Whcih domain name do you like better?

[Denver]

Im creating a website for artists of all types to book gigs with and was wondering which domain to use. I own both.

aplazz.com
or
gigvue.com

thanks in advance

[pianoperformer]

Neither of them make much sense. What is the site going to be about?

[Denver]

really? its about booking gigs, just like my previous post states.

aplazz translates to applause
gigvue translates to gigview

makes sense to me but your information is valuable. thanks

[Mike0149]

I run my business through companies with self-created 'pun' names and, by and large, people don't 'get' them. One I have in reserve is 'Milly & Oller Developments' - get it? My past experience suggests that most people won't.

In the same way, my primary email address is [first name and surname changed]: mich@eljones.com Simple and easy to remember? I'd have thought so. But when I tell people "write my name michaeljones as one word, add .com at the end, then turn the 'a' in michael into the @ sign", at least 80% don't 'get it' and I have to painstakingly spell it out letter by letter. Sometimes it then clicks with them, but usually not and they persist with comments in a confused voice like "so, is that michael@michaeljones.com, then?"

[itybiz com]

I'd say that a pun name can be risky. You need to be sure you have the right one and that it'll be easy for people to type in once they know the name and want to go there without any links.

Lots of people thought Reddit was a stupid name and until it caught on, it was awkward. If you're about to hold on long enough to the point where the industry knows it well, then I think you'll have a much better name than something like onlinegigbooking.com, which to me doesn't have the same community feel to it.

I like gigvue.com because aplazz.com is too easy to get the spelling wrong (I had to scroll down to see if it was applaz or aplazz) and aplazz would work better for a review site. (Which you might also want to consider).

I think the cons are:

- less SEO power since the domain name doesn't have descriptive words
- 'vue' feels like a secondary choice of word
- cutesy names can be cheesy in the wrong context

I think the pros are:

- short (would work well on stickers handed out to bands or stuck on club notice boards)
- creative
- memorable
- brandable
- sellable
- more potential for building a community

Keep this in mind. Even if not everyone 'gets it', if you're able to reach critical mass the name becomes a household name. I could think of better names than Twitter and Facebook for identical sites with few viewers, but now that they're at the level they're at, no one could imagine them with a different name. People made fun of the Twitter name and the idea of sending 'tweets'.

But that creativity and oddity is what helped it catch on.

I would suggest you invest in a good logo that will help carry the name. Don't go too obvious with the graphic. Check out - nuvologo.com

Keep us posted on which you go with!

[itybiz com]

Originally Posted by Mike0149

In the same way, my primary email address is [first name and surname changed]: mich@eljones.com Simple and easy to remember? I'd have thought so.

I like it, but to be honest didn't see it until you spelled it out. People don't expect to see intelligent email names and don't look for them.

Many things like this I do for myself and if they get it great, otherwise no big loss.

[Denver]

wow thanks for the reply itybiz and i will def keep you posted on the progress of the site. I was leaning toward Gigvue so ill prob go with that. I asked 35 people i knew on facebook and came back with 25 for Gigvue and 10 for Aplazz. your insight on the spelling of aplazz is spot on. thanks alot

[itybiz com]

Glad I could reaffirm your thoughts.

Remember, in the end a name's just a name. Personally I like my companies to have a unique name but if you don't invest in a solid identity, user interface and offer great support the company will flutter.

What I mean by investing in an identity is both hiring a great designer, but also protecting it with a trademark, which a good logo company will know how to design for (restrictions etc).

Steve

[Agota]

Both names don't make sense to me, meaning I would have no idea what the site is about from those names.

Just my two cents

P.S. ..and no, I didn't make the connections between aplazz and applause and gigvue with gigview..

[splok]

I like gigvue. It seems like a pretty fitting and memorable name for a gig site. You might have to spell it if you mention it verbally, but it wouldn't be nearly as hard to get across as the other name. I think that most people stumbling across it online would have no problem though.

The "mich@eljones.com" thing is basically a visual pun. It might be ok on a business card or something if you're somewhere that values a bit of cleverness, but trying to explain that verbally would be a nightmare.

[poika]

i didn't get those domains until you explained them, but gigvue makes more sence since it's a site for gig booking. my first thought was that 'vue' is something french, but either way the 'gig' part is clearly visible. imho a con of aplazz is that 'applause' spells with two Ps and aplazz with one. i vote for gigvue as well

[Denver]

thanks guys for all the input. i was aware of the possible misspronouncing of aplazz but i thought for sure people would get the gigvue one. how do most of you say it phonetically? if its possible for you to show that online. I just cant think of another way to pronounce vue, but as view....

[poika]

Originally Posted by Denver

thanks guys for all the input. i was aware of the possible misspronouncing of aplazz but i thought for sure people would get the gigvue one. how do most of you say it phonetically? if its possible for you to show that online. I just cant think of another way to pronounce vue, but as view....

i'd pronounce the ending like in 'blue' or 'deja vu'.

[nishu]

have a domain name which says about your site or the topic of your sit so that it can be easy for others to understand easily.

[KathiMora]

I like "gigvue". However its a bit difficult to understand till someone explains what it means. However, I don't see this as a problem if you make sure that when promoting the website you pass on the right message to the target audience. I also suggest that once you have the website ready, start promoting it on Facebook so that more and more people get to know the website and the concept behind it.

[votoshka]

I prefer gigvue because it sounds like "gig view" to me... while aplazz doesn't rhyme with applause (at least how I would say it)... so I wouldn't figure out what it meant! (I don't know quite how you'd pronounce applause, but where I live the "lause" is sort of like like "lors" (but without a pronounced R sound).

[Denver]

very interesting. I never thought of how the names would sound to a global audience. thanks Votoshka. Love that australian accent by the way!