We have been internally discussing a rebranding of Memmy to another name. This has been a discussion for some time, and although we have certainly tried to see the upsides of not rebranding, we don't think this is a viable long-term option, for - among others - the following reasons:

Eventual support for non-Lemmy services such as Kbin or Mastodon
User awareness of Lemmy. Right now, the vast majority of people who are finding the app most likely are specifically searching for "Lemmy". While that's great and (based on trends on downloads/day) shows that there's obviously a big demand for Lemmy, we think this might not be the best way to grow - not just for ourselves but for Lemmy as a whole. We want the fediverse to grow and the best way to do that is to make it acceptable and easy to access without specifically targeting people who already know about Lemmy
Community feedback in general about the name. None of this is taken personal or anything, but there's definitely negative feedback for multiple reasons about it, and honestly I think we agree with most - if not all - of that feedback.

Like I said, this is not something that we are doing lightly and we want to make sure we make the right choice before moving forward.

Mind you, we are not talking about a short-term goal here of supporting multiple Fediverse platforms. That probably isn't even in the one-year plan if I'm being honest. But I personally believe the way that we make the Fediverse work is by making the whole experience awesome, and that means offering users with options and ease-of-use.

So, with that said, we want to see what you guys think. We have had internal discussion about the possibility of using the name Badger, and while we all think that's a pretty good option, we are not 100% sold and want to gauge feedback before we do anything. Edit: It seems like that might not be something the community is interested in, so we likely won't be going that route.

Please drop your suggestions for themes or names below! We will go through them all sometime later in the day.

Let us know your thoughts!

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[–] vos@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I agree with the name change. I don’t like Badger though, probably mainly due to associations with badgers.

Suggestions Argonaut: a person in quest of something dangerous but rewarding; adventurer. Obviously related to mythology (Jason & The Argonauts), but not overdone like the deities. Generally a clear unique name that signifies the “adventure” that is the fediverse. Also flexible in terms of mascots and app icons.

Dragonfly: planned spacecraft and NASA mission to the largest moon of Saturn (in line with the current icon). I generally like the space theme.

Pioneer: name of various space missions. Also relates to the general aim of the app to lead or significantly contribute to the growth of a (to most people) novel area of the internet (i.e. the fediverse).

Traverse: already the name of one of the tabs in the app and I kinda like it. It’s simple and it signifies travelling across the fediverse.

Hermes / Mercury: as mentioned in another comment, Greek/Roman deity able to travel between worlds (which relates to “travelling” across the fediverse). The whole deities theme is a bit overdone though.

Mallory: name of the mountaineer who participated in the first three (British) Mount Everest expeditions (and maybe the first to reach the top, but this is controversial as he never returned from his last trip). A pioneer in his own field. Also the name of the character Dr. Mallory in the series Space Force.

General tips Whether you go with one of the suggestions or not, I think it is important to pick a somewhat abstract name so people can form associations with it without be hindered by strong existing associations (which is the problem with Badger I think). Furthermore, pick something that is in line with the goal of the app/team, so it resonates with the team and early adopters.

Obvious tips Google a name and look on the app store before picking one (for example, I know ‘Orion’ is already the name of an upcoming browser).

Pick a name that is “phonetic”, so people potentially hearing it on a podcast can easily look for it.