Rebranding Followup

[eduffield]

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to just follow up with the rebranding discussion that the community has been having since I posted yesterday and clarify some misconceptions that are going around in the community.

First thing is, the name change isn’t final. We’re opening this up to discussion by the community, the only thing that’s known at this time is the name “Darkcoin” has some negative perception by businesses we’ve reached out to. They’ve said, it’s not the privacy centric nature of the product, but the name that is unfortunate.

The name “Dash” was recommended by the community some time ago. We picked up on that and the foundation began investigating the use of it and found a trademark application. The whole reason we’ve acquired the rights, was not because the decision was final, but because we need to challenge that trademark application to even be able to use the name, otherwise it’s a complete non-starter.

We’re absolutely open to everyone’s input and always have been. We would like this process to be 100% transparent as possible. In the community supports it, I would support hiring a firm to handle the rebranding for us. We could allow the firm to engage directly and transparently with the community, then have foundation members vote on the final decision.

Originally when the community started talking about rebranding months ago, we also began talking about it internally. It’s obvious that we missed something in the process and I’d also like to apologize on behalf of myself and the foundation’s board for this.

 

[tungfa]

"hiring a firm to handle the rebranding for us"

+ 1 to that

 

[RenegadeMan]

It's all good Evan. I certainly understand where you're coming from and what this is all about.

 

[balu]

Please talk directly to the developers / main contributors evan. It would be terrible to lose key members due to this miscommunication.
Please also learn from the effects of the communication mistake. I could name 3-4 things that were executed improperly.

 

[darkstrike420]

Sounds good. Now kiss and make up with vertoe because he is a very valuable asset to this community and project.

Please talk directly to the developers / main contributors evan. It would be terrible to lose key members due to this miscommunication.
Please also learn from the effects of the communication mistake. I could name 3-4 things that were executed improperly.

Name them then. How can he learn from mistakes if he doesn't know what mistakes he made?

 

[fernando]

Please talk directly to the developers / main contributors evan. It would be terrible to lose key members due to this miscommunication.
Please also learn from the effects of the communication mistake. I could name 3-4 things that were executed improperly.

We will absolutely learn from this. If you could detail those 3-4 things it would be great.

 

[balu]

Name them then. How can he learn from mistakes if he doesn't know what mistakes he made?

Just from the top of my head
1: Not involving developers in the decision
2: Not communicating clearly if the decision is final, or is yet to be discussed. Leaving investors uncertain is never a good idea.
3: Announcing a possible huge breakthrough together with the name change. Nobody cares about that part of the announcement as the focus is on the branding.

 

[fernando]

Just from the top of my head
1: Not involving developers in the decision
2: Not communicating clearly if the decision is final, or is yet to be discussed. Leaving investors uncertain is never a good idea.
3: Announcing a possible huge breakthrough together with the name change. Nobody cares about that part of the announcement as the focus is on the branding.

Thanks!

 

[Stealth923]

All good mate. This is a great journey and we will go through some bumpy roads but I'm sure the destination will be amazing.

 

[miningpros]

Hello Everyone,


First thing is, the name change isn’t final. We’re opening this up to discussion by the community, the only thing that’s known at this time is the name “Darkcoin” has some negative perception by businesses we’ve reached out to. They’ve said, it’s not the privacy centric nature of the product, but the name that is unfortunate.
.

Thanks for follow up , can understand many people ( mee too ) finally got used to DRK.
could you be more specific about the businesses you reached out to if you can ? , as a pure follower these kind of projects stay in the "dark" for us.

 

[ATM_man]

These guys are renowned for great design in the cryptosphere.
Check them out:- proofofwork.media

 

[darkstrike420]

3: Announcing a possible huge breakthrough together with the name change. Nobody cares about that part of the announcement as the focus is on the branding.

I agree. Most members won't care about name change. However they for sure care about Evan's scalability change. I think it deserves a seperate thread but what is done is done.

 

[fernando]

Thanks for follow up , can understand many people ( mee too ) finally got used to DRK.
could you be more specific about the businesses you reached out to if you can ? , as a pure follower these kind of projects stay in the "dark" for us.

Some big payment processor and exchanges we have approached have repeatedly complained about the name. This doesn't mean they will adopt us straight away, but we would be making it easier for them.

 

[LonnieDRR]

Digital-cash with ticker DRK. Just get away from "darkcoin" and call it "digitalCash" from now on. DASH is not a good name.
As much as i hate to admit it, I think a name change is necessary and this is the time to do it.

 

[balu]

We’re absolutely open to everyone’s input and always have been. We would like this process to be 100% transparent as possible. In the community supports it, I would support hiring a firm to handle the rebranding for us. We could allow the firm to engage directly and transparently with the community, then have foundation members vote on the final decision.

4: Please specify how the community can take part in this decision. It would be also great to set some deadlines. This could be organized by the prominent figures of the foundation.
Currently all we know is that we can participate, and people are flooding various forums with their idea. Or we can simply call it chaos

 

[pyc]

I think Darkcoin owes too much to its name to be changed. Actually, it's even questionable could it be here where it is without such a good name. Fuck them! Don't change anything!

 

[fernando]

4: Please specify how the community can take part in this decision. It would be also great to set some deadlines. This could be organized by the prominent figures of the foundation.
Currently all we know is that we can participate, and people are flooding various forums with their idea. Or we can simply call it chaos

Right now, it is obviously a chaos. This has gone faster than expected, but let us think about a better process to involve everyone. Any ideas are welcomed.

 

[TaoOfSatoshi]

Thanks Evan for this new posting.

No decision pleases everyone, and whatever name gets chosen some will like and dislike.

The underlying tech is awesome, and that's what we should be concentrating on.

I agree a rebranding will help us achieve the goal of wider adoption, and more people using the anonymity that Darkcoin/DASH/whatever has.

Wasn't that always the goal?

People are also starting to calm down, from what I can tell.

 

[yidakee]

We will absolutely learn from this. If you could detail those 3-4 things it would be great.

Main thing to me is it was "discussed internally".

I'm one of the oldest general members, part of the extended team and foundation member and *wham* I just got hit with the news. Why?

Its like there is a second tiers already in place, but in decision making. I totally understand "I talked with fernando 'cos he's a lawyer" .. or " had a google hang out with people of expertise" ... but "discussed internally" ... like out of the public ledger? kinda like DarkDecision?

I hated DASH when it hit he, now its growing, and 100% understand the motivation. I agree with it!!

I'm more for libertarianism than subversion, no question.

The conflict is the place Darkcoin has for me... being totally out of the loop out of such a big thing. And so many others too.
Big money guys in the clearly in the "loop", while I'm just used as forum monkey that serves for(as) testing and communal purpose. That offends me.

I'm seriously considering resigning entirely and keep watching in the sidelines. This was highly unethical and not in line of what I could expect of a crypto.

 

[TanteStefana]

2 duffs from me, I'd like to know how bad an idea this is :tongue:

What do you all think? Don't change Darkcoin, just rebrand it in an acronym It stays Darkcoin, but mostly becomes known like so:

Darkcoin InstantX and darkSend Coin = DISC

This way we can keep our logos

 

[balu]

Disc is impossible to seo

 

[GreyGhost]

Right now, it is obviously a chaos. This has gone faster than expected, but let us think about a better process to involve everyone. Any ideas are welcomed.

A welcome polyphony of opinions & emotions.

The very core of Darkcoin properties is, by itself, a bundle of features that go straight in your face! The face being that of the system and the Overlords. This is the underlying issue no one is really addressing when discussing "re-branding" and the name change. What eduffield has created is indeed a revolutionary tool, thusly the one that is not easily dealt with.

This is not the Occupy movement "they" could break by spraying people like they are cockroaches and beating them on the streets. This is an elegant, math based property (Darkcoin, that is) and we should decide once for all, is Darkcoin one of the tools "we the people" could use to further our rights and our freedoms or not. Than, and only than we should worry about some merchants (let these that agree with the message come in), some exchanges (let other flourish) and the name.

If Darkcoin is not a tool for freedom at most or a private digital cash at least, what is it than? A better bitcoin that would be, rest assured, attacked by the system no matter the name, precisely because of its properties. There's another possibility, of co-existing in peace. We build our better world, based on digital economy, digital freedoms and "they" calm down with their insane NSA spying, endless wars and treating us all as either their slaves or their cannon fodder and let us live in an entrepreneurial society. (versus this amalgam of politics, fiat money and corporations that create thinly veiled tyranny)

This is the very fundamental issue that popped up as a result of overly-lawyerly preemptive thinking that would not preempt anything. I propose to follow the advice Andreas Antonopoulos gave to the Canada's Senate Committee regarding the lawmakers' approach to bitcoin: "Do nothing! And let the technology grow."

 

[fernando]

Main thing to me is it was "discussed internally".

I'm one of the oldest general members, part of the extended team and foundation member and *wham* I just got hit with the news. Why?

Its like there is a second tiers already in place, but in decision making. I totally understand "I talked with fernando 'cos he's a lawyer" .. or " had a google hang out with people of expertise" ... but "discussed internally" ... like out of the public ledger? kinda like DarkDecision?

I hated DASH when it hit he, now its growing, and 100% understand the motivation. I agree with it!!

I'm more for libertarianism than subversion, no question.

The conflict is the place Darkcoin has for me... being totally out of the loop out of such a big thing. And so many others too.

I understand that feeling of being left out and I hate that we have caused it. I'm really sorry.

The only thing I can say is that Evan has a spreadsheet with the opinions of a lot of people in the community. We have had the branding discussion in the forums many times in the last year. Evan has avoided giving his opinion because he was open to anything, but he has read and recorded much of it. He has been thinking about this for a long time and has considered many people's opinions, even if he hasn't asked them directly. Recently it seemed like more people were in favour of a change and businesses were saying the same, so it was time to open the discussion.

 

[UdjinM6]

Few things from btct:
"DAPS( Digital Anonymous Payment System)"
I like shift to "Payment System" from "Coin" or even from "Cash"
"sending money would then be dapping"
Also like that part.

and just for fun: DARPASYS (Digital Anonymous Reliable PAyment SYStem) (yes, it's DARPA inside)

 

[TanteStefana]

Disc is impossible to seo

What is seo?

 

[UdjinM6]

What is seo?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization

 

[TaoOfSatoshi]

I understand that feeling of being left out and I hate that we have caused it. I'm really sorry.

The only thing I can say is that Evan has a spreadsheet with the opinions of a lot of people in the community. We have had the branding discussion in the forums many times in the last year. Evan has avoided giving his opinion because he was open to anything, but he has read and recorded much of it. He has been thinking about this for a long time and has considered many people's opinions, even if he hasn't asked them directly. Recently it seemed like more people were in favour of a change and businesses were saying the same, so it was time to open the discussion.

Yes, the longer we wait to do this, the harder it will be. I also talk daily with many people, and the name issue comes up A LOT. We really do give the coin more of a chance to thrive this way.

The time is now, whatever new name we choose...

 

[yidakee]

I understand that feeling of being left out and I hate that we have caused it. I'm really sorry.

The only thing I can say is that Evan has a spreadsheet with the opinions of a lot of people in the community. We have had the branding discussion in the forums many times in the last year. Evan has avoided giving his opinion because he was open to anything, but he has read and recorded much of it. He has been thinking about this for a long time and has considered many people's opinions, even if he hasn't asked them directly. Recently it seemed like more people were in favour of a change and businesses were saying the same, so it was time to open the discussion.

Thats the whole god damn point !! I avoided those threads becuase its was... just another random thread of speculation with zero to do with the main gig.

Evan should have followed this simple algorythmn

--Stage 1
"Some people voiced that the name Darkcoin in not suited for X,Y,Z application and that a brand change could be beneficial"
Vote Yes / No = Outcome, then .... Evan decides, final word Yes or No
If Stage 1 = YES, goto STAGE 2, not then STAGE = life as usual

--Stage 2
"Name choice"
Community Propositions and Vote .... Evan decides, final word.

People discuss dozen of "useless" crap everyday here, its impossible to know where something is relevant.
This would have give time for reflection and debate. Not mayhem.

 

[Sub-Ether]

The name is a powerful thing and destroying it and the identity is a clever socially engineered takedown of Darkcoin from our 'competitors'.
The Darkcoin team can not taken out by FUD, trolls and hacking attempts, as they are too strong, this is done from a different angle in order to separate and weaken us.
Consider that something feels very wrong when Vertoe says she is leaving, the core programmers take precedence before anyone else, they are more important than vague promises from big companies that they will use Darkcoin in the future and after all, the superb coders are what has put Darkcoin where it is today and not some 3rd party marketing company.
When the time is right and you have achieved all that the masternodes and IX are capable of, the big companies will not care about the name because by then it will not matter, instead concentrate on building up and strengthening the beating heart of the masternode network.
This in turn, will form the backbone of the internet in the future, and is how it should be,
please do not walk down a different path.

Kind Regards.
Sub-Ether

 

[HinnomTX]

Disc is impossible to seo

DASH is impossible to SEO. We should consider something like DropCoin or DropCash. I can actually hear it now:
Cashier at Whole Foods: "How are we paying today?"
Me: "DropCash" [holds down TouchID]
Cashier: "Have a great one!"