Netscape - the verb

Google became a verb on blogs three years ago, if not earlier. Now, Paul Allen has written a nice article called Will Google Netscape Microsoft? (http://www.infobaseventures.com/blog/2004/05/20.html#a98)

My wondering is more about the title of the article than the contents of it: What companies have done something such spectacularly that they become verbs or generally accepted terms? (Xerox, for instance) Why? Who's up next?

Is Microsoft a verb yet? Or would it mean too many things and be used in too many contexts?

How about outside of the technology firms? Fast food maybe? lol, I can't think of any, but maybe someone else can..

Sadiq.

Don't know any ICT company but 'FedEx' has, at least in slang, become a verd ("can you fedex it to me?").

I know many company nouns, kleenex is an example -- that's a company name, not the actual tissue. Levi's used to be a common one, but it has lost it's branding over the years by not catering to younger styles and crowds. Some people say 'clorox' when they mean bleach.

I do say 'googled' in terms of search already at work -- just google.

Apple could fit slightly in the area of it's 'i' creations - ipod, imac -- everythings i, they created a computer phrase.

I do tell clients to 'pdf the file over' sometimes, or 'just pdf me' instead of actually sending me the hard file. 'pdf it' is specifically a file type, but it's become a verb in the print industry.

Sometimes I use file terms in the same way as pdf, in a verb form -- 'jpeg it real quick'.

god, I'm a geek...

There's a really good book that talks of branding culture and how these company titles become ingrained in modern culture. It's a good design read, called 'No Logo' by Naomi Klein -- you can read about (relevant to your fast food comment sad69) fast food branding as well in 'Fast Food Nation' by Eric Schlosser - talks about their marketing and labeling tactics... but, after I read that book I haven't ate at a fast food restaurant in over a year and a half. Be warned, he goes undercover with the actual production, habits, culture and theories of these companies. The employee sections are outrageous, and the meat section, well, is not pleasant:)

Surely the most widespread one is "Hoover"?

Tango got pretty popular too (as in "You've been Tango'd"), although I dunno if that's just UK - do you get Tango in the USA?

Well, I dont' know about everybody else, but just last night I was working on a document, typing away when my computer microsofted. I was so microsofted. I microsoft that microsfting company. I mean first the microsoft you for every penny you've got, then they microsoft their support, and in the end, microsoft their entire customer base. :D :D :D

Ok, all joking aside, does anyone remeber the smurfs? They used to smurf up a smurf on every smurfing thing! :D

Surely the most widespread one is "Hoover"?

Tango got pretty popular too (as in "You've been Tango'd"), although I dunno if that's just UK - do you get Tango in the USA?

Hoover, yes -- but I've never heard of Tango'd in the us, are we talking the dance, or is this a company thing?

Hoover, yes -- but I've never heard of Tango'd in the us, are we talking the dance, or is this a company thing?'Tango', it's a soft drink, as you call it. The popular tagline to their adverts was 'You know when you've been Tango'd'.

Not a company but another example of an abbreviation making verb status - BSOD, as in "Windows kept BSODing on me today".

Well, I dont' know about everybody else, but just last night I was working on a document, typing away when my computer microsofted. I was so microsofted. I microsoft that microsfting company. I mean first the microsoft you for every penny you've got, then they microsoft their support, and in the end, microsoft their entire customer base. :D :D :D

Ok, all joking aside, does anyone remeber the smurfs? They used to smurf up a smurf on every smurfing thing! :D

:D Heh that's awsome :thumbsup:

Sadiq.

what about 'Billing'

I once sent microsoft a free idea for there next advertisement campaign : "You've been Billed"

never heard anything since. ungratefull buch of nogoods :mad:

what about 'Billing'

I once sent microsoft a free idea for there next advertisement campaign : "You've been Billed"

never heard anything since. ungratefull buch of nogoods :mad:
Very good one man lol. :thumbsup:

I've been referring to the recent rush of css/standards bloggers to Powerbooks as iClones. :p
I'm probably just jealous, though :o

As many people have noted already, the "Why?" is quite simple: certain proprietary products or methods become so prevalent that the brand becomes interchangeable with the object or service. I don't especially approve of this, which is why I would like to note that while I say "Google" as a verb, it is not because I have unconsciously replaced it with "search", but rather it's because I see no reason to use any other search engine over it at this point. It's more of an advocation.

I know for ceratin I've said "Kleenex" when referring to a tissue, like Brady said. That just happened, and at one point I actually started making a concerted effort to stop it.

Slightly related, but not really: pop vs. soda. I spent eight months in CA after growing up in the Midwest United States, and gave up "pop" simply because nobody ever knew what I was talking about. Since I've moved back to Minnesota, I still keep up soda because I think "pop" sounds ridiculous. ;)

Here's one I've been using to avoid explaining what interpolation is: JPEGGED; "That pic's no good, it's been jpegged beyond recognition."

|V|[agnus'] Since I've moved back to Minnesota, I still keep up soda because I think "pop" sounds ridiculous. ;)

How about "Soft-drink"? That's all it's called in Australia. (We shouldn't start this discussion, I saw a 4 page pop vs. soda thread on a nother forum recently ;))

I call it soda, pop just sounds weird. :)

Final word in that discussion: I'll just call it "läsk" like all other swedes.

Now, if you don't return to topic immediately, I'll close the thread. I don't want it to harbour a meaningless discussion where noone will be even the least inclined to sway.

To ease it back on topic,

I'll often ask for a coke when ordering a cola, not because I want a coke but because I want a brown soda. Hmm. . . LOL it could be used as a verb as well. :p

Last time I asked for coke I didn't get a soda ...

I'm with ]|V|[agnus -- in chicago, I called it 'pop' -- nobody knows what the heck I'm talking about out here in San Francisco... I've resorted to using the brand terms to be more specific -- coke, Dr. Pepper. But let me point out to all restaurants that Pepsi is not Coke, and root beer or mr. pib is not a subsitute for Dr. Pepper:)

Again, back on topic, the branding that has been discussed is a direct target of exactly what marketing firms and in house marketing departments focus on -- if you create your product as having a soul of it's own -- a part of your everyday life, then consumers subconciously pick your product.

It has been said that if Coca-Cola were to drop it's logo and signature red, but keep the taste the same, it would lose a 5% market share worldwide. If it did the opposite, it would continue to gain.

Starbucks alone has almost systematically become synonymous with a very lifestlye, and is moving to become it's own product noun (though, since they're on every corner of every major US city, I don't know if it can escape your mind).

Read those books I posted, this whole subject is researched extensively in them -- it delves deeper into how companies target and create the corporate verb.

Again, back on topic, the branding that has been discussed is a direct target of exactly what marketing firms and in house marketing departments focus on -- if you create your product as having a soul of it's own -- a part of your everyday life, then consumers subconciously pick your product.

It has been said that if Coca-Cola were to drop it's logo and signature red, but keep the taste the same, it would lose a 5% market share worldwide. If it did the opposite, it would continue to gain.

Starbucks alone has almost systematically become synonymous with a very lifestlye, and is moving to become it's own product noun (though, since they're on every corner of every major US city, I don't know if it can escape your mind).


Yeah, it just has to do with having your image out there all the time. I've already had people call coffee Starbucks before too. IBM had it made back in the day with personal computers, even with the clones, it was refered to as an IBM PC. Obviously we've gotten rid of that now but it used to be quite popular.

Yeah. When I started with computers the choices were Amiga, Atari, Mac or IBM "Compatibles", and the former two were less of personal computers and more of gaming consoles, for the most part. IBM won the war by letting the control of their platform go, something that both led to the platform flourishing and it's loss of association with IBM...

Speaking of which, I belive we have two other nouns there. Apple has gotten a kind of "professional", "efficient" and "well designed" association. Amiga (for those that know the platform is not dead, yet) has gotten a kind of immortality association. It simply keeps going on, despite being far, far out of the mainstream today.

And leaving that market, but keeping with that immortality association, we have the bunny that just keeps going, and going, and going. (Yuck! I hate those commercials... It got what it deserved in Hot Shots 2.)

How does Netscape decline?

I Netscape
You Netscape
He, She or It Netscapes
We Netscape
You (pl) Netscape
They Netscape