10 September 2007

BRANDING 2.0 (3) - Phonetical misspellings & orthographic wordplay

Phonetical misspellings
George Bernard Shaw proved that a ghoti in fact is a genuin fish ("gh" as in "rough" for "f" + "o" as in "women" for "i" + "ti" as in "relation" for "sh". Abusing these same wonders of English spelling, Web 2.0 entrepreneurs have come up with lots of ways to work around the limited availability of usable domain names.

C = CK, K
Sparc - Customizable startpage – Startpage
Tracbac - Share, comment, revise & collaborate - Knowledge

E, EE = I
Comeeko - Create & share photo strips – Publish
Radeo - Compile & share playlists - Audio

EEZY, ESY, EZ = EASY
Brusheezy - Photoshop brushes for download – Design
Esy - Content management system – Software
Ezfind - Meta search - Search
Ezpublish - Content management system – Software
Vecteezy - Get vector graphics from top artists - Design

FX = EFFECTS
Messengerfx - Instant messenger - Communicate
Pikifx - Edit your photos - Images

I = IE
Geni - Create & share your family tree, in Ajax – Community
Simplifid - Zap from identity to identity online - Identity

IE = Y
Nearbie - Explore or contribute to history of people, places and events – Publish
Newzie = Newsy - Monitor & aggregate news - News

IGHT = ITE
Socialight - Share pictures & notes with your cell phone - Productivity

J = G
Majikwidget - Customize & integrate widgets on your blog - Software

K = C
Collectik - Upload, manage, mix & share podcasts – Audio
Ekklesia60 - CMS for churches – Publish
Flektor - Mash-up & publish your media – Publish
Gameklip - Record & share your best gaming moves & tricks – Video
Klipfolio - Personal portal – Startpage
Koders - Search code - Software
Kolektors - Create, manage, access & share your collections - List
Kompoz - Compose & share music together - Productivity
Kongregate - Gamers community - Game
Konnects - Networking for professionals - Community
Koolim - Meta messenger - Communicate
Kosmix - Vertical search - Search
Krawlerx - Create, search, share & build community around your media - Community
Neokast - Live video streaming platform & network - Video
Sitekreator* - Build, publish & host websites - Software
Skeletonz - CMS solution - Publish

K = CH
Earkive - Explore podcasts on your phone (cell & landline) – Audio
Kaosweaver - Dreamweaver extensions - Software

KW = QU
Kwidge - Create funny edit of your photo & share it (PRS) – Images
Kwizzical - Play quiz & share or donate money - Game

KZ = X?
Flikzor - Profile yourself in a video & publish it anywhere - Video

O, OO = OU, U
Calcoolate - Online calculator - Office
Cicatriz* - Video-empowered ecommerce – Ecommerce
Groopus - Visualize your social context based on tags - Tag

PH = F
Pheeder - Alert all your friends with phone call - Communicate
Pheedfire - Manage, measure & monetize your feeds - RSS
Pheedo - Make some money on accepting ads in your rss feeds - Marketing
Phetch - Image treasure hunt (to help visually impaired people) - Game
Phlog~ - Upload & share photos - Images
Phusebox - Community for sophisticated people - Community

Q = CUE?
Billq - Keep track of your bills – Finance

Q = C, CK, K
Entriq - Make money on your content – VAS
Eqo - Call, text & IM your buddies on your mobile – Communicate
Qliktech - Business performance & intelligence solutions - Software
Qlique - Real-time location aware community - Community
Qlock - Time mash-up - Productivity
Qloud - Social music search & buy service - Ecommerce
Qoolsqool - Digg school knowledge - Rate
Qube - Search engine aggregator (client) - Search
Quece - Conversational search - Search
Sidekiq* - Hyper meta search - Search

QW = QU
Qwerky - Blog on funny & strange .0 domain & brand names - Fun
Qwika - Search wikis - Search

R = ARE
Tagsrus - Social bookmarking - Bookmark

S = C
Resellular - Get out of your cell contract, or take over a contract – Economy
Selsius - Real estate community - Community
Sertifi - Deliver, manage & execute contracts - Office

TWO = TOO
Twones~ - Share your playlists & make new friends - Audio

TXT = TEXT
Txtmob - Share sms messages with your friends - Communicate
Txtms - Share your contact data through your mobile - Office
Txtsaver - Online notepad – Office
Zaptxt - Rssemail + mobile rss reader - RSS

U = O, OO, YOU
Answeru - Q&A on education – Knowledge
Gotuit = Go to it - Watch, list & share videos - Video
Igiveu - Confess, share & forgive - Community
Payublog - Make money on writing reviews – Economy
Tudu - List & manage your tasks – Office
Uask - Sell or buy for the price you want - Ecommerce
Uclue - Q&A - Knowledge
Ucodit - Search code - Software
Udutu = Y64 d6 t6+ - Online course authoring - Publish
Ufeed - Get RSS feeds in your own page - RSS
U-lik - Build your virtual library & share it - Community
Ulinkx - Search, bookmark & share media - Multimedia
Ulocate - Mobile location based services solutions - Software
Uplayme - Share music & meet people with same taste - Community
Uship - Auction, or bid for, transportation services - Ecommerce
Uspot - Upload & share media - Multimedia
Ustream - Video cast tool - Video
Usuggest - Shop, suggest & make money - Ecommerce
Uvouch - Submit & rate videos - Rate

V = F
Vlip - Record video messages & have video conversations - Communicate

X = CK, (C)S, (K)S
Blinkx - Personalized epg - Video
Blogtronix - Blogging & corporate community software – Community
Feedlinx - Find feeds on any website – RSS
Flixster - Discover & share movies with friends – Video
Flixya - Upload & share videos + revenues – Video
Formlogix - Create forms online – Office
Mojoflix - Upload & share vids - Video
Peerflix - List & trade DVDs – Ecommerce
Pixagogo - Upload, manage & share photos - Images
Pixenate - Photo editor - Images
Pixerus - Edit your photos online - Images
Pixilis - Upload & share or sell media - Multimedia
Pixilive - Upload, store & manage videos - Store
Pixpix - Bookmark & share media - Bookmark
Pixpo - Broadcast your video site - Video
Pixpulse - Upload & share photos and videos on your mobile - Multimedia
Pixrat - Social photo bookmarking - Bookmark
Pixsense - Take, manage & share cell phone pics & videos - Publish
Pixsy - Ajax-based image search - Search
Rocketbux* - Marketing
Stixy - Publish & share documents, photos, to do lists with family & friends - Productivity
Topix - Share & discuss news - News

X = EX
Stockxpert - Submit & sell your photos - Images
Xcavator - Search & sort images - Search
Xcellery - Online spreadsheet - Office

X = EXCHANGE
Ibetx - Betting exchange - Gamble

X = K
Sxip - Control personal digital identity - Identity
Sxipper* - Wand service (with OpenID; Firefox only) - Identity
Sxore - Manage your online reputation - Identity

XING = X-ING
Xing = Crossing** - Community for entrepreneurs & professionals - Community

XS = ACCESS
Feedxs~ - Create personal feeds (without website), submit thru messenger - RSS

Y = I, IE
Bryght - Create & maintain a community – Store
Cherrypy - Object-oriented HTTP framework written in Python – SoftwareJyve - Get live answers on your questions – Community
Scrybe - Share calendar, lists etc - Office
Vyew - Meet, share, discuss & annotate in group sessions - Productivity

Z = S
Atnewz - Create your own rating website - Software
Barcardz - Network in real life – Community
Biznik - Business network – Community
Cogenz - Intra-company social bookmarking – Software
Dizzay = ? - Q&A (instant answers through chat) – Knowledge
Ekudoz - Give & receive kudoz – Community
Favoritethingz - Create a badge with your favourite things, give it exposure & earn money - Ecommerce
Fazed - Share cool links – Bookmark
Flexpetz - Share a dog for a few hours or days - Economy
Foonz - Make group calls for free (USA) – Communicate
Fuzz - Upload & share or sell your music (for indies) – Audio
Gizmoz* - Create your D video avatar & use it anywhere - Identity
Highfivez - Blogosphere search engine – Search
Itlinkz - Network of social networking sites – Marketing
Itzbig - Explore relevant career oportunities, find relevant candidates – Employment
Kidlinkz - Bookmark for your kids – Bookmark
Meez = [plural of me]? - Create & share your 3D avatar - Identity
Myfeedz - Customize your news & get recommendations - News
Myfilmz - List, review & discuss films – Video
Newzbubble - Watch your news in bubbles – News
Newzpile - Aggregates tags-based feeds from many sources – RSS
Prezentit - Create, edit & share your presentations - Office
Proz* - Global collaboration platform for translators - Office
Skeletonz - CMS solution - Publish
Soziety - Language-learning social network based on Skype - E-learning
Titlez - Get publishing market data from Amazon - Marketing
Todoz - Organize & manage groups - Productivity

Z = TH
Everyzing - Digital media merchandising platform (olim Podzinger) – Multimedia
Gunzonline - Shoot, stab, run & jump - Game


Customized phonetics
The following samples come even closer to Shaw's spelling game. This category was mainly inspired by ICQ, well before the millennium:

Browzar = Browser - Surf anonymously - Browse
Chuquet* = Chuck it - Find buzzes – Bookmark
Contakme = Contact me - Upload & share photos - Images
Cynin = Signin’? - Manage, organize, store, search, collaborate, discuss, share & publish any kind of data - Productivity
Duno = Don’t know - Q&A – Knowledge
Emurse* = Emerce or Emerse or anagram of resume? - Create, share & send your permanent resume page in any format – Employment
Fidgt* = Fidge it? - Create a dynamic address book to keep track of your contacts across multiple social networks, and visualise what everybody is talking about – Community
Hobeez = Hobbies - Find & make friends people with similar hobbies – Community
Holotof = Whole lot of - Pitch your ad project among creatives – Community
Icq = I seek you - Instant messenger – Communicate
Iskoot = Is good? - Call people on your online buddylists – Communicate
Kancept = Concept - Submit design concepts and have them reviewed & rated by other users – Design
Keepm = Keep ‘(the)m - Contact management tool – Office
Kraytiv = Creative - Bookmark pages relating to creativity – Bookmark
Lijit* = Legit - Social contextual search - Search
Mitup = Meet up - Set up, manage & invite to meetings – Office
Mizpee = Must pee - Share information on nearby loos - Community
Muveemix = Moviemix - Create, edit, upload & share videos – Video
Naim = Name? - Encrypted instant messaging – Communicate
Naymz = Names - Edit & share your own online meta profile – Identity
Neoows = News - Tag, comment, share & discuss news - Community
Peepel* = People - In-browser office apps – Office
Pooln = Poolin’? - Schedule your car pooling - Community
Praseus = Praise (us) - Page rank based search – Search
Pxn8 = Pixenate? - Manipulate & publish your photos - Images
Qipit = Keep it? - Capture & share text with your mobile phone – Office
Reevoo = Review - Review & buy electronics - Ecommerce
Seekum = Seek him or them? - User ranked search results - Search
Wondir = W6nder - Share Q&A – Knowledge
Yoono = Y64 2n6w - Search, exchange & share information – Search


Double letters
This category went to new hights after Digg’s brand recognition went through the roof.

Confabb - Search for or publish conferences and their speakers & content – Publish
Digg* - Mash-up news sources to your own taste – News
Elgg - Open source e-learning software - E-learning
Gettalink = Get a link - Search & get visual links – Search
Gottabet* = Got a bet - Bet on anything with friends or colleagues - for money or glory – Gamble
Gottaflirt = Got a flirt - Flirt game – Date
Adoppt - Publish & share – Community
Gubb - Make, manage & share lists – List
Hugg - Digg on environmental matters – News
Ispott - Mobile treasure hunt – Game
Movoxx - Get localized & personalized alerts & coupons on your cell phone - Marketing
Razz - Record & load up audio to your blog - Audio
Rrove* - Save & share places - Productivity
Vennt - tag-based forum solution - Communicate


Phonetic French
Avvenu = Avenue? - Remote access to your computer – Office
Comvu = Commes vous? - Broadcast video live from your cell – Video
Nevow = Niveau? - Python web app construction kit – Software
Noovo = Nouveau or Nous vous? - Create a website & share with other users – Software
Rendezvoo = Rendez-vous - Digg what you like, pay for premium placement - Rate

Cool German
In American Valley-slang German “über” as in “ubercool” and a noun like “Zeitgeist” were quite popular a few years ago. Now we have:

Gutenkarte (after Gutenberg?) - Maps spatial components of classic literature - Geo
Külist - Search, compare, bookmark best prices - Ecommerce


Contaminations
Groovid = Groovy + video - Explore & share videos from all over the web – Video
Knover = Know + discover - Discover who's connected to what & whom - Search


Dittographies
Hamsterster - Community for hamster lovers - Community


Acronyms
Tioti = Tape It Off The Internet - Discover, download & discuss tv content – Video


Pronouncable numbers
The earliest form of digital shorthand – already en vogue in IRL and AOL and Minitel and Videotex times, way before the web went worldwide.
Play with “2” for “to” and “4” for “for” are only popular in Holland (again something to be ashamed of).

1 = I
Clp1net - Copy & paste between computers – Software

2 = TO
You’ll find many examples when you use your browser’s search feature to scan my alphabetical lists for “2”.

4 = FOR
Just 1 sample here:

Feeds4all~ - Feed aggregator - RSS

8 = AIT, AT, ATE
Fluctu8 - Create & share your sourcelists – Audio
L8r - Send your email later - Communicate
Rel8r - Tag, read, search blogs – Productivity
Syndic8 - RSS feed directory - RSS

8 = G
In certain typefonts, when you look through your eyehairs, you might confuse a “g” for an “8”.

Lo8os - Graphic design gallery & community - Images

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Emurse = anagram of Resume ;)

Best,

Alex Rudloff
Emurse.com

Anonymous said...

Haha, Qwerky is a misspelling of Quirky. But it could also mean Qwerty, the first 5 letters on the first row of the keyboard. ;)

 
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