Edit: Want to make this a sugestion thread, so please let us know your ideas on themes or names below.

Howdy all!

We have been internally discussing a rebranding of Memmy to another name. This has been a discussion for some time, and although we have certainly tried to see the upsides of not rebranding, we don’t think this is a viable long-term option, for - among others - the following reasons:

  • Eventual support for non-Lemmy services such as Kbin or Mastodon
  • User awareness of Lemmy. Right now, the vast majority of people who are finding the app most likely are specifically searching for “Lemmy”. While that’s great and (based on trends on downloads/day) shows that there’s obviously a big demand for Lemmy, we think this might not be the best way to grow - not just for ourselves but for Lemmy as a whole. We want the fediverse to grow and the best way to do that is to make it acceptable and easy to access without specifically targeting people who already know about Lemmy
  • Community feedback in general about the name. None of this is taken personal or anything, but there’s definitely negative feedback for multiple reasons about it, and honestly I think we agree with most - if not all - of that feedback.

Like I said, this is not something that we are doing lightly and we want to make sure we make the right choice before moving forward.

Mind you, we are not talking about a short-term goal here of supporting multiple Fediverse platforms. That probably isn’t even in the one-year plan if I’m being honest. But I personally believe the way that we make the Fediverse work is by making the whole experience awesome, and that means offering users with options and ease-of-use.

So, with that said, we want to see what you guys think. We have had internal discussion about the possibility of using the name Badger, and while we all think that’s a pretty good option, we are not 100% sold and want to gauge feedback before we do anything. Edit: It seems like that might not be something the community is interested in, so we likely won’t be going that route.

Please drop your suggestions for themes or names below! We will go through them all sometime later in the day.

Let us know your thoughts!

  • chrisphero@lemmy.worldEnglish
    8·
    1 year ago

    Totally agree with the name change!

    Unfortunately I’m not too fond of Badger…

    I really like the space theme, so maybe something like:

    • solar
    • orbit
    • calipso
    • euclid
    • helios
    • (alpha) centauri

    EDIT: Orbit is also my favourite!

  • xpx@lemm.eeEnglish
    7·
    1 year ago

    A space themed name to match the new icons might be nice? Maybe something like a space craft name like Gemini, Orion or Atlantis.

    • ak98@lemm.eeEnglish
      6·
      1 year ago

      I like Atlantis, has a double meaning as both a spacecraft and also that story of the lost underwater utopia (kinda like what lemmy feels like haha). Would make for some nice community icons too!

      • enu@lemm.eeEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        Really like this one! Plus it’s a fantastic legend in and of itself. 100% agree that the icon options for it would awesome and you could have several Atlantis / ocean feeling themes to go with it.

        There also doesn’t appear to be an app in the App Store with the “Atlantis” as a single word.

        • Carnelian@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          Atlantis has a super majestic ring to it in the sense of the legend, but I can also see it as the name for a tacky casino. I think they could make it work though.

          After reading the whole thread, I agree that the space/mythology theme is being hammered really hard by the community currently (Voyager, Liftoff, Artemis). Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I really like the suggestion of using “Orbit”, other than it being a brand of gum lol.

          Would be cool and unique to go with the ocean themed thing instead, like Atlantis. If Archipelago were a shorter word I’d like the idea of using it a lot: many islands forming a single whole, like the various instances and services come together to form the fediverse.

          Armada, like a bunch of boats? Rolls off the tongue, but it’s too aggressive. Naming stuff is hard lol.

          Anyway sorry for rambling, Atlantis is the best I’ve seen so far. It has this vibe like you’ve discovered something legendary, which fits this app really well

    • Dickarus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      5·
      1 year ago

      Definitely not Gemini. Don’t want to be confused with the crypto exchange that’s going through deep legal troubles.

      • Baaron87@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        I don’t follow crypto stuff, so that’s news to me. Atlantis, Mercury, Orbit and Orion are still great choices

    • Baaron87@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      I definitely like the idea of sticking with space themed names as well. Considering Memmy is built taking a lot of inspiration from the Apollo app, it would make a lot of sense to stick with any of those names.

      I prefer Gemini the most. Orion and Atlantis are great as well.

      EDIT: Looks like Gemini is tied to some legal issues regarding crypto. Perhaps Atlantis, Mercury, Orbit or Orion would be better options

      • gkd@lemmy.mlOPMEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        There’s already a related project underway using that name for KBin and (eventually?) Lemmy.

    • jw00t@lemmy.mlEnglish
      0·
      1 year ago

      While I like the ideas for space-themed names, I’d like to propose the name Hermes instead. Looking into the history and definition of the name we find Hermes to be “…the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orators.” Also, “He is able to move quickly and freely between the worlds…” To me, this aligns with the intended direction of Memmy’s development - an app that’s used by a diverse audience, and an app able to participate in many “worlds” throughout the Fediverse. Thoughts?

  • Richard@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    1 year ago

    I think a name change is a good idea. Not nuts on badger as a name, but don’t have a better suggestion on hand. As some thoughts though:

    • I wouldn’t use the word “fedi” in the name as has been floated in places, as I think Fediverse itselfs a pretty bad name, and ideally a term users won’t have to think about when using the services.

    • Make sure whatever you pick works well for any global markets you want to go into. Some projects pick something that sounds cool locally but has some negative meaning somewhere else

    • I’m not against the space (or gods) theme, but I do think it’s being played out a bit heavily right now across many apps and maybe there’s another route to go. Voyager and “Lift Off” spring to mind as good apps playing with the space theme. Apollo as an app is front and centre in everyone’s mind right now, especially iOS users, and apps are drawing inspiration from it for their Lemmy apps. That’s a good thing, but I do think that branding is one area where perhaps apps have an opportunity to carve out their own identity and I’d think long and hard about naming an app as a distant tribute to Apollo, given that’ll probably tie the apps legacy to that and Reddit in general for some time. Again, I don’t hate space (or god) names, but I think there’s tremendous benefits in looking more broadly.

    • And hey, while he’s seemingly not sold on the idea currently, Christian could very well release “Apollo for Lemmy” one day when he’s ready and he’s had time to distance himself from the events, so Memmy having rebranded to something that draws too much inspiration could taint the impressions of some users.

    Just my thoughts anyway.

  • anon_water@lemmy.mlEnglish
    51·
    1 year ago

    I’m ok with rebranding. I don’t like “Badger” though. Any other options?

    My suggestion: Athena

  • novibe@lemmy.mlEnglish
    4·
    1 year ago

    I suggest Mercury. It’s the Roman version of Hermes, the messenger god, who “connected” all gods and their realms. It’s also a planet that goes VERY fast.

    So two cool things.

  • Cotillion@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    I agree with your decision for name change. Memmy sounds a bit childish. (Although i love your constant updates and improvements with this app) As for Badger. You already have Privacy Badger, so some might get confused. Name needs to be catchy same as app icon. Like Ice Cubes or Apollo(rip).

  • fernfrost@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    As I like the name Memmy I understand your thoughts.

    Memmy is a inviting, friendly, cute name. For a concept like the fediverse which can be intimidating for casual users I find that a good thing. I still dislike the name 'Mastodon’ because it seems heavy and complicated to me.

    In terms of discoverability you can always consider naming it

    APPNAME - Fediverse client for Lemmy, Kbin, Mastodon

  • lackthought@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    I thought Memmy was fine, don’t like Badger at all

    of the suggestions already posted I think these are my favorite: Mercury, Orbit, Helios

  • ThunderQuack@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Name change makes sense but if it can add any value to the discussion the reason I’m on Memmy is like you said I searched for “Lemmy” to see if any apps were made. You may want to add something in the description of the app or whatever that still makes it clear to those searching the App Store that this is ultimately what they’re looking for

    And definitely agreeing with the space themed names over Badger