A new forum name?

Discuss the LLORG's and HTLAL forum's past and its future here.
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A new forum name?

Postby Evita » Tue Aug 11, 2015 7:39 pm

I've read some discussions here but I haven't read everything so forgive me if this is already discussed somewhere and I haven't seen it.

It seems pretty clear now that nothing will change with the old forum and those who want to will migrate to the new (this?) site. So what about the name of the new site? We can't keep using anything related to HTLAL, and the name is one of the most important aspects of a site if we think about making it attractive for new users. If the deadline is August 21st then the name and the registration of the new domain should all be ready by then so that the move can take place as swiftly as possible. The longer we linger in a temporary space, the worse it is for everyone (because it lacks clarity about the future).

I tried to come up with some suitable names, and the best I've got is "Languages & People". I think it conveys nicely that languages are a tool for communication and also that this forum is full of knowledgeable people who are ready to help others. But this is just to get the discussion going.

As an aside, I'm in favor of leaving this temporary forum here and starting with a new clean forum at the new site without any HTLAL discussions. Is that what we are planning to do? I would like a fresh start somewhere and this place doesn't feel like it.
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Re: A new forum name?

Postby Iversen » Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:52 am

To me it feels new enough, and the references to HTLAL will soon be buried under other topics. But the name can't continue to be "Not the Real HTLAL" - it must be something real its-own-thing. I'm not really fuzzy about what it should be then, as long as the things I already have written here survive. But all external links to this site will stop functioning if the registered name is changed, so if it is to be changed then it should be done soon - or not at all.

The situation right now is already the unusual one that the name on the blue band doesn't correspond with the dns registration, and so far we have survived, but it is a bit awkward.
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Re: A new forum name?

Postby emk » Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:12 pm

Iversen wrote:To me it feels new enough, and the references to HTLAL will soon be buried under other topics. But the name can't continue to be "Not the Real HTLAL" - it must be something real its-own-thing. I'm not really fuzzy about what it should be then, as long as the things I already have written here survive. But all external links to this site will stop functioning if the registered name is changed, so if it is to be changed then it should be done soon - or not at all.

If we change the site name, we could always set up an automatic redirection so that links keep working, provided rdearman is willing.

We're approaching the deadline for hearing back from HTLAL's admin. (Personally, I'd still love to sit down with him and talk, and see if there's some plan for the future that would make everybody really happy.) If that deadline passes with no word, we should definitely discuss renaming both the site's domain, and the blue bar.
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Re: A new forum name?

Postby basica » Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:26 pm

I don't care what the new name is really, as long as the URL is < 15 characters. The old domain took like 10mins to type into the address bar if I wasn't accessing it from a computer I've used before :lol:
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Re: A new forum name?

Postby Cavesa » Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:44 pm

We are likely to need a new name. True.

However, I don't find that much need to necessarily cut away htlal by going to yet another forum, if that's what you mean.

But what kind of name? I realize most names I could come up with might be liked by other fantasy/scifi/tvseries fans among us but hardly the rest, the reasonable and mature people. But, something that unoffensive and vague like "languages and people" despite being a perfect name in ways you've described, will make us invisible and unfindable on google. If we want to attract new members, as that is a necessary part of staying a healthy living community, we must make it appealing to click on this link, it must at least catch attention.

From what I've noticed around the language websites, blogs and communities, there are a few "naming trends" that appear to work:
-communities around a product, that is not a viable option for us. Or names targetting clearly learners of one particular language (chineseforums, masterrussian), again not an option for us
-long names and accronymes. Worked for htlal, works for ajatt and others
-names inspired by personalities, such as the Mezzofanti guild
-a kind of a metaphore. Cannot remember examples now. But those are names along the lines of "language garden"...

What kind of name do we want?

My crazy and probably not usable ideas:
-Language challenge accepted (himym fans surely understand, no idea about others, reflects one of the central parts of forum activity)
-The LanguageGate (like a stargate to a ton of different langauge worlds, probably makes people think more of a language product than community, I don't know)
(-the motive of a babblefish has already been overused, no way to get anything new there)
-LanguageLearners (not that crazy, but suffers from the same mistake like Langauges and People)
-LanguageAdventurers (not much beter than Language Learners perhaps)
-LanguageJungle (perhaps a metaphor of the forum's heterogenity when it comes to target languages, methods, struggles,...)

hmm, not an easy task to find some good ideas.
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Re: A new forum name?

Postby Spoonary » Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:51 pm

My question is: should we avoid the word 'polyglot' in the new title?
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Re: A new forum name?

Postby tommus » Wed Aug 12, 2015 1:12 pm

"Read Write Listen Speak"

I guess "Read Right" would be too misleading!
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Re: A new forum name?

Postby Ogrim » Wed Aug 12, 2015 2:02 pm

No strong views on the name except for one consideration which the tech savvy amongst you may comment on: If we want people to find us we need to be visible if someone googles How to learn a language or anything similar. I have no idea how Google decides on the order of search results, but I just made a search using this phrase, and the real HTLAL comes up only at the 10th page (whilst Benny's "Fluent in three months" is search result number two). I understand that it is not only the name of the website which is decisive for the search results, but I think a name which clearly explains what the site is about is to be preferred.
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Re: A new forum name?

Postby daegga » Wed Aug 12, 2015 2:20 pm

L24u2.com

not sure if I got the netspeak right...
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Re: A new forum name?

Postby Cavesa » Wed Aug 12, 2015 3:30 pm

That is true. But the order of the search results can be paid for, I can imagine Benny invested in marketing of his site, as he uses it to sell his books and I don't know what else. Benny turned his passion and success into a product and the community forum, blog, everything is part of the marketing. That is not wrong, just different to our forum.

But even if we make a totally predictable name, it won't turn on the first page any time soon. But the issue should fix itself, shouldn't it? As threads grow, so will as well the numbers of leads to us.
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