17

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!

4
  • 1
    Robert: I've already made a similar question as a reaction on your blog posts. As part of your question is duplicate you might want to migrate and link from one question to the other...
    – Tamara Wijsman
    Commented Oct 8, 2010 at 21:24
  • Now that the domains question has been closed, what will we do with the logos? Use Programmers as the logo text? Use no text at all? ...?
    – Tamara Wijsman
    Commented Oct 8, 2010 at 21:55
  • 1
    Moderators Feel free to merge and amend the resulting question with information from the other. Sorry about the duplicate. No need to have two threads.
    – Robert Cartaino
    Commented Oct 9, 2010 at 0:18
  • 1
    Please see @TomWij's question for more insight, but we only wanted one place for the answers.
    – ChrisF Mod
    Commented Oct 11, 2010 at 21:31

13 Answers 13

Reset to default
28

(I like different parts from different responses, so I'm submitting this combined version.)


Elevator Pitch: A place for programmers to discuss problems that require wisdom, not clever code.
OR
Programmers is a site to share wisdom about the programming profession and subculture
OR
[third option] (see comments)


Tagline: "Advice for programmers, by programmers"

Motto: Think outside the brackets.

Logo Idea: (see this answer)
Think outside the brackets


(I haven't included the Short Description because I think the existing FAQ description is mostly ok - personally I'd drop the "subjective" in the first line, and not mention code golf - but otherwise don't think it needs replacing.)

9
  • 1
    I like the combination. I think this is exactly how I want the combination to be as well. +1
    – Terence Ponce
    Commented Oct 25, 2010 at 2:01
  • 13
    I like 'think outside the brackets'.
    – Kaz Dragon
    Commented Oct 26, 2010 at 15:41
  • 1
    I'm not a fan of the "not clever code" part. Aside from the fact that we never actually want code to be clever, it feels like it's trying to be clever rather than informative. We want to describe what's on topic here, not define it via something symbolic. Also, "problems that require wisdom" sounds like it limits the scope to problems that are purely "wisdomous". I like the wording "share wisdom" better. You can share wisdom on problems that are of technical nature too, including that off-topic clever code.
    – EpsilonVector
    Commented Oct 27, 2010 at 13:34
  • I really like the motto and logo; I still prefer @EpsilonVector's elevator pitch (and I like your shared tagline). If you had @EpsilonVector's elevator pitch and tagline and your motto and logo, I think that would be the strongest suggestion yet...
    – Paddyslacker
    Commented Oct 29, 2010 at 16:49
  • Heh, whether code should be clever or not is perhaps a question for the site. :) The point of that part is to differentiate it from the code-oriented problem solving nature of SO, but coming back to it now I agree that it's not quite right and the pitch should be more descriptive.
    – Peter Boughton
    Commented Nov 6, 2010 at 19:53
  • However, I'm still not convinced on the ending of EpsilonVector's pitch - what I'll do for now is put them both in this answer, but also have a think and see if I can come up with a better third option.
    – Peter Boughton
    Commented Nov 6, 2010 at 19:55
  • I think we going to have a winner here. Something between this answer and original @EpsilonVector. We need to decide in about 3 weeks. I invite for more opinions here.
    – Maniero
    Commented Nov 6, 2010 at 23:30
  • I like the elevator pitch generally, but "programming" should be changed to "software development" - look at the list of things on-topic and you'll see they are so far beyond programming. The tagline should also reflect this.
    – Thomas Owens Mod
    Commented Nov 26, 2010 at 14:25
  • "Think outside the namespace" might have worked, too.
    – Maxpm
    Commented Dec 7, 2010 at 19:35
16

Elevator Pitch:

"Programmers is a site to share wisdom about the programming profession and subculture".

Tag line:

"Advice for programmers, by programmers".

Motto:

I really don't think we need a marketing motto. It sounds more commercial than informative.

Short description (for the FAQ):

It's a site for advice for programmers, by programmers, about the problems that arise from being a programmer. For the most part this would mean questions about the practice (coding standards, business of software, which library to use, workplace issues and setup, etc.), but sometimes, being the special breed that they are, programmers also come across life problems that are unique to them, like constantly being asked to fix people's computers, or the difficulty of explaining to people what you do, or how to write a CV (within the context of the industry), and is going to grad school worth it (again, within the context of the industry)... and these are OK too.

If you identify a question as something that is not Stack Overflow material, but you definitely need a programmer in order to get an answer, then it belongs to Programmers.

8
  • 3
    "Advice for programmers, by programmers" sounds like the perfect tagline for P.SE. The tagline seems to complement Paddyslacker's elevator pitch. Your elevator pitch is good too, though. +1
    – Terence Ponce
    Commented Oct 12, 2010 at 3:07
  • @Terence Huh... I didn't even realize how catchy it was until you pointed it out. edit...
    – EpsilonVector
    Commented Oct 12, 2010 at 8:44
  • Glad I could help :)
    – Terence Ponce
    Commented Oct 12, 2010 at 10:14
  • 1
    Hmmm... On the one hand, I love everything about these. They embrace - nay, they embody the essence of both the site and the proposal that it grew out of. OTOH, these seem to encourage the sorts of "watercooler" conversations that are now frowned upon, and I fear would create confusion for new users. No matter; if P.SE is going to be anything, it should be this.
    – Shog9
    Commented Oct 15, 2010 at 1:47
  • It's all about the watercooler!
    – Paddyslacker
    Commented Oct 15, 2010 at 3:08
  • 2
    I especially like the word "wisdom" - I think it's key to differentiating from SO. Knowing the C++ standard isn't about wisdom, but knowing how to talk to customers or bosses sure is.
    – Kate Gregory
    Commented Oct 17, 2010 at 18:10
  • I would prefter Developers in front of Programmers in the name to target a broader audience.
    – Jonas
    Commented Oct 22, 2010 at 20:35
  • 2
    @Kate Thanks. Basically I was thinking about the difference between wisdom and knowledge when I wrote this. SO is about the knowledge, we're about the wisdom.
    – EpsilonVector
    Commented Oct 23, 2010 at 9:22
7

Not very original, but I think that fits the site's leit motiv.

Tagline
Because programming is not just coding.

2
  • 3
    "programming != coding" ?
    – mlvljr
    Commented Oct 22, 2010 at 18:18
  • I think this one's the best. Not cliché.
    – Simon Kuang
    Commented Jul 19, 2014 at 5:53
5

Elevator Pitch

Where programmers discuss career management, industry trends, good ideas, bad ideas, co-workers, and other problems they can't solve with clever code.

Tagline

Wisdom from fellow code monkeys who've Been There.

Blurb

Code is the easy part.

1
  • 4
    I really like "problems we can't solve with code".
    – RickMeasham
    Commented Oct 22, 2010 at 2:10
4

Elevator Pitch

A site for programming professionals to ask and answer questions about non-coding problems.

Tagline

Where programmers go when they need answers to non-coding problems.

Logo Blurb

It's not about the code.

10
  • 3
    I'd put it this way: You've mastered coding. Now discuss the rest with programming professionals
    – P Shved
    Commented Oct 9, 2010 at 15:08
  • @pavel That's nice, do you mind if I replace my tagline with your suggestion?
    – Paddyslacker
    Commented Oct 9, 2010 at 17:55
  • @paddy, of course I don't mind. But I must warn you that I'm not a native speaker, and may have used not the accurate words.
    – P Shved
    Commented Oct 9, 2010 at 18:05
  • Elevator Pitch is great. I can't think of any other way to describe P.SE. The Tagline, however, seems a bit off, IMO. I just can't point my finger to it. I'll get back to you when I figure it out.
    – Terence Ponce
    Commented Oct 10, 2010 at 17:38
  • @Terence i agree about the tagline. Pavel's tagline is an improvement on mine, but I think we could improve on "the rest". I'd love to hear what you come up with.
    – Paddyslacker
    Commented Oct 10, 2010 at 19:46
  • I've said similar before and I say it again, let's not be elitist. "You've mastered coding.." implies we do not welcome newbies.
    – fearoffours
    Commented Oct 11, 2010 at 8:22
  • @fearoffours - fair point, but what would you replace it with?
    – Paddyslacker
    Commented Oct 11, 2010 at 14:30
  • EpsilonVector's answer makes a pretty good tagline. Also, I kind of agree with fearoffours's view about being too elitist. I'd remove professionals from "programming professionals" in your elevator pitch. I mean, I'm still a student, I'm not a professional yet but I frequent this site.
    – Terence Ponce
    Commented Oct 12, 2010 at 3:14
  • Yup, I just upvoted @EpsilonVector's suggestions. I still like my motto, though!
    – Paddyslacker
    Commented Oct 12, 2010 at 19:44
  • Ummm...well, actually, it is about the code...maybe not all about the code, but...
    – Bob Jarvis - Слава Україні
    Commented Oct 21, 2010 at 16:43
4

Elevator Pitch

A site exploring the big picture of programming and the practicalities of professional software development.

Tagline

Professional programming principles and practice.

Logo Blurb

Think outside the brackets

3
  • 1
    "Crack it without a bracket!" -- something like this also comes to mind...
    – mlvljr
    Commented Oct 22, 2010 at 18:23
  • 1
    "Transcend Parenthesis" :)
    – glenatron
    Commented Oct 22, 2010 at 20:40
  • "Think the brackets outside" (like a mental shift or smth) :)
    – mlvljr
    Commented Oct 24, 2010 at 16:57
1

Tagline

Programmers: About. By. For.

-1

This site is about "being a programmer". So how about "To-1-Or-0-A-Programmer" or "ToBe or not(ToBe) a programmer"?

I like the first option better, also 1 OR 0 is 1 and that is the only option once you are one. :-)

-1

Quoting an old joke from memory (can't find the source)...

If a debugger is something used to find and remove bugs, then what do you call the ones that write the bugs?

Hence, in the spirt of site names such as StackOverflow and ServerFault, I suggest:

"If a debugger is something used to find and remove bugs, then what do you call the ones that write the bugs? Buggers - The ones behind the bugs."

-3

Pitch Yeah, you can code, but what about the rest? Welcome to your new home.

Tagline Living outside of scope.

Motto /dev/discussion

-3

Elevator Pitch: Google. For everything else there's [email protected].

Tagline: [email protected] - Where programmers give their 10 cents.

Motto: Where people know what 0xCAFEBABE is.
alt text

-4

Pitch

Programmers on Programming. The collective wisdom and best practices of the software development community. The place to go for answers on the art of programming. 100% code free.

Tagline

The Art of Programming.

Motto

No {} allowed

1
  • Not anymore.
    – user8
    Commented Oct 15, 2010 at 17:55
-6

Elevator Pitch and Tagline

Experiences and advice from programming professionals

The target subject matter for this site still seems rather... unclear. But this seems like a good fit. Where SO is targeted at pulling in technical answers from wherever, P.SE seems to value the voice of experience (or a reasonable imitation...)

Logo blurb

Programmer-related

I think it was Joel Coehoorn who coined this, originally to describe questions that seemed like they would belong on SO but didn't. Pithy...

You must log in to answer this question.

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