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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!

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  • 6
    personal opinion "blah" I like kernelpanic.com
    – xenoterracide Mod
    Commented Oct 10, 2010 at 20:19
  • @xenoterracide poking because I am interested in this but can't find more info: Did this actually happen? I mean taking a domain name? If not, why didn't it?
    – NlightNFotis
    Commented Aug 22, 2013 at 22:49

13 Answers 13

Reset to default
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KernelPanic (kernelpanic.com): We'll seal your broken pipes, tighten your sockets, repair your devices, and even wipe your windows.

1
  • 1
    I actually like the we will wipe your windows humor, even though it's controversial - it's the sort of thing why others call us fanbois.
    – tshepang
    Commented Jan 9, 2011 at 15:59
6

Tagline: sudo make me understand

The construction is an allusion to xkcd. I think the surface meaning (“make me understand” with some unix-related thingy) is still comprehensible if you don't get the allusion (can people who haven't seen that cartoon confirm or infirm?).

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  • 1
    I like the sudo notion, although "make me understand" is a little long-winded. There must be a way to express the same thing in one word, but I'm failing at coming up with it now
    – Michael Mrozek Mod
    Commented Dec 10, 2010 at 20:22
  • @Michael: “sudo make me” has to stay for the xkcd allusion (and it works better with “make” being a standard unix command). Anyway four words is perfectly reasonable for a tagline.
    – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'
    Commented Dec 10, 2010 at 20:46
  • "sudo answer my inquiry"
    – xenoterracide Mod
    Commented Dec 11, 2010 at 10:46
  • "sudo enlighten me" A bit too religious, perhaps. ;)
    – syntaxerror
    Commented Jan 2, 2016 at 19:07
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KernelPanic: We'll fix your broken pipes, tighten your sockets, and give you a shiny, reliable operating system.

similar alternative if you like this one

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  • +1 for a good Elevator Pitch
    – Stefan Lasiewski
    Commented Oct 13, 2010 at 4:51
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afterthemanpage.com is available, and it suggests what people should do before posting a question.

"Read the man page and you're still stuck? afterthemanpage.com"

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date; cd; touch; strip; finger; mount; fsck; more; yes; unmount; sleep

Sex is better than unix... but we're here for your upright moments.

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    just, kinda... it's funny but I feel not professional
    – xenoterracide Mod
    Commented Nov 2, 2010 at 12:45
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KernelPanic: Panicking since 1969

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KernelPanic: We're in our 40s and have lots of kids, man are we proud!

1

Have burning questions about the intimate details of Linux and Unix? This is the place to ask them.

Want to spread some Linux and Unix love to others and learn more yourself? Start here.

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  • I vote for the first one.
    – tshepang
    Commented Dec 14, 2010 at 8:21
  • burning? you should get that checked out.
    – xenoterracide Mod
    Commented Jan 10, 2011 at 1:57
-1

Maybe this is bad form, but I'll borrow the tagline I proposed over at askubuntu.com, partially because they've gone off down another thread.

Learn by asking. Learn by example.

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  • 5
    You've inadvertently hit upon another tagline: "Unix SE: we take the stuff the Ubuntu SE doesn't want" ;)
    – Michael Mrozek Mod
    Commented Oct 13, 2010 at 5:31
  • 7
    "Unix: We were here before Ubuntu."
    – Stefan Lasiewski
    Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 0:41
  • kinda like how we were before...well a lotta stuff actually.
    – Kevin M
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 3:56
-1

KernelPanic: Jump out of a window! Inquire or inform about Unix and Linux.

or

"Jump out of Windows!" (if you prefer)

-3

unix.stackexchange.com The least social-behaviourly challenged experts on Unix you'll find in the net. No matter if your home is the terminal or the GUI, here you'll find the answers you are looking for.

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  • P.S. English isn't my native language and I'm not sure if "social behaviourly challenged" is even something you may say in English. Feel free to improve.
    – fschmitt
    Commented Oct 10, 2010 at 8:16
  • 2
    In the old days, "social behaviorally challenged" was commonly used to describe Debian ;).
    – Stefan Lasiewski
    Commented Oct 13, 2010 at 4:53
  • I think "socially challenged" is more brits ( english ) , but then again I'm not brits either ;)
    – Stefan
    Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 8:47
-3

unix.stackexchange.com : It's like Unix, but friendly.

-3

Ask about Linux, because Linux is sexy

or instead of 'ask about', just

Use Linux, because it's sexy

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  • Mmm, I'm not sure if we should only use Linux as tagline?
    – echox
    Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 10:01
  • mmm lol... don't be critical, change it if you like :)
    – Stefan
    Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 10:09
  • Is Unix not sexy? What about FreeBSD? Isn't it more nerdy? I've been told that MacOSX is sexy.
    – Stefan Lasiewski
    Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 19:18
  • well... linux is sexy is meme, and I sacrificed "FreeBSD" to make the tagline catchy.... but they are all sexy... i promise
    – Stefan
    Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 19:52
  • What's with the Linux favoritism? and besides, there's a so much better quote about unix and sexy...
    – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'
    Commented Oct 14, 2010 at 21:28
  • @Gilles, If you have something better, please share..
    – Stefan
    Commented Oct 15, 2010 at 4:50

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