Help me name my software.

June 1, 2008 5:32 PM

My company has developed a case management tool that has been in use for a number of years, and has never had a name. I want to start marketing it, register a domain name, get a logo developed, brochures and turn it into a brand. I would like something eponymous, and to that end I came up with the name “Preside” (as in preside over a case). I’m not that enamoured with it, and the developers hate it- but can't give me a reason. Can the hive mind think of something better? Or is “Preside” OK or just too awful? I can’t continue referring to the software as “our case management application”
posted by mattoxic to computers & internet (14 comments total)

Preside just doesn't sit well with me. You could always use 'Case Management' in the name. Why not 'Case Management Pro' or something like that?
posted by theichibun at 5:55 PM on June 1

Developers hate everything, so don't use that as a measuring stick.

The two alternative naming schemes to the one you used ("attractive brandable name") are:

1) clunky prosaic name/acronym: "CaseMan", "CMS (Case Management System)" or "CMT" or whatever.

2) non-sequiter code name: "Oslo", "Ragnarök", "Platypus", etc.

IMO, Preside is fine. I have worked with worse product names ("Robot" - original naming there guys!).
posted by GuyZero at 5:58 PM on June 1

is “Preside” OK or just too awful?

I don't like it either. One reason why it might sound weird is that it's a verb, and the vast majority of application names are nouns. The only major app with a verb name that I can think of is Excel.
posted by burnmp3s at 5:59 PM on June 1

Preside ain't bad, although it lacks some oomph. Better that you have something

I assume that this is a law-related application. (You should have specified.) There are at least three possible directions, the first of which you have followed:

1. A word or phrase that is law-related but gives no clue about what the app does. The problem is that all such words or phrases are likely to be taken. Preside.com is currently owned by a domain squatter. That means the name is available, but for a (surely hefty) price.

2. A made-up word that gives a clue about the product and that might have a URL available. LawNav or NavLaw are examples.

3. A word that has nothing to do with the law but which can be associated with your product via marketing. Think Amazon, eBay, etc.

You could pay a consulting company $40,000 and they will give you a list of six names that they pulled out of the air after an hour of talking over lattes. Or you could take my suggestion: "Conan". I'll charge a lot less.
posted by megatherium at 6:04 PM on June 1

"Better that you have something" that some of you like. . .
posted by megatherium at 6:05 PM on June 1

I assume that this is a law-related application. (You should have specified.) There are at least three possible directions, the first of which you have followed:

Law or medical
posted by mattoxic at 6:12 PM on June 1

You could pay a consulting company $40,000 and they will give you a list of six names that they pulled out of the air after an hour of talking over lattes.

This is correct. See my post some time ago about naming consultants. The the WordLab naming tools linked there, if only just for fun.
posted by beagle at 6:23 PM on June 1

Nothing wrong with Preside as far as I can see. I've seen many a worse name, even in case management software.

I'd call this a "prestige" type of name. That's as opposed to a descriptive or benefit type of name (say, PowerCase -- but then it should be powerful). If you come up with a key difference from your competitors you should highlight that. You should in any case look at the kinds of names your competition has and try to both be different and recognizably related (a tall order to be sure).

But in the beginning you just need a name, any will do. (A case in point is the "Master Better", which I recently found out was the original name for the Sybian. The name arrived as they realized how to market it as a couples' sex toy instead of something for pornographic use. The name Sybian is definitely a prestige word with no obvious meaning, but also reminiscent of the Sybarites.) Of course, it's also expensive to change your product's name, and you don't want to lose goodwill accrued to the old name, so picking well the first time is always good.
posted by dhartung at 6:46 PM on June 1

Give it a name in Latin. Lawyers love Latin!

Sub Judice (v3.1): The Present Case

Markets itself!
posted by cowbellemoo at 7:05 PM on June 1

Preside is a weak name. It's just not a strong word.

I don't have a better on offhand, though. I agree with the Latin, or quasilatin idea, though. It doesn't even have to be a legal term. It could be a word that means organized, or efficient, or such.
posted by rokusan at 7:39 PM on June 1

Is there something your product does that the competition doesn't (or an area where it beats the others)? If so, that might give you some ideas. (If not, then you probably have bigger problems to solve than the name, before you launch)
posted by winston at 8:15 PM on June 1

I don't like Preside because to preside over a case is nothing like to manage it (is it?) "Conduct" would make more sense to me (noun, stress on the first syllable. I'm guessing it's legal as others have. Really depends on what kind of case you're talking about.
posted by Listener at 11:24 PM on June 1

I think Preside is super dull as well. When you say "Case Management" What kind of cases are you talking about? Other cowbellemoo thought it meant legal cases, I immediately though of "generic" cases, like a trouble ticket in an IT shop or something like that. "Case" is a very generic word.

Your name will kind of dictate how you market it, but even if you want to be professional, preside is really weak. Even something like CaseWorks, CaseMaster, or CaseMan would be better.

You could call it LawBot and have your logo be a little robot with a tie and briefcase.
posted by delmoi at 12:23 AM on June 2

Lots of good answers here.

GuyZero, funnily enough the code name for the app was Echidna, and the API and namespaces are called Echidna. So maybe I'll keep it that.

Fyi, the competitors are called "Resolve" and "RiskMan"

Thanks all for helping to put this to bed.

Cheers.
posted by mattoxic at 6:35 AM on June 2