SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Phew, we are almost there, we've reached the last phase of voting. The final list of names is:
- apt-get-news
- crosslog
- dailybacon
- forkdot
- grepnews OR newsgrep
- salientnews OR salientnoise
- soylentnews
- sudonews
- techmatter
All of the above names we have confirmed in at least *.net and *.org, and we even have a few *.com (where possible). There are some new names because the staff held a round to submit and vote also. The above list was created by using the top 5 from both staff and the community, and two extras due to possible copyright issues with two of the names (soylent and apt-get-news).
There were a few names that were nearly identical, the two pairs are listed as one entry (with the variation that got the most points listed first). Should one of these win there will be a runoff to determine which variation gets used. (This is done to keep from splitting the vote for very close names).
The final round of voting will go out within 24 hours after this post and last for one week. We would like to provide an opportunity to discuss the finalists, so here is your chance, discuss below. If you change your mind after seeing an insightful comment, remember you can always change your vote by sending it in again (only most recent will count). We collected a quick writeup from as many submissions as possible to allow for discussion. Some names have more than one advocate due to multiple submitters; conversely, some submitters didn't reply.
Site Name: crosslog
islisis writes:
The idea behind this was to highlight the cross-fertilisation and communication of expert community voices I have cherished over the years. I hoped that our site name could represent that value to outsiders. To me, the site is also a record of our experiences through tech events, and a valuable log and testament to the lives which dared to ride the wave.
cosurgi writes:
Our site is cross-logging events from around the world. The "cross" means that various different disciplines are inter weaved together.
Site Name: sudonews
gishzida writes:
"Sudo" is a pun on both a *nix shell command to "execute a command as if you are the system superuser" and on the word "Pseudo" i.e. not genuine... both of these things represent the kind of environment our site operates in--- we find news stories, we edit them then we expand upon them factually or contra-factually... laughing, flaming, learning, teaching, and hopefully building friendships and consensus.
Site Name: apt-get-news
gishzida writes:
The name is based on the shell command in some linux distributions [Debian, Ubuntu, etc]. Apt-get is used to reach out to a software repository to obtain and install software. "apt-get-news" reflects the idea that we reach out to get and install news in our community to discuss.
I have been surprised by this community and whatever the name ends up being I know it will be the starting point of something great.
cosurgi writes:
Our site has "natural tendency" to "get" the "news" from around the world. (second meaning of apt on http://www.thefreedictionary.com/apt is "natural tendency")
Site Name: grepnews, newsgrep
AudioGuy writes:
This name was interesting to me because it instantly provides knowledge of what the site does, and who it is targeted to, from the very name itself. Grep is a command line program that searches a mass of data for information matching a certain pattern. Our site searches a mass of data ('news') for information ('stories') that match a certain pattern ('would be of interest to our community of users')
Our users are mostly of a somewhat technical bent, and tend to use computers in a fairly sophisticated way, so would likely know what 'grep' means. So just from the name one might assume this was some sort of news aggregation site aimed at more technical users. In this respect, it has some similarity with another, similar sites name.
Site Name: salientnews or salientnoise
AudioGuy writes:
Another description of exactly what our site does - it looks for news that is salient to our community of users. It does not indicate a preference for purely technical news.
Site Name: techmatter
middlemen writes:
The name "techmatter" is derived from Breaking Bad's "Grey Matter" corporation of which Walter White used to be a part of. Since Soylent News is predominantly a technological oriented website, the name "techmatter" makes sense. It also is safe for work and is easy to market to other folks who are already into technology or who will be part of the community in the future.
Marketing is everything.
AudioGuy writes:
This is a very general name indicating a site that concerns itself with technical matters, that can easily expand its meaning to different uses. I was surprised it was still available.
Site name: forkdot
geottie writes:
Well, pretty simple: our site (& community) is a fork of and has a similar ring to the site we came from and will serve us as a reminder of our effort as a community. The name represents the core values and principles of Free Software & Open Source, which, when followed truly, are always guided by the community. Our community is part of this larger culture/movement and this name will remind us and following generations to continue standing for Freedom and uphold our belief and ability to work towards and defend a genuine, Free Internet for the benefit and advancement of earth, humanity and our society. Huzzah^H^H^H^H^H^H Woot!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 16 2014, @05:03PM
Everything. It has nothing to do with technology, and means either (a) nothing, (b) cannibalism, or (c) a misguided granola bar.
A better question might be what's right with it. (Oh, except that it's here already. A lousy reason for a site that is purporting itself to represent its community.)
(Score: 2, Insightful) by hoochiecoochieman on Friday May 16 2014, @05:10PM
It comes from a science fiction cult movie, so it's pretty nerdy. I though this site was about nerdiness, not only technology.
A good test we should give the prospects is: If you have to ask what the name means, you don't belong here.
(Score: 2) by DrMag on Friday May 16 2014, @06:09PM
Which is part of the problem with it, too. Would we run into copyright issues with the name Soylent? I'm alright with the name, personally, but between that possibility and the existence of better options, I say we change it now.
We deal with too much legacy, backwards-compatible cruft as it is. It may make things confusing at the moment, but sometimes a clean break is a huge win for the future; it only needs to be done with enough transparency that the users/customers/etc. are aware of it. So far, the team here has done a good job with that.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by RedBear on Friday May 16 2014, @06:57PM
But that's why SoylentNews has always been the mostest perfectest name for this site. Because it doesn't mean much of anything intrinsically besides being a techy/geeky/nerdy reference to a possible dystopian future, which is something that gets discussed a lot these days, especially around here. And as a reference to possible indirect cannibalism it is also perfect, since do we not "consume" each other's news submissions as they line up in the queue, and then "consume" each other's posted observations and opinions?
I have never understood why we've even bothered to go through the motions of this voting process. None of the other candidate names can hold a candle to SoylentNews as far as I'm concerned. They're either awkward or far too limited in what they imply the site should be about. SoylentNews is People, and the name and slogan are a perfect fit for what is, and should be, a general geeky news site without artificial limitations.
Sometimes you just get things right from the beginning without even trying, and it's unwise to keep mucking about until you screw it up. Plus, the momentum already inherent in the SoylentNews name could mean the difference between life and death for this site. I haven't bothered with any voting so far but I'll definitely be putting in my vote for SoylentNews this week in this final vote. Please join me.
¯\_ʕ◔.◔ʔ_/¯ LOL. I dunno. I'm just a bear.
... Peace out. Got bear stuff to do. 彡ʕ⌐■.■ʔ
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Iskender on Friday May 16 2014, @07:21PM
If the first good thing that springs to mind about a name is that it means nothing, then it's probably not very good. If being a frequent topic is a criterion, then we could also pick anything - it's a meaningless distinction.
And sometimes you don't, but people get used to a bad solution. That's what's happened here - several of the suggested new names are good enough not to require anyone to get used to them. Were the current name actually good, it would have already won. But because it's there mostly due to inertia, anything might win.
(Score: 1) by RedBear on Saturday May 17 2014, @08:02PM
Wow, I guess the tide of public opinion is really against me on this one. Not sure how any moderator can justify modding someone _down_ for offering up an _opinion_ in what is supposed to be a free and open discussion of the worthiness of the site name.
¯\_ʕ◔.◔ʔ_/¯ LOL. I dunno. I'm just a bear.
... Peace out. Got bear stuff to do. 彡ʕ⌐■.■ʔ