What’s in a Name?

Thursday, June 23, 2011

As we draw ever closer to launching our website, we have an exciting announcement:  We are changing our name from “Parents Unite Against Addiction” to “Parent Pathway.” We found that our former name certainly conveyed our reason for being, but it was a mouthful, and it was not particularly memorable. 

When we realized the name we chose was not quite right, we began researching website names.  We found excellent resources that helped us understand why certain names worked and others didn’t, what to consider and how it might affect our website visibility.  For instance, you can create a word that isn’t a word (such as Facebook or Yelp), but then you have to work hard to brand it and get visibility since search engines won’t easily find it.  This is one of many elements to consider in selecting a successful website name.

Parent Pathway is simpler, more to the point, and more intuitive: We offer resources that help parents make forward progress on the road to their recovery.  Also, the name Parent Pathway connects us conceptually to “Pathway to Prevention,” the non-profit we founded to prevent teen substance abuse through education and awareness.

Does the logo we developed, which features a hand-drawn heart bridging the words “Parent” and “Pathway,” still work for our new name?  It seems to capture the spirit of an imperfect path with dips and turns that hopefully ends up where it began—with a healthy family.  That seems to be a fitting visual metaphor for parents’ circuitous journeys as they navigate teen addiction.