Some fundamentals seem lost in the Web 2.0 world.

Having a good name is one of many. I’m not referring to a company’s reputation - we already know that to be undeniably crucial. I’m referring to the very names of companies and products.

I was just testing Wikia Search earlier and the one thing that struck me was how easily cynics could headline a negative post.

All because ‘Wikia’. Sounds like. ‘Weaker’.

And the possibilities are endless - Wikia: The Weaker Search Engine. The Weaknesses of Wikia. Jimmy Wales’ Hopes to Beat Google Get Wikia and Wikia…

Of course it could work in favour of the new search engine… For instance - Wikia Weakens Google’s Stranglehold in Search. But against a giant like Google and its kingdom of fans, the downside risk for a name like Wikia seems greater than the upside. And Wikia’s powerful founder doesn’t give it the opportunity to enchant the masses with a David-and-Goliath story.

On the flip side, Apple’s range of operating systems - Panther, Tiger, Leopard etc - makes made it very easy for Apple-loving journalists to headline their articles with “Leopard takes a giant leap ahead of Windows” etc. (A random example I found; and I’m sure there are many more.)

That said, a poor name will not deny a good product from succeeding; and from a digital PR perspective, it would be good to explore Wikia Search a little more. BusinessWeek has a pretty good introduction to Wikia.

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