4 ms·

This is pretty amazing, but I wish they picked a better name for it. I have a feeling that a good amount of people will dismiss it just because of the name.

by altern8 9mo ago

snowmobile 9mo ago
What's wrong with the name? Some cultural reference I'm not getting?
- Onavo 9mo ago
  Twitter. Also it could mean penis (in some places).
- altern8 9mo ago
  It just sounds—let's say—too playful. Specially if you go to the homepage and they're trying to market it as a work too.. If I went to my boss and tried to make the case that we should move all of our encrypted communication from Whatsapp to something called BirdyChat they would laugh at me and dismiss the idea. That might just be me, not sure.
  - drcongo 9mo ago
    It's not just you.
  - iknowstuff 9mo ago
    What would they think about a “Slack” at work
    - altern8 9mo ago
      They would probably cut them some slack and buy it anyways.
  - snowmobile 9mo ago
    Because a pun on "What's Up?" and "App" is so professional? Maybe I'm old but I remember a time when I though WhatsApp was an extremely silly name for a SMS replacement.
- drcongo 9mo ago
  I couldn't work out what the hell the app is from the website, as the home page tells you it's a "New Home for Work Chat" and mentions "Still using personal chat apps for work conversations?" - so I'm guessing it's supposed to have some business focus, but the app name makes it sound like something you'd install for your kids. I can't imagine ever saying to someone "we need to discuss contract details, let's talk on BirdyChat".
  - altern8 9mo ago
    Yes, exactly. It looks like it's focused on business but its name sounds childish. If I mentioned that in a corporate meeting people would just laugh at me, I don't think it helps their case.
  - snowmobile 9mo ago
    The silly names for "work apps" has been a meme since at least 2022. https://x.com/gossipbabies/status/1487161069143576576 https://x.com/gossipbabies/status/1487161069143576576
- wiether 9mo ago
  Personally I hate the name because it reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdy_Nam_Nam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdy_Nam_Nam (whose work I like)
TZubiri 9mo ago
It can always be rebranded later on
kelnos 9mo ago
What's wrong with the name? "WhatsApp" sounds pretty dumb to me, too, but it's entrenched in the social consciousness, so we don't really think about it. (The name even has nothing to do with chat; originally WhatsApp was a way to share your "current status"; "WhatsApp" sounds like "what's up?".)
- altern8 9mo ago
  I don't think Whatsapp sounds dumb. It's "what's up", and it came out when mobile apps were getting popular with everyone. I immediately got it when I heard it the first time, and it sounded good to me. "BirdyChat" just sounds childish. Maybe I'm in the minority, who knows, but project names are important. I've seen so many posts of people dismissing projects just because of the name...
  - pbhjpbhj 9mo ago
    Gimp would have to be the extreme example of this. I used to recommend Krita to people, despite it being less appropriate for photo editing, just to avoid using 'Gimp' in work/polite scenarios. I agree - "Birdy" is the name used with infants when talking about birds, or is a bird toy that photographers use to distract people ... which is a bit too close to the truth, perhaps. To me it also suggests 'a toy version of Twitter'; and Twitter already had enough negativity around it for me.
    - LexiMax 9mo ago
      Somehow I feel like GIMP's lack of popularity has more to do with its reputation for having a horrendous and impenetrable interface than its name. At one point in the recent past there was a fork of GIMP named "Glimpse," yet weren't a sudden influx of users who were waiting for a more polite name.
      - altern8 9mo ago
        I would say both. BUT, lack of users might just be that it's too late, now. People use web-based tools like Figma, I wouldn't think a lot of people are looking for a Photoshop alternative.
dennis_jeeves2 9mo ago
Better name "Birdie Num Num" . Ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajMqhpCBPAY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajMqhpCBPAY

This is pretty amazing, but I wish they picked a better name for it. I have a feeling that a good amount of people will dismiss it just because of the name.

by altern8 9mo ago

This is pretty amazing, but I wish they picked a better name for it. I have a feeling that a good amount of people will dismiss it just because of the name.

snowmobile 9mo ago

What's wrong with the name? Some cultural reference I'm not getting?

Onavo 9mo ago
Twitter. Also it could mean penis (in some places).
altern8 9mo ago
It just sounds—let's say—too playful. Specially if you go to the homepage and they're trying to market it as a work too.. If I went to my boss and tried to make the case that we should move all of our encrypted communication from Whatsapp to something called BirdyChat they would laugh at me and dismiss the idea. That might just be me, not sure.
- drcongo 9mo ago
  It's not just you.
- iknowstuff 9mo ago
  What would they think about a “Slack” at work
  - altern8 9mo ago
    They would probably cut them some slack and buy it anyways.
- snowmobile 9mo ago
  Because a pun on "What's Up?" and "App" is so professional? Maybe I'm old but I remember a time when I though WhatsApp was an extremely silly name for a SMS replacement.
drcongo 9mo ago
I couldn't work out what the hell the app is from the website, as the home page tells you it's a "New Home for Work Chat" and mentions "Still using personal chat apps for work conversations?" - so I'm guessing it's supposed to have some business focus, but the app name makes it sound like something you'd install for your kids. I can't imagine ever saying to someone "we need to discuss contract details, let's talk on BirdyChat".
- altern8 9mo ago
  Yes, exactly. It looks like it's focused on business but its name sounds childish. If I mentioned that in a corporate meeting people would just laugh at me, I don't think it helps their case.
- snowmobile 9mo ago
  The silly names for "work apps" has been a meme since at least 2022. https://x.com/gossipbabies/status/1487161069143576576 https://x.com/gossipbabies/status/1487161069143576576
wiether 9mo ago
Personally I hate the name because it reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdy_Nam_Nam https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birdy_Nam_Nam (whose work I like)

TZubiri 9mo ago

It can always be rebranded later on

kelnos 9mo ago

What's wrong with the name? "WhatsApp" sounds pretty dumb to me, too, but it's entrenched in the social consciousness, so we don't really think about it. (The name even has nothing to do with chat; originally WhatsApp was a way to share your "current status"; "WhatsApp" sounds like "what's up?".)

altern8 9mo ago
I don't think Whatsapp sounds dumb. It's "what's up", and it came out when mobile apps were getting popular with everyone. I immediately got it when I heard it the first time, and it sounded good to me. "BirdyChat" just sounds childish. Maybe I'm in the minority, who knows, but project names are important. I've seen so many posts of people dismissing projects just because of the name...
- pbhjpbhj 9mo ago
  Gimp would have to be the extreme example of this. I used to recommend Krita to people, despite it being less appropriate for photo editing, just to avoid using 'Gimp' in work/polite scenarios. I agree - "Birdy" is the name used with infants when talking about birds, or is a bird toy that photographers use to distract people ... which is a bit too close to the truth, perhaps. To me it also suggests 'a toy version of Twitter'; and Twitter already had enough negativity around it for me.
  - LexiMax 9mo ago
    Somehow I feel like GIMP's lack of popularity has more to do with its reputation for having a horrendous and impenetrable interface than its name. At one point in the recent past there was a fork of GIMP named "Glimpse," yet weren't a sudden influx of users who were waiting for a more polite name.
    - altern8 9mo ago
      I would say both. BUT, lack of users might just be that it's too late, now. People use web-based tools like Figma, I wouldn't think a lot of people are looking for a Photoshop alternative.

dennis_jeeves2 9mo ago

Better name "Birdie Num Num" . Ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajMqhpCBPAY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajMqhpCBPAY