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Riot is now Element

(element.io)
550 points J_tt | 3 comments | 15 Jul 20 07:07 UTC | HN request time: 0.014s | source
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izietto ◴[15 Jul 20 07:41 UTC] No.23842358[source]▶
I don't like the new name, is too generic. I think an original alternative would have been better, like Trello, Slack, ...
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gkoberger ◴[15 Jul 20 07:43 UTC] No.23842371[source]▶
I think those names are taken.

(Really though, Slack is as generic of a word as Element! It just had a strong connotation now)

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1. KingOfCoders ◴[15 Jul 20 08:24 UTC] No.23842605[source]▶
People often get confused, they think the word is strong (Nike,Google,...) while the word nearly never is. As you've said it's the other way around, what the company evokes in us with their product over time is brought back to the name.
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2. mytailorisrich ◴[15 Jul 20 09:29 UTC] No.23842968[source]▶
That does not mean that a generic name is fine.

It means that a unique, made-up word is fine because it will gain meaning. It may sound strange now because it is new and unknown but that does not matter because that will change. 'Google' went to a strange, made-up word, to being an everyday noun and verb.

In that respect a made-up word is the best option because you start with a blank slate and you can create its meaning.

Whereas a generic word already has meaning, several competing ones, even, and you have to struggle against that to build your brand, so it's an inferior choice.

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3. KingOfCoders ◴[15 Jul 20 10:03 UTC] No.23843171[source]▶
Yes, I also tell people whom I consult to use a short, easy to remember fantasy word. I like a mix, like Mailchimp which evokes images in customers.

Though as Apple, Nike, Windows, Slack, Segment have shown, the generic approach can work.