We just launched the beta version of our new Jobs for Autism web site. The actual web site name is jobs4autism.com.  Now some branding critics might say this is too descriptive a name and one that will be tough to protect. But sometimes more descriptive is OK.  Here is why we went with this more generic name:

• When you are first in a totally new category and have a shoestring budget, an easy to understand name that telegraphs what the site, product or company is all about… often makes sense.
• Web site names are different animals than many traditional product and company brand names.  For a new online community, you may just want a URL name that is easy to say and easy to spell.  Since we were also able to register both jobsforautism.org and jobs4autism.org, we do have a couple of the more obvious spellings locked up.
• This is not a money-making venture.  That is, non-profit names sometimes don’t have to cross all the hurdles a for-profit, highly competitive product brand name has to cross.  While we hope at some point in the future to raise money from companies advertising their autism-related services and products, our best case scenario is one of breaking even, and that seems ridiculously optimistic at this point in time.

So, while we would normally advise against overly descriptive names, we believe there are exceptions to the rule.  We’ll report back in a year or so and let you know if we were right or wrong.