Why are we looking for a new name?
April 27th, 2009 Filed Under Fireside Chats
Wow! So far, we have received hundreds of ideas for a new name for our company. But we also received a few emails suggesting that we already have a good name. One even proposed to buy the name from us. So, if we have a good name already, why change it?
When we started Faculte, we envisioned a site where people can easily and quickly explain things to each other, without having to be online at the same time. So we quickly ruled out live online conferences, webinars and webcasts which require the participants to show up simultaneously. Video was a good option, but we soon realized that video production is not an easy proposition: First, it is time consuming, and second, it requires a combination of knowledge about using a video camera effectively, technical skills to use video software, and artistic talent. Not to mention the fact that explaining things typically requires doing a “show and tell”: diagrams, images, presentations, etc., which do not show particularly well on a video camera (here is a sample), especially after the video has been processed for web streaming. So we decided to create an online tool which allows people to quickly create “online presentation videos”…. we called them “broadcasts”.
According to Middle English Dictionary, our current name, Faculte, means “1. the power, ability, facility, opportunity, possibility to do something 2. a field of knowledge or experience”. We like the name and believe that the it captures in one word, the essence of our entire vision. However, most people who hear the name associate us with “academia”. Nothing against academics (I am a PhD from Carnegie Mellon University myself), but we believe our product has a broad reach that goes well beyond education and academia. It is all about effective communications.
When blogs started showing up on the web sphere, it was a novel idea: allowing writers and would-be writers to directly and easily “write” on the web: no administrators, no managers, and coders. We feel we are creating a similar break-through: allowing people to “present” their ideas directly on the web. Whether it is a marketing or product demo, a sales pitch, an investor presentation, an employee communication, or a training seminar; we want to empower would-be presenters to record and deliver on-demand video presentations to convey their message to their audience. Someone very smart said: “if a picture is worth a 1000 words, then a video is worth 1000 pictures”. We believe this to be true, and we want to empower everyone to easily and quickly create, share and manage an online video presentation!
Here is the second installment of our Fireside Chats, which captures Mark and I talking more about our vision:
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Name Our Company!
April 20th, 2009 Filed Under Faculte
For a while now we’ve been in search for a new company name. We know there is a better name out there that vividly captures what we do and represent. We just can’t think of it 
So we created a contest to get inspiration from outside and are awarding $1000 to the winning name. Check out the Broadcast below. It explains the contest in more detail. Already we’ve had almost 2000 people view the Broadcast and have received hundreds of suggestions.
The contest ends April 24th but might be extended a week or two, so you still have a chance to send in your suggestions.
Finding the right name is always tricky and near impossible to get a resounding consensus from the team. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve tossed names around and been repeatedly heartbroken when the domain is already taken.
We’re still attached to our name (it has been a lovely relationship so far) but are opening up to see if a better one from fresh minds comes about. If we don’t get a better suggestion, we’re more than happy going forward with “Faculte”.
So the challenge is set. Can you beat our current name? Watch the broadcast above to get the full contest rules and send your suggestions to newname@faculte.com.
Wondering how we came up with the name “Faculte” in the first place? I’ll take you down memory lane in the next post.
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A Fireside Chat with the Team
April 16th, 2009 Filed Under Faculte, Faculte Story
We’re officially launching in a couple months! It’s been about a year of developing out our product and trying to make it as simple as possible to explain things online. This is our first post behind the scenes as we get prepared to take our product from free trial to a great paid service for professionals to produce and distribute lively training and business communications.
I encourage you to try out our Broadcast Studio now while its completely open for anyone. We’d love to hear what you think! I was trying to come up with a creative and personal way to introduce the team as part of our first post and wanted to use our product to do it. So I spontaneously setup my laptop with built in webcam in our meeting room, plugged in another monitor and voila! I had my own production going. Without warning, I dragged in the team (reluctant as they were, they were great sports) and interviewed them on the spot. I call this a “Faculte Fireside Chat” and it’s going to be a regular occurrence on our blog so stay tuned.
Click below to see the first installment:
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