What's with the name?

Whenever we tell the yoonew story, the interviewer always asks, "What's with the name?" Our response is simply, "Because........you knew!"

We were sitting in an apartment in Cambridge and wanted to come up with a clever name that was unique, easy to remember, 2 syllables (like all popular web domains), and a name that could easily be turned into a verb. After several ridiculous names such as uture.com (your future), Hagos suggested, "you knew!" Without even blinking, I thought it was brilliant.

You knew your team was going to make it. You knew the price was going to go up. You...just...knew! We consciously chose the unique spelling, Y-O-O-N-E-W. Why? BECAUSE WE ARE DIFFERENT. When developing a brand, you have to think about all of the elements. How it sounds, how it looks, how it feels, what it symbolizes. yoonew is more than just a name. It embodies the culture of the company. We don't follow the trends. We blaze our own trails and do not accept "No" or "I can't" as an answer. Anyone true entrepreneur understands that.

Having said that, there have been some domain "experts" who question the "misspelling" of our name. I find the critique somewhat laughable, especially coming from non-operators. Squatting on generic domain names and exploiting google may be a very profitable business, but in terms of creating real value, nothing is like starting from scratch.

We dreamed up the idea. Invented the name. Coined the phrase "ticket futures". Pioneered the industry. Built a futures exchange from the ground up. Put simply, we created value from thin air. The name "yoonew.com" is more than a domain. It is a brand and a lifestyle. So much so, advertisers bid on the keyword, "yoonew". That is quite a rewarding feeling!

With regards to "When the Smart do not 'Get It'", opinions not supported by facts are about as good as the stuff on the bottom of my shoe. I would never post an opinion without doing proper due diligence. That would be amateurish at best. And on another note, no need to add insult to injury.


Let's try:

www.yoonew.com

www.younew.com

www.youknew.com

www.yooknew.com

www.ticketfutures.com

No one said it was going to be easy changing the world. No one initially agrees with a maverick. If things were that easy, everyone would do it.

-gw