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>I keep hearing about Scuttlebutt for a long time but haven't seen anyone actually using it? Why? It's called Scuttlebutt, meaning it can never be remotely pop
by earthwalker99 3y ago
>I keep hearing about Scuttlebutt for a long time but haven't seen anyone actually using it? Why?
It's called Scuttlebutt, meaning it can never be remotely popular enough to function as a worthwhile social network.
- todd3834 3y agoI don’t think this should be downvoted. It’s a valid point and potential lesson for anyone thinking about reviving or doing something similar. While this might not be the only issue I wouldn’t doubt that the name might prevent a larger audience.
- losvedir 3y agoWhy? I think it's a fine name, better than most, because it's a normal English word that says exactly what it does / what it's for. You're not just saying that because the word happens to end in "butt" are you? Or am I missing something?
- filoleg 3y ago> I think it's a fine name, better than most, because it's a normal English word that says exactly what it does / what it's for Just because the name says exactly what the product does and what it's for, that doesn't automatically mean it is good. In fact, imo it is bad in a lot of cases. Do you think Instagram would have gotten as popular if it was named FlexGallery, or if Nextdoor was named SpreadRumorsActVaguelyRacistForum, or if Twitter/X was named PopularityContestShortMessagesAndBadNewsSourceSpaceWithSomePorn? I personally would say "no" to all of those, and it isn't just because the names get unnecessarily long and ugly. McDonalds would never rename itself to Cheap Passable Fast Food Restaurant.
- simonw 3y agoSome things really can buck the trend - ChatGPT is a _terrible_ name but provided so much obvious utility that it managed to reach a large consumer market despite that.
- ziddoap 3y agoChatGPT and Scuttlebutt are both bad names, sure, but in completely distinct ways.
- rzzzt 3y agoFlexGallery could work... the rest are Java class names.
- filoleg 3y agoActually agreed about FlexGallery, now that I am thinking about it. As for the rest, they just miss [...]Factory and [...]Controller prefixes, and then they truly would become typical Java classes.
- nine_k 3y agoA name that makes many of your friends smile ironically is not a name that would induce a network effect, except maybe in marginal communities ("bitards"). A name must not be even remotely silly, else it will be laughed out of the (already crowded) room.
- jrm4 3y ago"Normal English Word" feels like a stretch. At least in the US, pretty obscure and kind of archaic sounding?
- ziddoap 3y ago>it's a normal English word I mean, it's an English word, for sure. I have never once in my many years heard someone actually say it seriously. Maybe a handful of times when someone was purposefully trying to be quirky.
- oli-g 3y ago> You're not just saying that because the word happens to end in "butt" are you? They're saying precisely that and they're 100% right, and it seems you're missing a lot of things. It's a social network. Its only value is in it having people using it and coming back. Just try and imagine any person in your IRL circles (who's not on HN) actually using a social network with butt in its name. I seriously can't believe you see no issue there whatsoever. A teenager. A young artist. A YouTuber. "Follow me on TikTok, Instagram, Scuttlebutt and Poopypants". I dare you to find a creator willing to say these words. Or if you just hang out with smart, like-minded tech-savvy middle-ages people who see past these things, then great, we have a new "social network" for smart, like-minded tech-savvy middle-aged people.
- jdougan 3y ago> we have a new "social network" for smart, like-minded tech-savvy middle-aged people. Sounds great to me. The hard part is keeping the scammers away. If a ridiculous name can do that, I'm up for it.
- losvedir 3y agoI mean, I wouldn't expect problems if the thing were called "Buttercup" would you? Or what about "Button"? "Saturday" (which has "turd" in it)? Are there problems with a Harpoon ("poon") IPA? Clearly the presence of a sequence of four silly letters isn't in and of itself disqualifying. Native speakers often won't even register the juvenile bit inside it. My only surprise here is that "scuttlebutt" doesn't work that way for other native speakers. It must be just my dialect or circles then, because it's an ordinary word for me which subsumes the "butt" within it (like I'm certain "button" does for you). But I guess it's not universally like that and the word is odd or rare enough that it doesn't do the same for others.
- corobo 3y agoThe butt is more noticeable because it's at the end of the word as a standalone syllable. With your examples the butt sounds are mixed in so they don't stand out as much.
- 3y ago
- jrm4 3y agoUpvoting because I'm also the guy who understands that, similarly, GIMP will never be big as it should be.
- ziddoap 3y agoI have gotten some very strange looks from friends and coworkers when I have mentioned GIMP in passing.
- oli-g 3y agoI wanted to hate on it, but I just downloaded the latest version and I see that after like 20 years, they finally realized that each tool window doesn't have to be a separate application. Good for them, for once I might be able to try actually try it.
- BHSPitMonkey 3y agoI think single-window mode came as part of version 2.8, just shy of 12 years ago.
- smrq 3y agoI guess the lesson here is that PR damage can be permanent.
- RankingMember 3y agoStill waiting on non-destructive editing last I checked, which always seemed to be touted as "right around the corner" as much as a decade ago.
- thatwasunusual 3y ago> GIMP will never be big as it should be. But having something "photoshopped" is a bad thing. Interesting. :)
- rglullis 3y agoYeah, the guy who renamed it to "Glimpse" is now worldwide famous for solving the only problem with the project. Designers are dropping Adobe Photoshop in droves and giving the project the complete recognition it rightfully deserved.
- rglullis 3y agoRumor has it, Microsoft balked away from a billion dollar acquisition of this source control and project management tool because they didn't want to be associated with a collaboration portal for gits.
- echelon 3y agoIf you're good enough that your name doesn't hold you back, good for you. As it stands, I turn my nose at stuff like Cockroach DB.
- rglullis 3y agoI get not liking a name, but to pass judgement on the quality of a product/project based on its name alone seems like a complete midwit thing to do.
- oli-g 3y agoWhen it's a DB layer, sure. When it's a social network? "Hey guys, have you seen Dave's new post on Poopypants?"
- rglullis 3y agoAgain, that's a total midwit dismissal. Scuttlebutt has a context and a meaning behind it. People might hear it without knowing the context, think "that it's a weird name, why is it so?", and then judge whether they like it or not. But to just hear the name and claim that it is inappropriate/bad/not-to-be-used because it reminds you of something that has nothing to do with the original context is ridiculous.
- RankingMember 3y agoNo offense, but you're repeatedly using the term "midwit", which demonstrates that you have a higher-than-average tolerance/liking for non-layman vocabulary, and so might not be the best judge of what the average person is going to accept. Most people are not going to bother looking up the etymology of a word before dismissing a product named using it. Personally, I'm not a fan of the name because it's a word that, like "jitterbug", I associate with old people, because the only people I've known to use it in conversation are over 65. Orgs spend millions on naming/branding because they know a name that doesn't hit right to the ear is going to be at a disadvantage. The vast majority of folks aren't going to bother giving your product a second thought if it doesn't appeal to them or has a negative connotation in their head right off the bat, regardless of the name's deeper relevance or origin.
- serial_dev 3y ago2024 will be the year of Mastodong.