[Boston-print] Ideas for a name.

[Pete Stidman]

Hey all, the more I think about it I really like "the
Boston independent" (BI).  There are four angles why:

1.)  Peoples impression on first sight...  The B.I.
sounds like a real newspaper, it sounds official yet
differentiates itself from the corporate media.  Plus
it ties us to indymedida.

2.)  Funding... It sounds serious, like a serious
endeavor.  Our other choices sound like magazines or
weeklies or just less serious.  With the B.I. I can
write grants that state the goal of taking over
Boston's Market for news with a name that says that. 
Open Ink or Dirt do not sound like dailies.

3.)  Writers...  Everyone can rally around a name like
the independent.  The more serious we are the more
seriously good writers we can recruit and the more
community and grassroots organizations will pay
attention to us.  

4.) Advertising... In relation to all the points
above, advertisers will see the boston independent as
a paper that can command a large readership, thus will
be willing to pay for and buy adspace.  Weeklies come
and go so anything we can do to stand out amongst the
pack is much needed and I think a serious sounding
name does that.  

In conclusion.  Hip and cool is great but we can do
that with content under a sober name.  Also the
typestyle and font we use can express that.

Please put all else aside when considering the name
and focus on the practicalities of making it in the
largest market possible because that is the direction
I personally want to see the paper go in (and it is
more than possible), and I imagine everyone would be
happy with a paper that become a morning staple for
Boston Commuters over the frivolous and non-local
Metro.

-Pete

   --- Nancy Barron <felix2 at charter.net> wrote:
> Have you picked one yet?
> 
> How about The Boston Beat?
> 
> Boston Panorama
> 
> Boston Shoutout
> 
> etc.
> 
> >OK.  I have a bunch of suggestions, including the
> ones
> >I already mentioned, either the Boston Independent
> or
> >simply the Boston INDY.  and a new one I think is
> >good. "Open Ink"  I like this cause the title
> implies
> >community involvement, consensus, forum and
> democracy.
> >
> >Whatever name we choose I strongly feel it should
> not
> >identify with any certain movement, environmental,
> >ideological or otherwise.  A word like independent
> >implies that we are not corporate.  Another theme
> that
> >I cannot come up with a good word for would be
> >something like forum, convergence, or gathering.
> >Still another concept would be the idea of having a
> >voice, we are like an amplifier or a spreader of
> words
> >from independent sources.  Our name must be
> acceptable
> >to the greatest variety of readers.  Our aim is to
> >become the media, and the print project was begun
> with
> >this idea as a motivation and a goal.  The name
> should
> >be usable for a daily, and we should think of large
> >audiences, not specific ones.
> >
> >Somehow we have to break out of the realm of the
> >"political" specialty paper and into the "popular"
> >realm.  News.
> >
> >I am here working on this paper because I see
> >opportunities beyond what even New York Indymedia
> has
> >done with their paper, so names that would limit
> this
> >progress, this ability to make it in larger
> audiences,
> >would make it hard for me to get the full advantage
> of
> >our efforts and my own.
> >
> >In the general public people make distinctions
> between
> >the genres of political and just a newspaper and it
> is
> >often based on a name.  Even a name like the Metro
> >because it is widely acceptable would seem
> appropriate
> >to me.  We want people to pick it up who normally
> >wouldnt.
> >
> >In the interest of brainstorming heres some more
> with
> >asterisks on the ones I really like:
> >
> >*Open Ink*
> >Boston Free Press
> >The Eye
> >Open Boston
> >Boston Standard
> >Boston Current
> >Boston Debut
> >Ink Coalition
> >Shadow Press
> >Fair Account
> >The Usual
> >The Boston Small Potatoe Farmer
> >
> >(OK they can't all be winners...)
> >
> >Let me know what you all think, everybody should
> throw
> >in their opinion on this.
> >
> >-Pete
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >-Pete
> >
> >
> >
> >
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>
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> 
> 



		
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