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Company's new name has familiar ring

'Net Buzz By Paul McNamara , Network World , 03/02/2007
McNamara
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You're the 26-year-old wunderkind co-founder of a remote-support company that's drawing rave reviews and millions in venture capital, but stands saddled with a corporate name that is boring if not misleading.

What to do, what to do?

Well, meet Joel Bomgar, formerly Joel Bomgaars, founder of Bomgar, formerly NetworkStreaming.

The company recently announced the name change and that it has acquired another pile of cash. It's been a bit of a Network World darling, receiving a favorable product review, being anointed one of our "Top 10 Security Companies to Watch," and Bomgar (then Bomgaars) being featured in one of our Hot Seat interviews. (Links available through my blog.)

All that coverage accrued to NetworkStreaming, which company marketing executive Melissa Dent readily concedes was a "generic" name that created the mistaken impression that they did video streaming. After much internal noodling, the company -- and the company co-founder -- decided to adopt the name Bomgar, she says.

And why not? Bomgar has that ring of strength, coupled with general emptiness that allows a company to fill in the blanks any way it pleases.

But did Bomgaars really change his name to Bomgar -- legally speaking?

No, Dent says. He has merely adopted Bomgar as his "professional name."

Won't renaming the company in his own image appear egotistical to some?

"Anyone who knows Joel will tell you that he's as far from egotistical as you can get," Dent says, although they discussed the possibility.

Factoring into the spelling-alteration decision may have been the fact that www.bomgaars.com was already taken by Bomgaars, a retail chain headquartered in Iowa.

Bomgar has the advantage of simplicity anyway.

Hey, at least they didn't have to waste money on a "naming consultant."

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RE: Company's new name has familiar ringBy Joe B. on September 17, 2007, 7:47 pmThe second page of this article is a totally different (wrong) article!. The links for "continued" and "Page 2" and "Next" do to soemthing not related to the title...

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No, it's rightBy Adam Gaffin on September 17, 2007, 9:29 pmPaul's columns often consist of two or three unrelated items like that.

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new company name By Anonymous on July 23, 2009, 10:38 ami wnt new company name

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gisBy Anonymous on October 15, 2009, 8:04 amnew company name

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