the name game: call for suggestions, and one volunteer

[astolat]

So, while still hashing out some details, it looks pretty clear that we will want to incorporate in the US as a nonprofit. As it happens, one of the first steps in this process is coming up with a name! Which also has the benefit of being entertaining. :D

This doesn't have to necessarily be the name we use on a day-to-day basis, more the official name, although it would be ideal to have something that works both ways.

Rules:

• The full name shouldn't already be in use -- the lawyers will do a formal search, but for now, just do a google to see if someone else is obviously using it.
  
  
• We will want something ideally that we can also get some variant or subset of as a domain name. You can search for domain-availability at a bunch of places; here is the network solutions search.
  
  
• Should be "distinctive" -- ie, weird enough that it can be a trademark. Xerox == yes, pets.com == no.
  
  
• One clever scheme (used a lot by right-wing orgs :>) is to choose a name that includes your main argument in the name. IE, if we did something with "Fair Use" in it, any time someone mentions the organization, they're basically repeating the key phrase you want people to associate with you.
  
  
• Avoid the word "Foundation", as that generally means a specific kind of charity that we will not be.
  
  
• Can go the descriptive route (Fanfic Conservancy, Fair Use Institute, Archive Of Our Own Co.) or with made up words (AD;KJFA Inc. *g*) or just sort of evocative/cool-sounding words (Keymashing Ltd.).

If you're suggesting a name or names, please put your name suggestion (or your favorite of them) in the subject line of your comment, especially if you're replying to/spinning off from someone else's suggestions.

Please post your suggestions here by Monday, May 28! We will then have a poll to narrow down the list of possibilities we consider with the lawyers.

JOB:
1. NOTES. Short term. Deadline: Tuesday May 29: collect name suggestions for a poll. - ainsley
If someone would be willing to volunteer to collect up all the name suggestions and turn them into a tickybox poll, that would be great! (Note: this requires your having a paid/permanent account.)

Comments

[ainsley.livejournal.com]

I'll do it.

[astolat]

Yay, thank you!

Archive of Our Own--

[caras-galadhon.livejournal.com]

[Argh. Reposted because I wasn't quite clear on one point.]

Honestly, I know it's early in the name-selection process, but I really do love "An Archive of Our Own" (or some variation) for the Woolf-connotations, the lack of a specific fandom modifier (thus making it more panfandom in origin), and what it says about the impetus behind the whole project.

[iulia_linnea.livejournal.com]

When I'm explaining fanfic to people, I usually refer to it as extrapolative fiction, which is why "Extrapolations Are Us" sprang to mind---but that sucks. Honestly, I really like "An Archive of Our Own," or something like it. That doesn't, however, speak to what we'd be archiving.

Brainstorming:

FenFiction.Org (could be confused with FanFiction.Net, but I still like it)
FenLib (just kidding!)
FictionByFans.Org/FicByFans.Org
OurArchive.Org (again, not particularly specific)

In any case, I volunteer to collect the suggestions made here and turn them into a poll (would I post the poll on my own lj and then link to it from the comm?).

Re: Archive of Our Own--

[nestra.livejournal.com]

I agree. Variations that are available:

ourarchive.net
ourarchive.org
byfansforfans.com
byfansforfans.net
archiveofourown.com
archiveofourown.net
archiveofourown.org
archiveofonesown.com
archiveofonesown.net
archiveofonesown.org
fanarchive.org (but .com leads to a porn site)
fan-archive.com (.net leads to a fannish site)

And after that my creativity failed.

Re: Archive of Our Own--

[iulia_linnea.livejournal.com]

I like the suggestion for the same reasons, and because it was the phrase that astolat used in her initial post suggesting the archive.

[astolat]

Hey, ainsley got in ahead of you, but thank you for offering! :)

[iulia_linnea.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. :D

Re: Archive of Our Own--

[nestra.livejournal.com]

FYI, I agreed and posted a few possibilities under your original comment.

[astolat]

One consideration is, if we want to do more than just an archive -- ie, if we wanted to add preservation and/or aggregation, or put up some incremental tools before the archive is available, all examples of things that have been proposed -- then we might want to have a more general name for the corporation, even if the archive itself is called "An Archive Of Our Own", etc.

Organization for Transformative Fiction

[octette]

Organization for Transformative Fiction @ transformativefiction.org

??

[caras-galadhon.livejournal.com]

Ooh, good point. Hmm. I'll have to give it some thought today and see if I can come up with any suggestions.

fanfairuse.org

[rez-lo.livejournal.com]

My heart is with the Woolf-inflected An Archive of One's Own. The above is offered for the Fair Use reference.

Nothing with "fic", please!

[neery.livejournal.com]

I don't have a suggestion of my own, but I'd ask that we avoid having the abbreviation "fic" in the name. "Fiction" is fine, but "Fick" (sounds the same, phonetically) is the German word for "fuck", and you really can't use the word fic over here without non-fandom people giving you weird "why is this person talking about fucking?" looks. There's quite a few Germans in fandom, and I think it would be nice if we could talk about the archive in public without sounding obscene.

[boosette.livejournal.com]

FansWrite.com/net/org

FanWrites.com/net/org (I prefer this one as a play on "fan rights" myself. )

[ainsley.livejournal.com]

I like that idea a lot--using the name for the archive, but something else for the project in its entirety.

[neery.livejournal.com]

But things are preserved and aggregated in archives, aren't they? I can't remember seeing any suggestions that would really be so far outside of what I think archives are meant to do, anyway. (But I might well have missed something in the hundreds of comments.)

On the other hand, "Archive or our own" is a little unwieldy, and you can't really abbreviate or acronym it.

Vote for Archive of our own + thoughts on sub-headings

[boji.livejournal.com]

If we do go for Archive of our own which would be my vote, can't be co-opt, play with library terminology for subsections?

As in special collection for fics that had vanished and been retrieved? And how about literary allusions from texts in the public domain for sub-categories which would be drama, comedy etc. And... to carry on with the idea, we can't use quotes from original work for category headings can we?

If so what do people think? If not, what if we filk them?

FanWrites

[neery.livejournal.com]

In like this one! Just thought I'd put it in a header so it's easier to find.

[risha]

I've been thinking of it as "An Archive Of Our Own" as well, though I will conceed that it's a little unwieldy for the name of the corporation as a whole. I don't have any better suggestions, though I think that we may want to avoid the words Fiction or Fic - in case we decide to host or link to vids and other types of fan work.

Re: Vote for Archive of our own + thoughts on sub-headings

[neery.livejournal.com]

Depends on how clear the subcategory headers are, I think - it should be obvious at first glance what's behind the link for easy navigation, so while a simple and obvious literary allusion along the lines of "Here be drama" for the drama category might be fun, using a quote from a Shakespeare drama or something like that would just make things confusing.

Basically, don't make navigation a guessing game. ;)

FanCreation.Org/FanCreations.Org

[iulia_linnea.livejournal.com]

You raise a good point about including other fan work, so what about something like FanCreation.Org (which I like for its play on recreation)?

Re: Organization for Transformative Fiction

[almostnever.livejournal.com]

I like this suggestion a lot.

[dsudis.livejournal.com]

AOOO! It's like a wolf howl. :)

Re: FanCreation.Org

[neery.livejournal.com]

This one's nice, too - and I like calling it "FanCreation" partly because of that eternal argument that fan artists aren't creative, we're just stealing / duplicating / etc.