So I found myself brainstorming a name for a new startup that reduces social smog and lets you see the updates you want, from the people you really care about and the topics you like, across the major social networks.

Naming is always a dangerous exercise in embarassment…. =)
Our outbursts are regulated a bit by domain name availability, ease of spelling, brand connotations and… yeah.

I started with FluxMux, which even suggests a nice logo: the three-input mux… Then I started thinking about the major social network firehoses that this would suck on… Suckerberg…

FaceMash, which has a fine history, looks available…

And then, rolling it all up — Facetwat… (strong reaction ensues)

But then I see that it’s already taken, image above… and someone has grand plans for it.

So, in the spirit of crowdsourced branding, do you have a suggestion?

32 responses to “Social Network Naming”

  1. McPHX Avatar
    McPHX

    I’ve heard "faceberk" from the UK. And from my favorite TV show the IT Crowd they refer it as "friendface."

    Reply
  2. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    and hey, doesn’t Facetwat know that isolatr did this five years ago???

    Anti-Social Networking

    Reply
  3. markedwindrummond Avatar
    markedwindrummond

    bartfast.com!

    Reply
  4. solerena Avatar
    solerena

    kicKThem-ouT

    Reply
  5. Bob Harrell Avatar
    Bob Harrell

    What about combining ideas like ‘filter’ or ‘screen’ with ‘friend’ or ‘intimate’ or ‘circle’ – something like Filtimate or Filtemat? FriendScreen? Fircl??

    Reply
  6. Bob Harrell Avatar
    Bob Harrell

    A few more:
    LinkedOut
    ScreenedIn
    NeedCast
    Nilter
    Friltr (a tongue twister)

    Reply
  7. Dr DAD (Daniel A D'Auria MD) Avatar
    Dr DAD (Daniel A D’Auria MD)

    Why not something simple that gives one a sense of clarity and simplicity like Purify.com. Makes me want to sign up just thinking about it.

    Reply
  8. Scott C (sec611) Avatar
    Scott C (sec611)

    How about ‘FaceCloth,’ to rinse out your over-socially networked life.

    Reply
  9. desireeomran Avatar
    desireeomran

    Burqa’d

    Reply
  10. Bob Harrell Avatar
    Bob Harrell

    CheeseCloth
    FaceSwat

    Reply
  11. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    thanks y’all!!
    Cracks me up.
    Especially Burqa’d (see the world through a slit) and bartfast (architect of our world).
    P-)

    Reply
  12. jitze Avatar
    jitze

    Weedster, Defenestrator, Custodian, ScreenGuard, FriendSieve, Sentryfuge

    Reply
  13. In Memoriam: jerryfi_99 Avatar
    In Memoriam: jerryfi_99

    PickAFace, FaceFocus, WebFocus, SocialThread, WebThread, StrawPoll, CloudBreak, WebSift, FaceSift

    Reply
  14. nhr Avatar
    nhr

    Some food for your cogitations:

    insieve (Nicely alliterative with "inbox". Also has a sharp, cutting ring to it, which might mesh well with the service’s intended purpose)
    palsort
    palsieve
    palsiever
    accsieve
    linksieve
    linksiever
    taperpal
    palbarring     (cognate of "call barring", but might be phonetically too close to "pallbearer")
    correpal (correlate, correct etc.)
    relipal (re-link, relate, reliable etc.)
    sunderlink (if the service’s focused on cutting links)
    actulink
    enstare (if the service’s focused on, well, staring at / observing the important stuff)
    dwindleweb
    netbuffer
    subduor
    askepsis     (Privative prefix + skepsis; the act of not watching 😉
    linkastheny (Neurastheny, ἀσθένεια)
    asthenolink (As tenuous a link as may exist… 😉
    tunevolume

    Reply
  15. gsikich1 Avatar
    gsikich1

    Ha, this one made me have a good laugh – thanks for helping me start the day happy!

    Reply
  16. Marcelo Savoini Avatar
    Marcelo Savoini

    What about "FilteredBook" ?

    Reply
  17. Bob Harrell Avatar
    Bob Harrell

    Heh. Pallbearing Defenestrator. Nice.

    Reply
  18. jmcminn Avatar
    jmcminn

    FaceScrub

    Reply
  19. In Memoriam: jerryfi_99 Avatar
    In Memoriam: jerryfi_99

    TwitBgone

    Reply
  20. ukweli Avatar
    ukweli

    +1 to Friendsieve and Facewash.

    Facemask?

    Reply
  21. The Rocketeer Avatar
    The Rocketeer

    How about one of the following:
    iDistill
    Reductionizor
    Socialstill
    Netportance
    SocialCream (rising to the top, so to speak)
    Pingtastique
    Pingtastic
    Friendsort

    Reply
  22. restlessthought Avatar
    restlessthought

    iBleach
    facefogger
    FaceErase
    iAcneCream

    Reply
  23. Bob Harrell Avatar
    Bob Harrell

    Or perhaps FiltaFace (not to be confused with gefilteface)

    Reply
  24. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    Thanks y’all…. They went with something more reasonable… to be announced.

    I just hope China sees the danger and institutes a "one-friend policy"

    =)

    And today, we have a blog post from another company addressing just this, Altly…

    "Summary

    Facebook is dramatically changing the way we communicate with our friends, family, business associates, and the other groups of people in our lives.

    We are pressured to become “friends” with people that we would not have had ongoing communication with prior to Facebook.

    We are also pressured to share more and more personal information with not only “friends” but “friends of friends”.

    Facebook’s privacy settings are so complex that even advanced users have a hard time configuring them, understanding who can see what, and Facebook continues to change its privacy settings without first alerting users, creating serious problems with serious consequences.

    Facebook subjugates our personal information and our digital identities, and then sells us, as products, to advertisers, without regard for our rights, and with no value to us.

    Facebook doesn’t just want to own our communications while on Facebook, but is spreading its tentacles across the entire Web with their Facebook Connect login, Facebook Like buttons, and Facebook Comments, making it practically impossible to have private use of the Internet.

    At this time there are no real alternatives to Facebook, as most people believe that no one can possibly create an alternative.

    Altly.com is building an alternative to Facebook, with a dramatically different view of our rights to privacy and ownership of our personal information."

    Reply
  25. The Rocketeer Avatar
    The Rocketeer

    Thanks for the link, Steve. I reserved my "Rocketeer" moniker at altly.com

    I still think Socialstill was a better name than altly though. To each his own… 😉

    Reply
  26. jurvetson Avatar
    jurvetson

    Oh, Altly is a different company (we are investors there too). The new name for Wowd (the photo thread) is likely to be Jildy…

    Reply
  27. solerena Avatar
    solerena

    i did reserve my name… although it all depends… hope they will be better… flickr is just fine for me… as for Facebook goes… i heard from many people that Facebook is a great company to work for… one person has contacted me recently and asked to introduce him to a facebook recruiter in my linkedin network stating that Facebook is his dream employer… with all this said and done.. i used Facebook for one week, hated it instantly…exactly privacy settings and spam…

    Reply
  28. McPHX Avatar
    McPHX

    Not a fan of Facebook here either. I’ve been waiting and watching what those kids do with Diaspora, however painfully slow.

    Reply
  29. vennettaj Avatar
    vennettaj

    "one friend policy"…lol…i’m not sure i understood the whole complexity of the joke (if any)..but it sounds very funny

    Reply
  30. restlessthought Avatar
    restlessthought

    what do you mean, they went with something more reasonable?

    doesn’t FaceFogger or iAcneCream sound keenly reasonable?

    Reply
  31. solerena Avatar
    solerena

    Also, not sure it is appropriate here but about facebook again:
    i really see a possibility of a very major scandal coming (Enron’s size) if nothing will be changed. Just think about facebook as a total monopoly – ok "bring your authentic self to work", your family pictures, places you visit, things you see and buy and read etc…. but after you put all this information online for free, do you have any say in terms of anything else? who is using it and why? and this is a very small issue in comparison… somebody proves me if i am wrong – always fun to learn something new… but facebook should be driving anti-facebook legislation… i mean proactively figuring out their own potential red flags, loop holes and weaknesses for their own benefit and societal-global society benefit while taking into consideration organized crime, places of unrest on this planet, national security issues and globalization problems. They have plenty of money already and do not need to take money from gangsters!

    Entering facebook world as an outsider and not noticing red flags is really not possible, but people are more relaxed when they get used to something, so they do not even see it with the same eyes. This is why diversity is so important, so we can be stronger as a team this way.

    I love the fact that civil rights are mentioned here!

    Reply
  32. shopping_ideas Avatar
    shopping_ideas

    Enhance your product continually by applying a login name that is still available on most of the most popular websites. Find the best login name with get social name.

    Reply

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