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COMMENTS REQUESTED: Changing the name and branding of this website

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CommonSense:
I'd love to see this site get more attention, more press (well -- press, period), more links on other sites, and so on.  But I'm finding that a huge hindrance to all this happening is its name.  "fuckMicrosoft.com" just doesn't lend itself to cross-promotion.  And I'll be honest with you -- my own parents don't even know I do this website, and nor will it appear on my web portfolio or resume.  Which kind of sucks, especially when you consider it's all due to a stupid NAME.

A while ago, I registered a perfectly innocuous, G-rated domain (the .com, the .net, and .org variations, just to be safe) for a possible idea I had of starting a new companion site to this one which would have an ambitious goal, one I planned to seek "angel investor" funding for, etc.  I talked with a couple of people and soon realized it was a totally un-fundable idea, so I won't be pursuing it after all.  But I still own the domain names, and they would work for this site, I think.

Of course, we lose the nice, clever sting of "fuckMicrosoft.com."  Of course, I'd still keep all the current domain names, and they'd all continue to point to this site.  It's just that its primary name would no longer be fuckMicrosoft.com, and the site itself would probably have no references to that anymore.

I suppose I could script it in such a way that, depending on the URL the visitor typed in, the appropriate graphics, headers, etc. would be inserted to reflect the site name they expected.  And I could have certain links (e.g., fuckMicrosoft.com T-shirts, virtual hosts, e-mail addresses) only be available if they actually entered the fuckMicrosoft.com site.

As for site promotion, submission to other sites, family-friendly naming, and my own portfolio, I'd use the "G-rated" alternate name.

I don't have enough knowledge on how to script all this to make it happen, but it's probably nothing too terribly hard to learn.

So . . . thoughts?

voidmain:
I agree 100% with this. I think this site could explode if it weren't for the name.  Why not just go with your windows-sucks.com domain?  I would let my kids on if it weren't for that (and the fact that you allow images in messages where porn often shows up). The language doesn't bother me all that much, they hear enough of that anywhere...

[EDIT] or maybe some form of MES... mseradication.com?

[EDIT2] And maybe think about switching over to a different messaging system. Something like a /. engine perhaps. I like the current forums but I don't know if they would scale well...

[ June 11, 2002: Message edited by: VoidMain ]

hoojchoons:
I agree with you that the name of this site is a bit too extreme for some people's tastes as it can give the impression that it's being run by some irresponsible kids, trying to kill their time. Hence, trying to promote it by that name is merely impossible. To team up with VoidMain, why don't you stick to your windows-sucks.com domain?

[ June 11, 2002: Message edited by: hoojchoons ]

choasforages:
i would go with windows-sucks.com, and i think with a bit of cookie work, you could do it. /* i be no webdev person, i sit in my room and learn how to configure odd things like samba and nfs so i probably don't know what the hell i am talking about */ maybe even have an interface to select if you want the "clean" version or want to go with fuckmicrosoft.com origanal style, anyway, if you pulled it off, /*the interface*/ that would look  good on a resume /* just describe about interface, not the content */

sporkme:
i can look at this site at the library (in US).  the (US) government says so.  grandma has no interest.

plus, i really love the name.  it smacks the viewer in the head with the whole damned point.

i love the content even more, which really makes the name a moot concept-- it could be called iluvteletubbies.com for all i friggin care as long as free thought prevails.

my suggestion:
maybe just change the logo to lose the fuck, push the ms-eradication.org addy in the place of fuckmicrosoft.com, and stick some bs about "please don't cuss in the forums but i will not be held responsible.  you'll see more linked hits.  keep it simple!  just change the logo and keep the fuck part a ~~secret for persons 18 or older ooooooo!~~

BTW tomshardware.com sent me here, but I had linked from google a day earlier and promptly got a BSOD.

i think that if you were my kid i would be proud that you had the balls to put your effort into such a wonderful project.  if they kick you out i will adopt you errrrrrrrrr...

FUCK IT

EDIT: voidmain: i figgered youd know there is the ms-eradication.org addy... tho its not listed at the top

[ June 11, 2002: Message edited by: sporkme ]

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