tell someone about the new name, they will want from me to repeat more than once. I may need to spell and may cause “to give up”. And some of the names may cause writing mistakes. This is my opinion, English is not my native language so please forgive !
I voted anyway and I am wishing the best !
Good luck !
April 15th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Yes, and the Wii really took off, so names do indeed matter.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I also think that there is nothing special in shortlist above. Either stick to something like 101languagepod or just languagepod, or keep trying to find something truly innovative, but simple and catchy.
Off the top of my head (although most of these will be taken):
speakeasy.com
babelfish.com
transferlounge.com
babble.com
squawk.com
multilingual.com multilangual.com
lifi.com
talk.com talkfree.com partytalk.com friendspeak.com
podspeak.com lingpod.com langpod.com podalot.com poddle.com
Or you could simply make up a nonsense name and use a bit of PR to get it known:
bliik.com flikflak.com shwoo.com hoohaa.com bloop.com
Remember, the final name will then have the subdomains attached. So you might opt for a really short domain:
japanese.babble.com
chinese.lifi.com
french.squawk.com
etc.
Wishing you well in coming up with something. Snot easy, hahaha!
April 15th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Frankly, all of the above names are dreadful.
Lingfinity. I voted for that because it’s the worst.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
The name wasn’t the reason it was successful. My point is that people in these comments are attributing way too much to the name. This company existed for years with the name “Innovative Language Learning,” for crying out loud.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
I don’t like any of the choices really. Out of 5000 entries were these really the best? Too long, too many syllables that don’t really sound good together.
Whatever you choose, it should flow, be smooth and simple. Something that you don’t have to spell out to people when you share the name….
April 15th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Matt, you said yourself, when you were contradicting me, that Nintendo changed the name, and everyone thought they were crazy and it took off. Seems in that coment you are saying that names matter.
Then you turned around and contradicted yourself. Which position are you taking?
April 15th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
“which is essentially the status quo, and stop whining.”
Matt,
I don’t think any of use feel, despite your premonitions, that the world will end over this ‘name change’. However, as this ‘contest’ was pitched (to the max) as an audience interactive experience . . . well, expect some comments on a blog. If you wish to defend the good name of ‘Innovative Language’, that’s your business. Peter drummed up this event to put attention onto his business (which I think is a sly publicity move on his part, regardless of the winning.) He succeeded. But after his long tale of woe about corporate execs and mission miscommunication, he turned to us for our thoughts.
Personally, out of 5000 entries, I can’t believe the above were the best.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I still like mine…”Lingualicious”…how did this one not make the cut? Put that to a vote, Hairy Podder….
April 15th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Hello Mina-san,
Peter here. All I can say is “Wow!” I laughed, I cried, and experienced it all, and I am only half way through.
First, thank you for the direct and straightforward feedback! While we truly value your opinions, please remember these entries we sent in by fellow listeners. So if you could take that into consideration when expressing your opinions, we would truly appreciate it.
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
“So if you could take that into consideration when expressing your opinions, we would truly appreciate it.”
that’s the playschool mentality for you. hence, why you thought iFLUENCY was a good idea.
matty, matt my man, u came up with iFluency, didn’t ya?? don’t worry, it’s not that gaytarded.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Toby,
I am taking the position that the name of a company is not directly proportional to the success or quality of its products. As an aside, with the Wii example, I am trying to illustrate an example where a company’s fan base got extremely upset about a name change, and the product managed to thrive — in spite of it, not because of it — anyway.
Gabriel,
I’m hearing a lot of similar sentiments that it’s hard to believe that we couldn’t come up with any better names. But it’s a little strange to hear so much of the community complain that there aren’t any good names when Peter turned to the community itself for names. I guess that’s why we’re all keeping our various dayjobs instead of going into the marketing business.
April 15th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Sorry, but I do not like any of them… And I agree i is way overused.
April 15th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I dont understand why my idea isnt up there because GlobaLingua sounds better that zLanguage and iFluency.