[Foundation-l] Rethinking brands

[Andreas Praefcke]

I just cannot see how Erik's proposal should help with his main issue
which I would rather describe as "Wikimedia" being the weakest of
names, especially since "Wikipedia" and "MediaWiki" are out there and
very, very well known.

To me, "Wikimedia" is the one name to be changed: something completely
new may be invented in its place, and pretty much nobody would
complain. Apart from some hardcore Wikipedians/Wikimedians and maybe a
couple of sponsors, I don't think anyone knows the name at all. And
those that know could most easily adopt a catchier name. Preferably
something nice and fluffy that could be put on a T-shirt and made into
a stuffed animal...

As to Erik's proposal, it reminds me of some of the marketing-driven
naming and renaming schemes that do not care too much about usability
and "catchiness". We might even end up with a mess like the following
(recommended reading if you want to be sure to get a headache within 2
minutes):

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/voicesw/ps2237/products_qanda_item0900aecd805e69cf.shtml

In a recent message, Erik asked for "rational" arguments rather than
"emotional" ones. Here's one: IMHO "emotional success with the
contributing user" pretty much equals "success" in non-profit
grassroot communities like Wikimedia's projects.

Regards

-  Andreas Praefcke