This may seem like a slightly odd discussion, but it’s been going around internally for months now. We need to bring it to a close and move on.
We need a new name for GTDInbox*. And we’d greatly appreciate your help in finding it!
Why the name change?
As we grow we risk outstaying our welcome with GTDInbox. Specially, the ‘GTD’ part – as much as the David Allen Co have been wonderful for letting us use it so long, we’re on thin ice trademark wise. Our name could be taken away from us at anytime**, and as such it’s one of those uncertainties that keeps us awake at night – the sooner we can get this sorted, the sooner we can bound forward with confidence.
Narrowing the naming choices
Above all else, it must feel good to say and read. (‘GTDInbox’ isn’t actually a very warm name, although it’s likable enough). Something we can all be proud of.
Ideally it would be aspirational, or at least represent/suggest what it can do for you. A good way of doing this is to identify a problem (email overload, out of control email, forgetting email, no help dealing with email tasks) and have a name that quickly describes a fix.
There are no constraints on it being descriptive, imagery-based, or plain weird. Almost any name can be made to work with the right tagline and descriptive text, although misleading descriptive names are an obvious no no. If the name is descriptive, it ought to include reference to ‘email’ as that’s what makes it special.
The imagery the name should conjure up
Master your email environment to catch the opportunities, complete tasks or pass them on to others to be completed. Have the power and control to take advantage of things that come through your inbox each day.
Become a better communicator and earn the appreciation of your peers. Get more done to get ahead. And simplify your life so you can achieve more.
We’ve been looking at email all wrong. It’s not a traditional letter exchange format for simple communication. It’s a flow of tasks that directly influence how we work and how we connect with people. The product is a transformative/perspective change: emails are not letters, emails are tasks.
Our Internal Shortlist
It’s a mix of descriptive and distinctive.
The front runners:
> TaskMail
> TaskInbox
> Porus
Others in consideration:
> Taskify
> MailWorks
> MailTasks
> Kuleana
Your thoughts?
We have really struggled with names because we’re very deep focused into the product. The old “can’t see the wood for the trees” problem. We really need a fresh perspective.
If you’d like to help us,
1) Of the proposed names, what works for you? What would you enjoy using? What do you really dislike? Do you prefer descriptive or distinctive names?
2) This is more challenging, but what name would you give it? (If anyone comes up with a great name we can use, you’ll get free Pro for life – that’s how much we appreciate the help!)
Footnotes
* The name change does not represent a move away from our GTD foundations. GTD is and will be the core.
** Anyone who’s been with us for a very very long time will remember we were originally called GTDGmail, until Google lawyers got involved 
eFLOW
TaskBox or TaskInBox sounds great to me. Of the initial list, TaskMail would do fine.
Anyway, “ActionBox” is also a nice one since it reminds of fun, as remarked by someone earlier.
Please, don´t use Kuleana, in spanish sounds like “culear” , what means to have sex in Argentina, in Venezuela is an erotic dance
I agree with Jim In Alaska above about the mail being too generic, but I also think that ‘In’ is the wrong idea too. We’re trying to get out! Not only that but we are trying to get actions done and out of the way rather than cataloging objects (mail).
Not too sure about the distinctive name problem. A good tag line will compensate for its uniqueness from its purpose.
I’m thinking of a mail sorter in a post office that sorts and flicks mail to where it needs to go… but haven’t finished that thought. What about a manufacturing process? Like a hopper? loads of raw resources put in, and then mangled and out comes a usable product? Not happy with that though.
I like Praxis and Axis.
Osmosis?
Actbox?
Diffuser? as in the light diffuser spreads (sorts) light for the purpose of making it easier on the eyes?
NullBox? the artificial device in Unix systems to send items or data to nothing (look up /dev/null)
ActNull (heh, sounds like a drug!)
NullAct
.box?
CnDBox (cease and desist) (don’t like this because it is stopping a flow instead of diverting)
DivertBox (clunky)
Whitehole (antithesis of a black hole? — I’m aware that is what a star is.)
Porpoise? (People have been suggesting Dolphin, but that is a popular file manager in KDE Window manager [back the original problem of GTD]. Also porpoise could almost be purpose.)
Chrystalis (I like that! — sorry brainstorming in situ.)
Google has Wave coming (cant wait argh!!) What about Ripple? As in small actions in a pond have huge effect?) Nothing to do with Firefly though. Ahh…
Actuator
PurgeBox
Purgatory
Hades,
Cache
CacheBox
Perculate/percolate
LeechBox (as in leaching the ‘bad’ stuff like doctors used to do to bleed people?)
What our porpoise?! It makes me sound like a New Yorker
Ripple is very cool. I definitely like that imagery.
(I also had the same thought about the post office metaphor… but just could not make it work. Maybe someone can?).
reinbox
stirrupbox
Blinker
Lensbox,
Focusbox
Jitterbox (ah just for fun
Renderbox
Steerbox
Some pun on doorway …
Archway (substitute way with box)
flueBox (not the disease, the exhaust from a smelting process
smelterbox
pakerbox (eg. packer box
Hitchhiker (Guide to the Galaxy)
DeltaBox ( A river delta system? I could even go for Deltamail. It has that double meaning Delt a box/mail going for it too.)
Argh All the zen terms seem to be taken. OmBox? hah.
Numerator
Divisor
EquiBox
Lambada (Means whip in Portuguese? )
Covalent
Calibre
Ah I’d better go. Thanks for putting up with my suggestions.
I still like Chrystalis
Oh @ Lee on Oct 4:
It was Henry Ford, who upon being hounded by journalists for his obvious deficiencies in education said that (effectively). I think it was more:
I may not know where that is, but I know where to go to find out.
I prefer to think about what the process delivers and for me it delivers Certainty that I have processed every mail to the best I can and Clarity of what I need to do next
So I’d go for:
Clarity or Clarify and maybe tag them with the e branding to get eClarity or eClarify
Similarly eCertainty might work but doesn’t resonate so well with me and suffers from being too long.
ClearMail implies translucence and empty for a clearly clarified inbox. in use by all those enlightened.
eMailParole – Set your email free!
TaskMail works for me. I also like EmailAdvantage or TakingAction. Thinking about a way to take control of email EmailTrainer, TaskWrangler, ContextControl.
A few other ideas we’ve come up with in a ‘brain’storming sesh:
Baton
Virtuoso / Virtus
Timbre
I liked Ching (as in Te Tao Ching, or ” “) but Andy’s not so keen. Let’s have some support for ” “.
TaskMail is okay.
How about InboxActions or Donebox ?
Donebox – Get your email out of the Inbox and into the Donebox.
ExpressMail
I like TinBox (short for Task Inbox)
Rok
zenBox
Why not ask David Allen if it is OK?
It is not as if you are making money from it.
Donebox. Turns tasks to your success.
Easy to remember and powerful (and sounds best for me).
New name should be checked against trade marks.
Go ahead!
TMS
1. TwistedMail – Get Twisted! TwistedMail is the next evolution of email, twist your into tasks
2. TweakMail – Get Tweaked! Tweak your email into action,make them tasks
Full name: Actionable Inbox
Short name: ActionBox (I’m seconding Jorge Costa’s suggestion above).
I guess you can tell by the number of possible names I submitted I am not particularly wedded to any one thing. I am sure that says something about something, but I will work on that.
Keep It Moving (Inbox)
Do It Now (Inbox)
Move It Along (Inbox)
Read, Act, Do
Dynamic Inbox
Well Trained Inbox
Programmed Inbox
Expeditious Inbox
Sensible Inbox
Intuitive Inbox
Where inbox is in parentheses its use is optional.
How about:
THEME = Total Holistic Email(based) Management Everywhere
(I work with the Holistic Management process, and have been very impressed with the neat way in which both GTD and HM approach the problem of managing very complex wholes.)
How fun this is!
I like tocomplete since that is what all of us are trying to get our actions to eventually.
Names?
In line with David’s “mind-like-water” theme- How about:
___ripple___
thinbox
neto
taskshooter
optimail
juicebox
mailshooter
asap (anti serendipity action preprocessor)
asap (as soon as practical)
sleepbox (it guarantees better dreams)
speedbox
dreambox
cleanbox
finbox (in spanish fin means “end” in inglish “fin” is for swimming right?)
others i liked from other posts:
donebox
actionbox
actionmail
focusmail
taskbox
taskmail
reinbox
I see that “ripple” was already suggested early on by Ben-
The image of ‘mind like water’ and responding to what comes in moment-by-moment
with no more and no less response than required, that’s a compelling image that fits
well with GTDInbox methods and goals- ripple evokes that for me at least.
How About these
gClean
EZclean
gFlow
EZinbox
Emailzing is amazing
Amazing: — causing great surprise or sudden wonder.
EMailzing – causing great surprise or sudden wonder in how easy gmailing can be
How about “Sail” ?
- Short, but rhymes with and looks like “mail”
- Implies that you have made a transformation away from simply “mail”
- Reminds people of what they should be doing (instead of mucking around in their inbox)
- Evokes a sense of “flying” through one’s email, transcending tasks, etc.
- It’s unlikely to be a _too_ noisy google search: people search for “sails”, “sailing”, but seldom simply “sail” etc.
If you felt it was too common a word, “eSail” would be another possibility
PABox (as in Personal Assistant).
What about a programming term, say, something like modulo?*
As read from the Python 2.3 Documentation:
“The % (modulo) operator yields the remainder from the division of the first argument by the second. The numeric arguments are first converted to a common type. ”
A stylised % would be cool. However it (Modulo) seems to be taken, but perhaps someone can make a play on that.
Modulo Mail seems to be something in the romance languages, and modulo box seems to be a generic name for chefs equipment.
Clarity Inbox
Inbox Clarity
Motion InBox (MIB)
In Motion In-Box
Inbox In-Motion (IBIM or IIM)
Sorry if this is already suggested, I haven’t time to read thru the comments but wanted to offer this.
GTDinbox is a Great name. I believe you hit it on the head from day one. If you really feel a change is need in line with tho applications goal, imho I would suggest considering juts adding the word ‘Pro’ as in ‘GTD Inbox Pro’ …. this tells the target market that is actually likely to use it, whom likely know (mostly) what GTD is and so it mean’s Getting Things Done in Inbox Professionally… GTD Inbox Pro…
It keeps your past branding and honors, imho, those involved with the project historically speaking.
My opinion guys, either way, it is one of the most productive and well supported apps on the internet barr none.
Thanks for asking by the way
Anthony Agius
Have you made any decisions on this yet? I’m brand new to GTD Inbox but can really see what a great tool it is. how about e-fish as a play on “efficiency” or even just “efficiency”
taskify or taskefi are pretty descriptive too.
Hi Marc,
We’re staying with GTDInbox for the time being.
Best,
Peyton