Hi All,
This is NOT a rant, rather a long-winded viewpoint with unknown conclusions.
First suggestions: ---
Alliance, Association, Coalition, Compact, Confederacy, Confederation,
Federation, Fusion, League, Partnership, Society, Union
end -----
As to the process, IMHO, it is wise to put forth a call with the start of a
slate of "NOMINATIONS" -- and then allow for more discussions before drawing
up a SERIES of Voting Ballots. The decision process needs to include time
and effort on the refinement of the slate of choices. Winners are always
able to choose among great options.
Slate specifics:
A nomination for discussion: Can we be an "ORG?" That word wasn't in the
original list either. So, besides "TEAM" -- let's consider, "ORG" (i.e.
Organization) too. Beyond the non-profit concept, an ORG should be
"organized" as well. Both fit (I hope).
We are NOT an Inc. -- nor .Com. What fits: "Organization" and .Org. That
kills two birds with one stone. Our name is our domain too. Rather than be a
(whatever)Federation.Org or a (whatever)Alliance.Org. Just be
(whatever).Org.
"Team," and some of the more casual names I put forth in my last message
were NOT on the original list. I like "TEAM." I'm biased. Teams are near
and dear to my being I've been a coach. I own the under-utilized domain,
FreeTeam.Org.
It is worthy of expanding our options, for various reasons -- including a
most important reason: Brevity. Short names have advantages.
FreeScriptersConfederation <dot> = 26 characters. While, FreeTeam = 8. Just
to be clear, I'm not bucking for FreeTeam.Org. Rather I'm pulling for short,
available domains.
And, in that vain, it might help to make for a "kweller" domain choice too.
Case in point: We are NOT a musical "band" -- but wasn't "Robin Hood" didn't
play the fiddle in his band of merry men. ;/
How about, "FreeCardBand." ?? No, it sucks. Moving along....
As for soapbox rant for TEAM, to me, "Teams" are organizations that have
shared goals in (sporting) games dealing with time, space and relationship.
Killer Applications (that mystical goal for many) allow folks to reduce
problems of time, space and relationship. Yes? Our game (or league) is
"software for computers." Our tool of choice should be a masterful
expression for fostering and bettering instances of time, space and
relationships.
Hummmmm......
Example just in mail box today.... (use of TEAM in company NAME)..
> Team ASA Announces First Copper Gigabit Ethernet Adapter For Macintosh
>
> San Diego, CA -- Team ASA Inc., manufacturer of high-performance networking
> products for PrePress and Digital Media professionals, today announced...
end example ----
To get deeper into the chatter of my mind at the moment -- how about another
nomination. This goes more to PHILOSOPHY and the broad strokes discussion
that is looming.
Let's consider the concept of not who we are, but rather what benefits we
deliver. Could we, for example: Change the perspective to the eyes of our
"customers." As an example, change the name from "auto factory" rather to
"transportation solution creators."
If we are some 'script alliance' or 'script union' -- what does that have to
do with the rest of the world -- or the tool for the rest of us? Those names
have an internal focus of who we are. Rather, I think it might be a good
idea to look upon the outcomes and what we are going to be able to deliver
to the folks who are NOT here. Let's be attractive to them -- and then we'll
be more ourselves.
Example of the RUB: To me, a "teachers' union" (much like the old-school
TRADE UNIONS) puts its efforts on helping its membership. Solidarity. Strike
benefits. Against un-just terminations. Worker safety. All good things for
THEM. Right? This is why I cringe when I seen TEACHER Unions take a stance
on EDUCATION in AMERICA. Against "school choice." Against charter schools.
Blah, blah, blah. Unions have a way of raising the bar for themselves, and
this causes a backlash in the marketplace for others (customers, tax-payers,
costs of goods/services increase, and such).
For this effort, ponder this: Think of things in the future -- when we are
delivering a product. Joe Six-Pack isn't going to go to the net and do a
search on "Scripting" , "Free" and "card-based authoring" -- and find our
site out of the blue. He'd find our site if he should think up of those
keywords, I'd hope. But, Joe Six-Pack ain't going to think like us -- nor is
the rest of the world.
Our aim is to get millions of folks hooked on our offerings. Right? Then the
millions use our stuff. In turn, millions make their stuff forever more with
FreeCard too. Yea right!
When we release FreeCard some day -- it will be our GIFT to the world. The
gift amounts to an open source, gratis, software development environment
that is easy to use, saves time, helps in solving problems and so on. *
Alert PR Message* To citizens of the world with computers: Download this
gift! Check it out. It is a treat we've crafted for all. It is different.
Down the road, when we have passed the beta hurdles (way, way down the road
for you newcomers), we'll go out and knock on the doors of the world. We'll
take our wares to the industry and our friends and our schools. Then, we are
the gift givers. We are giving them all something (should any Madison Ave
folks flock on-board too) -- that makes users sexier, younger, hipper, and
richer.
And, for return, we get nothing. It's free. It's your. No strings attached,
seriously.
Well, to be sure, the best possible return favor we ask is as follows: The
best gift to us is the use of our original gift. If FreeCard works for you
fine. $0 due. If FreeCard really works for you -- help us help further
develop it. Join our TEAM. Help us pass along this GIFT.
Besides being gifted ourselves (pun intended), we are (potentially) the
"keepers of the FreeCard software -- a gift for all (with ideas to share)."
So, with that little rant in mind, can we think for a few moments in terms
of putting the customers' perspective into who we are, and what we are
called? And, bottom line.... I don't have an answer. This is just a ramble.
Case in point: Any company, say Cadillac, can call themselves anything they
want -- and then Cadillac can hire an ad agency to promote that image of
their name into the mind's of the consumers / potential buyers. That company
is "upscale" because they "advertise upscale" and have "upscale products."
Well gang, we who want to work on FreeCard don't have that ad agency and
marketing budget to lean upon. We won't ever have it. Never. We won't be
able to "POSITION" our product again. We won't have any ad agency coming to
our rescue to do a make-over on our "image."
We have to be careful now, in picking a name. The public is skeptical. We
can't look like spammers, hucksters, nor techno-weenies. We are going to be
known to the outside world as we are known to ourselves. If we are some
"small, elite clique" -- then we'll have that as our base of customers
(users) too.
My point is that the makeover for the grand 1.0 rollout starts today. If we
pick the wrong name, or go with the wrong approach, we can't re-create
another later. We need to think about the end results now.
The WHO of our assocation, and its name, is IMPORTANT to folks who don't
know us, and even to many who do. Another silly example: My sister or my mom
(non-technical people) won't lift a finger nor even touch a CD-ROM (yet
alone even a digital download) of a "golden master" release from any
"scripter federation."
To continue the thinking process, recall "JAVA." (Gulp. Bad word here. Take
cover. To late -- this email is already butt ugly.)
Jave started out with this huge appeal to all the world as something that
would change computing. It was in browsers, all platforms, and everywhere.
It was HOT. It was for "coffee dirinkers." The java hype was fluid, you must
admit. Can we look for a while at the history of Java and what we've got
cooking here and draw some distinctions and otherwise?
We won't have SUN's marketing muscle, but it would serve us well, IMNSHO, to
have some of that bold moxie approach, at the outset, that we are going to
deliver something way, way better than Java and much more far-reaching as
well.
I don't want to tell the world about our undelivered promises of things to
come, as only Americans can do so well. But, when that day does come, I want
to have both a ticket that isn't yet punched -- and is good for the
long-ride to come.
To our future customers: If you have ideas and solutions to share, and if
plain old HTML/CSS won't do it for you as a delivery platform, then you want
to give this FreeCard a serious spin. It builds on the legacy of what Apple
tried (but dropped the ball) with HyperCard (programming for the rest of
us). Cutting-edge, independent developers are in the same market sector
(MetaCard, etc.) and they've had whiz-bang stuff out there for years now.
But this FreeCard venture is different, as it is FREE!
FreeCard (v1.0) is a free, daring gift to the world from this band of merry
men -- ?? err -- from this alliance of scripting gurus, ????
Of course: It is out-and-out STUPID and dangerous to over-promise, build up
hope, and lose creditability. Granted. Understood. So, don't get me wrong.
We have to just think of our long-term positions in life now, and then act
on them in due time. But, if we don't make the claims to shoot for the stars
early, we never will get there. If we don't think of the general computer
users today, we won't put them into the forefront of our thoughts later.
Summary:
***
We need to think about a name that tells the world what benefits we deliver
to the world, not a name that describes us to ourselves.
***
For these reasons, I think we need to do some more pondering and sharing of
what our ultimate goals include. Case in point: The HTML Authors Guild, be
it a fine organization, isn't what we aspire to become. Perhaps they are
looking out for themselves by raising working standards, by raising
cross-platform standards from larger companies (AOLs of the world).
Whatever, trust me, my (non-techie) sister isn't going to be at all
interested in any gift from them.
Reactions welcomed.
Sorry so long.
Mark Rauterkus
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
PS1: I voted.
PS2: I love FreeCard as a product name.
PS3: I'd be honored to be a partner -- if my rambling above doesn't generate
too many flames. =;0
