January 4, 2017
It’s been more than two years since the new gTLDs started to be released. Meant to provide companies and individuals with a plethora of options for where to register their domains, these extensions inspired betting left and right as to which would float, which would sink, and how much the gTLDs would be embraced by the […]
December 8, 2016
Catchword founder and executive creative director Maria Cypher was quoted in the CBC’s story on the new .eco top-level domain: Imagine sitting across from your friend at a pub, several pints in, with a big idea — one that could change the internet and maybe even help the planet. The prelude, perhaps, to nothing but a hangover. […]
September 1, 2016
We are very proud to report that our very own Maria Cypher, founding partner of Catchword and Just The Word, has been profiled by NamesCon as part of their Women in Domaining series. Learn more about our fearless leader and what makes her tick, from most surprising fact to greatest influence. Women in Domaining Profile: Maria […]
February 17, 2016
This is just a friendly reminder that just because something is newly available for purchase, or heralded as the next big thing, or advertised as eminently necessary, doesn’t mean you should buy it. This includes Snuggies, combination PB and J jars, and the .cloud extension. A big part of naming in the 21st century concerns […]
December 2, 2013
Hop on over to Domain Name Advice to read the blog I wrote about business names and domains. It’s a quick how-to guide that will tell you what you need to know about creating, checking, and registering domain names for your business. Here’s an excerpt: Back in the old days of naming, before the Internet […]
July 30, 2013
A few days ago we blogged the piece in The Atlantic Wire about startup names, in which I was quoted. That piece, and a similar one in the Wall Street Journal, then got picked up in the ValleyWag section of Gawker, in which my quote was again featured – but this time without my name […]
July 18, 2013
In response to a recent Wall Street Journal article on the explosion of “quirky” made-up startup names prompted by the scarcity of domains, The Atlantic’s Rebecca Greenfield writes on the pitfalls of such nonsensical names. For example, at least 161 companies end in “ly,” “lee,” and “li,” and over 100 tacked ‘”ify” to their names when […]
March 17, 2011
As an amateur guitar player, I get lots and lots of guitar-related emails from descriptively named outfits like Guitar Instructor.com, Guitar Edge, Guitar Center, etc. So it was with a little chuckle that I opened my first-ever email from GuitarSquid, “a website that pulls all of the guitar news you can stomach into one convenient […]
February 2, 2011
This item was originally published on January 26th, 2010 at Fast Company. Back in December, Racebook Marketing Concepts held a Brand Name Auction during which “150 Timeless Trademarks and Domains” were offered for sale. But the auction was more bust than boom: only about 50 people showed up, with a few more bidders participating online. […]
June 3, 2009
As I perused my New York Times yesterday, I saw a full page ad (three full pages ads, to be precise) announcing the name of the recently “merged” Morgan Stanley and Smith Barney. Of course, being bankers, these guys didn’t bother working with a brand name development firm like Catchword. So the result? Yep, you […]