[GeoSTL] Re: SLAGA vs. GeoStl.com
- From: Paul Konopacki <konopapw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 13:37:44 -0500
> If a stranger sees it, they will have no idea what it stands for.
What are we trying to accomplish? I think we want to be
a resource for people who are interested in geocaching. I don't
think we are trying to make the world notice us.
But if someone sees SLAGA on a hat and they
want to know what it is, then they ask. Isn't
that better than just another 'something.com'
that is overused today and doesn't invoke
any curiosity due to overexposure?
In my mind, seeing SLAGA would invoke
some curiosity and I might ask the person
wearing or showing that name what it stood
for. For me, 'www.geostl.com' just by itself
gets lost in the .com clutter.
One you explain what SLAGA is in a personal,
customized manner, you pull out your SLAGA
business card that happens to have www.geostl.com
listed on it.
You seem to have the assumption that we're
not advertising www.geostl.com enough.
I completely disagree. Our site has been
submitted to search engines, referenced in
cache pages and emails, printed on business
cards, etc.
Word of mouth is also getting us noticed.
The web site statistics show a dramatic
increase in traffic to the site every month
and that's based on our current method
of publicity. I think our recognition is
growing at a fine pace.
I'm not adverse to using SLAGA and
www.geostl.com in the same sentence.
I do it all over the place without much
mental turmoil. But I have a problem
giving up one for the other at this stage
of the group's development.
What we should be concentrating on
more than bickering over names, is
what is the group going to become?
Are we at a stage where we have to
become more formal? How do we
make decisions as a group of 56
members? Can we do what we want
with the group on a donation basis?
Those are REAL issues.
> Can't SLAGA be removed from the web pages
> text only. Why do the filenames, databases, etc
> need to be changed? If we don't see them, who cares?
I don't live by the 'out-of-sight, out-of-mind' philosophy.
It only leads to trouble. Who cares? I care. I've seen
this type of 'name change' happen many times in my 20
years in the computer field. I've seen the mess it makes
to the maintenance of a program when it is only partially
implemented, or when the external changes, but the
internal doesn't. I don't want to voluntarily maintain a
web site under those conditions.
> Perhaps we should do a survey of all the members to see where we stand.
> 1. Should we keep the acronym SLAGA or not.
> 2. Should we promote the St. Louis Area Geocachers Assocation with SLAGA or
> GeoStl.com.
3. Keep and use both SLAGA and www.geostl.com in their appropriate context.
Dave D wrote:
> My whole point of this thread is that I would like people that are not
> familiar with the St. Louis Area Geocachers to be able to find us and know
> who we are by putting GeoStl.com on our website, email, hats, t-shirts,
> bumper stickers or whatever. I don't think using SLAGA is going to
> accomplish this.
>
> >Your main argument when starting this thread was:
> >'SLAGA just isn't that attractive - it sounds like a coal by-product.'
> >
> >That's all we had to base your argument on, but now it's even
> >weaker because it's 'just because you don't like it'.
>
> OK - I don't like it for multiple reasons.
> Its not a very good sounding acronym to me. A few other caches have
> indicated this as well.
> It sounds like it has something to do with coal.
> It sounds like it has something to do with agricultural.
> It means absolutely nothing to anyone who is not part of the St. Louis Area
> Geocachers.
> If a stranger sees it, they will have no idea what it stands for.
> If we ever get a bumper sticker or t-shirts made, are we going to put SLAGA
> on it - or GeoStl.com.
>
> Regardless of whatever short name we choose for the St. Louis Area
> Geocachers Association - I think it will be a mistake to put SLAGA out
> instead of GeoStl.com.
>
> Between ourselves, referring to the group as SLAGA is fine with me, since
> its a lot easier to type out or say then St. Louis Area Geocachers
> Associaiton. But to put the SLAGA name out to the public instead of
> geostl.com, I think is a mistake.
>
> > > I don't thing we are changing our name.
> > > We are still the St. Louis Area Geocachers Association.
> > > We would just not be using SLAGA.
> >
> >That's even worse. Then we would have two names that
> >aren't related.
>
> No, we would only have one, because we wouldn't be using SLAGA anymore.
>
> >That's not the definition of '.com'. '.com' is for companies.
> >Organizations
> >are '.org'. In term of domain names, it would be been more appropriate
> >for us to be '.net'. But that's beside the point. '.com' is part of a
> >domain
> >name. We are a geocaching group, not an internet web site.
>
> You certainly know more than I do regarding domain name extension
> definitions, however I chose .com for the ease of people finding the web
> site.
>
> If someone only knows GeoStl and not the extension, they can enter that into
> a browser and it will add www and com to the name. Had I chosen .net - some
> other company or organization could grab up .com causing some people to be
> directed to the wrong web site.
>
> I also chose .com because it is the most popular extension out there.
>
> The .com definition may mean companies - but it sure isn't the rule. There
> are millions of .coms that are not companies.
>
> If we can afford it, perhaps we should get .net and .org too.
>
> >We are a geocaching group, not an internet web site.
>
> Yep we are a geocaching group, not a web site, and not a SLAGA. We are
> group of geocachers that has its own website and I think that is what we
> should promote instead of SLAGA, which means nothing to others.
>
> You (Paul) have obviously put an ENORMOUS time and effort into our website
> (which I think is the best one out there) and I would like to promote it for
> the benefit of all of us.
>
> >I am very aware of the changes that would be needed. (And they aren't
> >just on the main web page as you seem to think). I don't expect
> >anyone who hasn't been deeply involved with the development of the
> >web site to know the full extent of the changes (or ever have to deal
> >with them). However, what you just proposed above is to 'remove'
> >our group's identity from our main web pages - all because you just don't
> >like the name SLAGA!
>
> Your absolutely right - I have no idea what it will take to make the changes
> you are referring to. However, why would we need to make all those changes.
>
> Can't SLAGA be removed from the web pages text only. Why do the filenames,
> databases, etc need to be changed? If we don't see them, who cares?
>
> > > As I recall when this was brought up a couple months ago - most people
> >did
> > > agree that we wanted to get away from SLAGA.
> >
> >I don't recall that anyone in the discussion said that SLAGA *had* to go.
> >Only 4 or 5 members participated in the discussion. The discussion was
> >not a serious one, so all alternatives that resulted were silly or
> >inappropriate.
> >The discussion died with no conclusion (just like it did with the logo).
> >
> >This issue might be a 'pet peeve' of yours, but you don't seem to realize
> >that
> >SLAGA has come to represent our group. I'd really hate to see us lose that
> >progress and momentum because you just don't like the name SLAGA
>
> Frankly, I don't give a darn how this comes out - but my limited marketing
> skills tell me that we would be better off promoting GeoStl.com instead of
> SLAGA.
>
> Our goal is the same - we just need to decide how we are going to go about
> it.
>
> Perhaps we should do a survey of all the members to see where we stand.
>
> 1. Should we keep the acronym SLAGA or not.
>
> 2. Should we promote the St. Louis Area Geocachers Assocation with SLAGA or
> GeoStl.com.
>
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