8

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!

3
  • for the record, I totally agree with the premise that asking for a concise andr memorable phrase of what the community is about is more to the point than "what (are we allowed to) call ourselves?". Thanks for that.
    – matt wilkie
    Commented Oct 13, 2010 at 21:33
  • When considering the suggestions, please bear in mind that the tagline will follow immediately after the site name in reading. I.e. people will read it as "invalidgeometry.com - the ipsum that upsums the lorem of borem."
    – relet
    Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 12:43
  • @relet - I agree, we seem to have overlooked the site name.
    – Kirk Kuykendall
    Commented Jan 27, 2011 at 19:20

20 Answers 20

Reset to default
7

Lost with GIS? You have reached your destination.

6

Home for those who long for latitude.

1
  • This made me chuckle. I am commenting a +2 instead of voting +1 because I feel it may be difficult to understand for those who really hear about the site for the first time. And a tagline will show up on those google searches, I guess.
    – relet
    Commented Apr 13, 2011 at 14:37
5

The I in GIS. A collaboratively edited question and answer site for Geographic Information System users.

The second sentence is adapted from the original stackoverflow tagline.

4

We're spatial! .

3
  • 1
    Adapted from a colleague's favourite t-shirt, "My mother thinks I'm spatial...". Extra dot because it has to be 15 characters.
    – matt wilkie
    Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 19:53
  • 1
    Maybe something with 'spatial needs'? :}
    – relet
    Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 20:55
  • works for me!, see new answer
    – matt wilkie
    Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 23:55
3

Where WHERE is more than just a clause.

3

...for all your spatial needs

3

...where everybody is spatial!

3

Because the world ain't flat, to a degree.

2

Here be dragons

2

GIS problem? Solved.

2

MapOverflow.comnet: Home for those who long for latitude. (or whatever tagline)
(Edit: .com is already taken)

It seems like we need to focus on site name too (as relet suggested in his comment).

I like MapOverflow because it lets us ride on the coat tails of stackoverflow's success, plus "overflow" suggests something consistent with Clay Shirkey's concept of Cognitive Surplus. (Thy map runneth over?)

1

The Spatial Domain

0
1

Answers projected correctly.

0

Because the world ain't flat.

0

Got a GIS question? Not sure where to turn? GIS SE is a group of experts in the field just waiting to point you in the right direction.

-1

"Exploring geography"?

-2

"Recalculating"

-2

Geospatial, Neogeography, Location Based Services, GIS: Get your recommended daily intake here.

-2

Features and datums and projections, oh my.

-2

GIS.StackExchange.com: A GPS device. For knowledge.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .