What’s in a Name?

I’ve spent the last couple of years working with arts organisations going through a change process. We always identify an organisation, like a person, with the name we know them by, but as organisations develop and change, the name can sometimes seem like a relic from a bygone era.
Having said that, its been interesting to see the reasons that organisations change name. In the case of one writers organisation I was working with, their name reflected the funders’ aspirations when they were set up – and they’ve had to change to reflect who they actually are and what they do. Another organisation runs a very successful festival, and that “brand” has now become their name.
In Manchester most people in the community sector involved with IT and digital issues would have come across MCIIN – Manchester Community Information Network. From running first steps IT courses, to creating community websites, they’ve been involved in helping communities use the web for over a decade. Yet that name never really said what it was they did – it was like a relic from a bygone age.
With much of their work now concentrated on helping people “have a voice” through becoming community reporters and making video and blog diaries, it’s wholly appropriate that MCIN is now no more, and they’re now Peoples Voice Media. I wish them well in their new incarnation (you can follow them on Twitter here) – and can only add that this particular rebranding makes a lot more sense than Norwich Unions!