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We closed the domain naming thread (click for details).

Instead, let's start with a killer "elevator pitch!" Joel will be blogging about the elevator pitch approach to naming, but to get you started:

The Elevator Pitch

This isn't as easy as it sounds. Imagine the user who will never read your FAQ and you have two seconds to grab their attention. It should be catchy but descriptive. It should be thoroughly clear but painfully concise. Make every... word... count.

Here are some creative examples:

  • Gawker: Daily Manhattan media news and gossip. Reporting live from the center of the universe.
  • Gizmodo: The gadget guide. So much in love with shiny new toys, it’s unnatural.
  • Autoblog: We obsessively cover the auto industry.
  • DumbLittleMan: So what do we do here? Well, it’s simple. 15 to 20 times per week we provide tips that will save you money, increase your productivity, or simply keep you sane.
  • Needcoffee.com: We are the Internet equivalent of a triple espresso with whipped cream. Mmmm…whipped cream.

Use it as a Tagline

A shorter elevator pitch can be used as a tagline — something you can display in the header at the top of the page. If it doesn't fit, consider shortening it or creating a separate tagline. Here are some great examples:

The Motto (don't forget your logo)

A logo begs for it own little, short tagline — like a motto. Maybe the tagline inspires the logo; Maybe it's the other way around. Mottos make good t-shirt, bumper stickers, and other marketing material. Either way, you'll recognize a good motto when you see it:

  • Just do it.
  • Think Different.
  • The Uncola.
  • Intel inside.
  • Like a rock.
  • The king of beers.

…and perhaps all this leads to a proper name and domain for your site… eventually. So let's start from the basics. Come up with a killer elevator pitch, tagline, and/or motto!

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I think this question is related ("What are our core values?"): meta.photo.stackexchange.com/questions/273/… \$\endgroup\$
    – Reid
    Oct 9, 2010 at 3:59
  • \$\begingroup\$ Ahhh, Gawker. Don't you know? Boston is the hub of the universe..... \$\endgroup\$
    – mattdm
    Jan 9, 2011 at 18:44

7 Answers 7

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LensFlair

Develop your skills, expose your knowledge.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Three puns in one. I'm speechless. \$\endgroup\$ Oct 27, 2010 at 22:22
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Light and Shadow: Helping you capturing the world around you with vision and style.

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    \$\begingroup\$ +1 I like this -- I'd suggest tweaking it to include the verb "help" (or a synonym) somewhere as one of the main things about this site is going to be about finding answers/helping people out \$\endgroup\$ Oct 14, 2010 at 11:18
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    \$\begingroup\$ I agree about the help thing. How about: 'Helping you capture the world around you with vision and style.' \$\endgroup\$
    – jrista
    Oct 15, 2010 at 1:21
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    \$\begingroup\$ How does this tagline convey photography and cameras vs. say, sketching and painting? It's good but is specific enough? \$\endgroup\$ Oct 19, 2010 at 0:28
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Jared: Good point. I guess we could throw in "photographically": "Helping you photographically capture...". Makes the tag line pretty long, but maybe its still good enough. \$\endgroup\$
    – jrista
    Oct 20, 2010 at 1:51
  • \$\begingroup\$ I suppose it could be a tagline that follows a more camera- or photo-specific title, like "Camera Overflow" (bad example). In that case it's great. \$\endgroup\$ Oct 20, 2010 at 18:56
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Helping the world to shoot better pictures.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ How about: "Helping you shoot better pictures" or "Helping you make better pictures" since it's also about image editing. \$\endgroup\$ Oct 19, 2010 at 15:36
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To quote che's suggestion from the site's chatroom

"Whether you shoot landscapes or people, we're here to help."

Or to paraphrase:

"Whether you shoot people or the world around you, we're here to help."

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  • \$\begingroup\$ What about still life or food photography? \$\endgroup\$ Oct 19, 2010 at 0:27
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Jared Maybe a minor reword to swap "landscapes" for "the world around you" would work better... \$\endgroup\$ Oct 19, 2010 at 7:46
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    \$\begingroup\$ [tongue in cheek] Now it's about guns? [/tongue] \$\endgroup\$ Oct 19, 2010 at 15:35
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Jared Actually, it's that play on words that appeals to me \$\endgroup\$ Oct 19, 2010 at 18:53
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    \$\begingroup\$ Shooting people? That has some seriously bad connotations. \$\endgroup\$ Oct 21, 2010 at 7:43
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Helping you capture your vision in reality.

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ShutterFlipper: From vision to paper.

Possible alternatives: ShutterClicker, ShutterFlutter

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I think you're still trying to come up with a domain name. What about "We know how to put your visions on the paper."? \$\endgroup\$
    – che
    Oct 13, 2010 at 10:06
  • \$\begingroup\$ If you read the examples, its a combination of a single term and a phrase. I.E.: Autoblog: We obsessively cover the auto industry. I've got the "elevator pitch" in "ShutterFlipper", and the tag line in "From vision to paper." It could be the domain name, doesn't have to be. \$\endgroup\$
    – jrista
    Oct 13, 2010 at 20:39
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    \$\begingroup\$ I read it as "(site name): (elevator pitch)", whilst "From vision to paper" works as a motto, I don't think it really explains what we're about; unlike your other suggestion... \$\endgroup\$ Oct 14, 2010 at 11:15
  • \$\begingroup\$ I guess in numerous past discussions I've had with people I worked with at startups, we talked about two things: The hook and the reel. When trying to name a product, we tried to think of a simple but super catchy name to hook a customer, and an intriguing tag line to reel them in. I kind of figured that is the same concept were discussing here...the hook and the reel, or elevator pitch (hook) and tag line (reeling them in). Now, the elevator pitch would indeed be the "site name", however Che mentioned "domain name"...it would be ideal if the domain mane was the same as the site name, but... \$\endgroup\$
    – jrista
    Oct 15, 2010 at 4:58
  • \$\begingroup\$ ...not specifically necessary. Domain names are notoriously difficult to get these days, so I figure it will be extremely lucky if we get any domain that barely resembles our site. :( \$\endgroup\$
    – jrista
    Oct 15, 2010 at 4:59
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    \$\begingroup\$ @jrista I've always known an elevator pitch to be "explain what your thing does in the time of an elevator ride" which pretty much turns into a sentence or two. \$\endgroup\$ Oct 15, 2010 at 18:07
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Rowland: Yeah, pretty much the same thing. But I am trying to think more in the context of the web. Say someone searches for photography help...they might only see a few words for our site title in a search engine, and I think the "hook em and reel em" approach is a little more effective than the "were chatting in an elevator" approach. You have more time in an elevator than on a search engine results page. ;) \$\endgroup\$
    – jrista
    Oct 18, 2010 at 23:03
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Click Capture: life stilled by a click.

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    \$\begingroup\$ How about LifeClick, LifeCapture, or ClickLife. I kind of like how the last one sounds, but it may be too obscure. \$\endgroup\$
    – jrista
    Oct 13, 2010 at 20:43

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