Plectionary

[mikelove]

We've been thinking about yet another name change for the next major version of PlecoDict, and right now the leading candidates are "Pleco 2.0" (or "Pleco System 2.0" or "Pleco Dictionary 2.0" or something else where "Pleco" is by itself), or a new word we've just invented (and preemptively registered the domain name for), "Plectionary". The former has the benefit of being short and easily tied to our company name, but the latter is easier to Google and makes it a little more obvious what the product actually does. And of course PlecoDict has the benefit of being already well-known and of having the oh-so-tendy midword capital, in addition to being probably a little harder to misspell than "Plectionary".

So I thought I might as well ask here: does anyone have any thoughts on / reactions to the name "Plectionary"? Better or worse than PlecoDict? Would we be better off simply dropping the requirement that we work Pleco into everything and coming up with an entirely new name?

 

[lmcjipo]

We've been thinking about yet another name change for the next major version of PlecoDict, and right now the leading candidates are "Pleco 2.0" (or "Pleco System 2.0" or "Pleco Dictionary 2.0" or something else where "Pleco" is by itself), or a new word we've just invented (and preemptively registered the domain name for), "Plectionary". The former has the benefit of being short and easily tied to our company name, but the latter is easier to Google and makes it a little more obvious what the product actually does. And of course PlecoDict has the benefit of being already well-known and of having the oh-so-tendy midword capital, in addition to being probably a little harder to misspell than "Plectionary".

So I thought I might as well ask here: does anyone have any thoughts on / reactions to the name "Plectionary"? Better or worse than PlecoDict? Would we be better off simply dropping the requirement that we work Pleco into everything and coming up with an entirely new name?

I personally prefer PlecoDict but this is probably just because I'm used to it. My second choice would be just using Pleco.

Plectionary seems a bit long and doesn't roll off my tongue. Unless someone knows that your company does, they might think that Plectionary is a fish dictionary :wink:

Whatever the next version is called won't make a difference to me as long as you continue to offer the same high quality and fast support.

By the way, why didn't you just make this into a polling question?

 

[hairyleprechaun]

I agree with the idea of creating a poll with a list of titles you are currently considering, and maybe a slot for "other" where people can write in their own suggestions, though that is not necessary.

As for plectionary (Did I spell it right? ) I also don't think it rolls off the tongue very well, and I don't think it is very catchy. ie. not very easy to remember.

Just my thoughts, I will support any name that you come out with because your product has so many superior features for learners of the Chinese language.

 

[Jim]

I like PlecoDict and liked it when you first introduced it. It is easy to say, sounds good and gives some small idea of the what the product is. The only way you will let people really know what it is just by name would be to call it: "PlecoAllCurrentUsersReallyLoveUsingSeveralFamousEnglishChinese/ChineseEnglishDictionariesWithFlashcardsAndEvenInstantAccessForUltimateConvenienceWhenUsedWithSmartPhones" which doesn't really roll off the tongue either.

Stick with Plecodict and throw a number after it if you must but I don't think you even need that. Anyone really interested will find out about versions quickly enough.

 

[Shadowdh]

I like Plectionary but as you say you already have product name familiarisation to contend with Plecodict is fine (and why is it named after our fishy friends btw?) but perhaps something with Chinese in the title...

 

[sfrrr]

Plectionary sounds more modern or techie somehow. Pleco Chinese System (or something like that) might also work. I don't think Pleco works without anything modifying it. The problem with plectionary 對我來說 is that it says this is a (as in one) dictionary whereas it also contains several dictionaries, including user dicts, and flaschcards.

Sandra

 

[caesartg]

I reckon once you have the brand recognised, you don't need the name to define itself. PlecoDict is good, but the Dict could be dropped. After all, would eBay benefit from being referred to as eBayAuction, Google GoogleSearch, IBM, IBMcomp every time someone referred to it? Pleco rolls off the tongue better and in my opinion is the best name, especially for Google-ing and if the product becomes very well-known. I think it's between these two names - Pleco and PlecoDict.

 

[craig]

I would recommend keeping Plecodict. As stands now it is referred to as "pleco" among my friends and I. Plecodict is nice as it is catchy and can easily be shortened to either Pleco or PD.

Plectionary on the other hand while sounds neat for some reason reminded me and another person of pictionary. Also shortening it to Plec doesn't sound right and without the "o".

 

[mikelove]

Thanks for all the feedback. Still not sure about Pleco versus PlecoDict, but the reactions to Plectionary seem sufficiently mixed that it's probably not worth trying to roll out a new brand like that - the Pictionary and one-dictionary-only issues are particularly worrisome.

And another benefit to PlecoDict is that it easily lends itself to related products - a standalone flashcard program could be PlecoFlash, or a document reader could be PlecoRead, or if we decide to get into the portable games business we could release a product called PlecoDoku

In response to Shadowdh's question, the choice of Pleco was largely personal - back when I was in middle/high school (and actually had several pet Plecos) I used that name for my first attempt at a software business. The only product I actually released was a little Mac game called Ergo - it's still floating around the Info-Mac archives if any of you have a Mac that's old enough to run 68K Classic apps. Also got it featured in one of the first issues of MacAddict magazine (think it was issue #12 or something around there) if anyone's library has back issues of that.

And I avoided making it into a polling question since I was more interested in individual opinions - if I wanted statistical data on what people thought of the name I'd do another e-mail survey (like the one a few years ago which mapped out a lot of the features we eventually included in PlecoDict).

 

[lmcjipo]

I've always wondered about the "Pleco" also and your fascination with this type of fish even though I read your company's webpage. In my aquarium, I only keep 1 Plecostomus(sp?). They do a good job of eating food on the bottom of the aquarium but they aren't very nice to look at. They are also very hardy fish... outliving most of my other freshwater fish.

Since many Asian/Chinese families I know have aquariums, Pleco is a good name for a company dealing with Chinese products.

Just my personal opinion. :wink:

 

[mikelove]

I've always liked Plecos - not sure why, I think part of it had to do with the fact that they always seemed sort of thoughtful / contemplative, like they were somehow above the fray going on above them. Mine usually shared a tank with African cichlids (since Plecos have a greater tolerance for both alkaline water and aggressive tankmates than most other bottom cleaners) so the contrast was particularly striking with those - a quiet, dignified workhorse in a tank full of showoffs. So I suppose the Pleco is a pretty good mascot for a company that makes a similarly workhorse-like product like a language translation dictionary. Ironically I haven't actually had a pet Pleco in quite a few years, having lived in three consecutive apartments with strict no-pet policies - there seems to be a growing interest in fancy Plecos among fish enthusiasts (I've seen some going for $40 or $50 in good aquarium shops recently), so I'd love to take a stab at breeding them once I have the space.

Of course there is the slight problem that the Latin root for Pleco is "sucker" (plecostomus = suckermouthed), but it's not like there are a lot of Latin speakers out there, and we can always pretend it's based on the Greek version used in "plecoptera" (pleikein, "braided, twisted").

 

[Pampuk]

Why not try Plecodico ? Dico is the abbreviation for dictionnary in French and it sound fun (if a little mexican !)

 

[sfrrr]

Mike--I like braided and twisted. I think that describes most students of Chinese and any developer who tries to make a multi-dictionary/flashcard program for them to use.

Unless the vast preponderance of your users are outside of the U.S., I'd be wary of PlecoDico. Too many words to morph that into.

Sandra

 

[hairyleprechaun]

I like PlecoDict the best, and like you said, it is easy to attach different words after Pleco to name different products, ie. PlecoFlash, PlecoRead, etc...

 

[Shadowdh]

Thanks for the reply Mike.. Plecos are indeed cool fish... I like the way they look like the stealth craft of the fish world...

 

[mikelove]

I tend to agree with sfrrr about PlecoDico - it does have a fun/festive sound but there are just too many negative possibilities for it in English.

And yeah, I do like that cool stealthy look - a bit like a submarine, actually, or a futuristic radarproof boat like the DD(X).