The name change from 'uLocate Communications' to 'Where' was sideways at best. 'Where' is hard to google, prone to confusion in spoken communication, and very generic. For example, a conference for their market is already called "Where 2.0".
I'm wary of 'Where' as a name. Will 'Where' wear well, if whereever it's discussed we're also hearing competitors' wares emphasizing 'where' features? Where, with all these word collisions, will Where find the werewithal to forge a brand image where we're likely to see 'Where' as meaning what Where wants 'Where' to mean?
I couldn't agree more. This is a major oversight. When your customers are kind enough tell their friends about your service, you don't want an Abbott and Costello routine to play out...
The article mentions it, but the achievement aspect of Foursquare is a Very Significant Differentiator as opposed to a footnote.
You have two competing services with similar functionality and one is fun to use. Investors are betting that the fun to use one is the one that will catch on and stick now and in the future. The fact that the not-so-fun competitor is making money should make Foursquare investors jump for joy. It's a proof of business concept that's been done for them.
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[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 44.0 ms ] threadI'm wary of 'Where' as a name. Will 'Where' wear well, if whereever it's discussed we're also hearing competitors' wares emphasizing 'where' features? Where, with all these word collisions, will Where find the werewithal to forge a brand image where we're likely to see 'Where' as meaning what Where wants 'Where' to mean?
Wait, no, there's no There anymore. Maybe there wasn't a market for There with Second Life in the picture.
Secondly, thanks for the reminder of how complex English can really be. Your example makes me glad I'm a native speaker :)
You have two competing services with similar functionality and one is fun to use. Investors are betting that the fun to use one is the one that will catch on and stick now and in the future. The fact that the not-so-fun competitor is making money should make Foursquare investors jump for joy. It's a proof of business concept that's been done for them.