Name Change

Kick back and chat it up with other Jeeves Smackers.

What do you think? Is it time to change the name?

Poll ended at October 24th, 2017, 11:50 pm

Yes
6
15%
No
28
68%
Undecided
7
17%
 
Total votes : 41

Name Change

Postby Admin » October 10th, 2017, 11:50 pm

I came up with the name Smack Jeeves in 2005. It was a different time then. Ask Jeeves still existed. It made sense to me, a 17-year-old. I was a junior in high-school and the comics I read were edgy and I wanted an edgy way to subtly revolt against the man in the name of the comic platform I was building.

We've been Smack Jeeves for over 12 years. It's our brand. That's what people know us by.

At the same time, the name is a little out of fashion. It's a play on Ask Jeeves, which hasn't gone by that name for about 12 years. Now it kinda just sounds like a weird fetish site. Am I the only one who worries about that?

There would be some drawbacks to changing the name. Mainly, we may lose our coveted Google rank for "webcomic hosting." There may be a little bit of confusion for a short while. But if we did change the name, all of the old URLs could just redirect to the new one. That wouldn't be an issue.

What do you think? Is it time to change the name?
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Re: Name Change

Postby Ultizeta » October 10th, 2017, 11:57 pm

I've never known what the meaning behind Smack Jeeves' name was, or that it was wordplay. It never even once occurred to me that it seemed an odd name, and honestly I don't really think it sounds like a fetish site either. I don't think a name change is necessary at all. The site would still be the same with a name change, so I don't think it'd be that big of a deal, but it really just doesn't feel like it needs to happen to me.
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Re: Name Change

Postby Admin » October 10th, 2017, 11:59 pm

Ultizeta wrote:I've never known what the meaning behind Smack Jeeves' name was, or that it was wordplay. It never even once occurred to me that it seemed an odd name, and honestly I don't really think it sounds like a fetish site either. I don't think a name change is necessary at all. The site would still be the same with a name change, so I don't think it'd be that big of a deal, but it really just doesn't feel like it needs to happen to me.


Interesting. Thanks for that feedback.
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Re: Name Change

Postby Gibson Twist » October 11th, 2017, 12:35 am

I'm with Ultizeta. I don't think 'Smack Jeeves' is any more confusing than most other website names, maybe less so than others. It's a weird name, but since when is weird a problem? Plus, changing it would have a lot of ripples for a lot of us with comics here, updating social media links, images on our pages, and so on. Not huge problems, but pains in the ass. Then there's all the off-site linking from other websites that probably wouldn't get updated. On top of that, you're not working hard enough already? I think you're good. At the least, I'm cool with Smack Jeeves and I'm too old to learn new names.
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Re: Name Change

Postby Seven Rain » October 11th, 2017, 12:40 am

The Smack Jeeves name is nostalgic and sentimental to me, as is the cheesy butler mascot, but at the same time it has always seemed a bit silly and I've gotten a lot of weird looks and chuckles when telling my friends and family where my comic is hosted.

I'm gonna say that while I'm not against a name change, I believe it would have to be done very, very carefully. You don't wanna hold a vote and then call up the 80's guy from Futurama to come up with something over night. It probably wouldn't be easy balancing the delicate line between a nice name to bring in new authors and attention, without upsetting or alienating people already here who truly care about the old name.

In fact I think the best course of action would be to try thinking of something new and sparkly but without sacrificing the theme itself. Something new that can still retain the silly mascot and butler theme? A name change but not an identity change, even if the original name was a search engine spoof. Maybe just make it a bit simpler and sleeker, like "S-Jeeves" or make the comic part more obvious and go with something like "Jeeves' Comics" or something silly like that, I dunno.

Of course I'm the last guy who should be trying to think of any good names, and others will probably have better thoughts and words on the subject than me, but I wanted to share my input anyway. I tend to stay quiet when my answers will be redundant, but I'm expecting the majority of our forum regulars to chime in against changing it.
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Re: Name Change

Postby Admin » October 11th, 2017, 1:04 am

Gibson Twist wrote:Changing it would have a lot of ripples for a lot of us with comics here, updating social media links, images on our pages, and so on.


That actually wouldn't be an issue, at least from the standpoint that all the old links would redirect to their respective new location on the new domain. Yes, URLs hard-coded into images and other media would technically be out-of-date, but they wouldn't be broken. I suppose it would still be somewhat of a pain in the ass to update everything moving forward though.

Your other points are taken as well.

Thanks, Seven, for your feedback also. I agree, a name change isn't something to be taken lightly. It's just something I've been thinking about, definitely not committed to the idea.
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Re: Name Change

Postby kotor » October 11th, 2017, 2:10 am

When I was first looking for a webcomic host (a bajillion years ago), I had the choice between a site called Smack Jeeves, and another one called Drunk Duck.

I was pretty torn as to which I would go for. Either way, I was going to have some embarrassing moments trying to explain my comic's URL to strangers, friends, and family members.

Ultimately Smack Jeeves sounded a little more ambiguously adult in nature - hopefully people wouldn't think it was a sexy website, but at least they definitely wouldn't think my comic was about getting drunk.

(Plus, my hand was forced when Drunk Duck temporarily imploded and SJ was literally the only webcomic hosting service on the Internet.)

As I'm no longer hugely active on SJ I don't feel like I should have a vote either way, I just figured I'd share my own experience of first coming across the site's name - it's pretty much the same as Admin's current concerns.
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Re: Name Change

Postby JoKeR » October 11th, 2017, 6:42 am

Seven Rain wrote:Maybe just make it a bit simpler and sleeker, like "S-Jeeves" or make the comic part more obvious and go with something like "Jeeves' Comics" or something silly like that, I dunno.

-Smack Comics
-Jeeves' graphic-novels
-Smack
-SJ-comics
Or as I discovered last year ...or earlier... :mrgreen:
-spankJeeves.com

But ...I wouldn't mind if the page name stays the same.
I'm rather used to it, and many guests search sometimes for comics by typing the comic-title (they remembered) and the page name into google.
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Re: Name Change

Postby LemPem » October 11th, 2017, 7:49 am

I guess I'm kind of on the fence about this one... I do agree that Smack Jeeves sounds a bit like an adult site. However, I'm also with Seven, it'd have be done very carefully if you were to change the name, so that people won't get lost.
I also enjoy the meaning behind the name, it's like a rare link back to the past and sort of gives this page some sort of credibility for being in the race for so long. I think I wouldn't mind a name change if it came to it but I also wouldn't be disappointed if it didn't happen, then again I haven't been here for that long so maybe I haven't grown sentimental enough to it. It's a tough decision.
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Re: Name Change

Postby eishiya » October 11th, 2017, 8:10 am

I voted "no" for the reasons stated by others.

If there's any rebranding, I think it should be something akin to GOG's - keeping the abbreviation but no longer emphasizing the words it stands for. SJ, SJ Comics, something like that. That way, anyone using the old URLs won't feel outdated, either, and people will still be able to connect the two identities easily.
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Re: Name Change

Postby NellyOnly » October 11th, 2017, 10:15 am

I voted "No" as well, I kind of like the name Smack Jeeves?
And I have to agree with all the others on the name.
It's nice that one is able to abbreviate it to "SJ" which I often refer to when I talk about webcomics on twitter.

IF you're gonna change the name, I think it should be still sounding a bit like the old title.
Another webhosting platform recently changed their name to something shorter, but they kept the main word in it.
So, yeah, if there's going to be a name change, it has be done rather smoothly.

Tbh, Smack Jeeves is still THE ultimate webcomic hosting platform, and one that people recommend quite a lot<3
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Re: Name Change

Postby arswiss » October 11th, 2017, 1:01 pm

I think, because Smackjeeves has been around for so long and has garnered a name for itself as one of the better comic-hosting websites, the name should remain the same, if not altered only slightly. I don't think of it as sounding weird, there are much weirder names for websites out there. But it has a reputation and the reputation precedes the name.

I'd be hesitant to shorten it down to SJ... my brain just instantly jumps to "Social Justice" and that in itself can have negative undertones :P
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Re: Name Change

Postby Campion » October 11th, 2017, 4:38 pm

arswiss wrote:I'd be hesitant to shorten it down to SJ... my brain just instantly jumps to "Social Justice" and that in itself can have negative undertones :P


What, you don't want your comic hosted at SJW.com? :!:
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Re: Name Change

Postby TheJGamer » October 11th, 2017, 9:50 pm

Ya know? I haven't been on SJ for a full year and I think changing its name would be kind of weird. I've always known this site as Smack Jeeves, and I want it to stay as Smack Jeeves. Changing it to "SJ Comics" may be fine, but people who are attached to the name "Smack Jeeves" would kind of feel that the name change is generally weird and out of place.

...but then, SJ Comics would sound too similar to MG Comics, another site that I have an account in, so that could theoretically cause problems.
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Re: Name Change

Postby Butterscotch » October 12th, 2017, 11:02 am

I've been using Smack Jeeves for a hundred years, more or less, and I've never really had a problem with the name. It's unusual and quirky, sure, but that's not a bad thing. Most of the suggested name changes sound more professional, but I think they lose the individuality that Smack Jeeves has.
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