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Blueprints: Find new name
As Matt said during WCEU 2024 keynote, the name „Blueprints" will change. Let's find that new name.
Some names that came up:
- Paths
- Adventures
- Quests
- Journeys
- Mixtapes
- Playbooks
- Recipes
- Presets
- Puzzles
CC @sfougnier
Playbook makes sense in both the Playground metaphor and as a translation of the original intention of Blueprints:
- A
Playgroundis the sandbox where you can play with WordPress, and aPlaybookis the output of that play session. - Similar to a Blueprint, a
Playbookstill implies the idea of a sketch or plan.
@sfougnier thank you! One thing that came up with Playbooks is how Ansible already uses that name. Do you think that's an issue at all?
https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/playbook_guide/playbooks_intro.html
Out of the list above, I agree with @sfougnier about "Playbook" as a solid contender. It's quick to understand and connects on the levels that Saul already mentioned, as well as doubles down on the sense of "play" (literally).
One thing that came up with Playbooks is how Ansible already uses that name. Do you think that's an issue at all?
This is always the struggle when using language that's easy to grasp because it's universal. Is Ansible something that the largest Playground audience segment will be very well aware of? If so, and the desire is to be more unique and memorable, then that could be a reason not to use "playbook" for Playground.
Some additional naming thoughts for consideration:
- Tracks: Tracks, for me, came from traces or tracing which feels like a similar starting point (as a blueprint) vs. starting from a blank page. Tracks also nods to following someone's footsteps/previous work—this works both ways, cause we make tracks in the sand for others to follow. Lastly, if we want to get extra deep on a brand level... "tracks" also connect us to the jazz/musical influence that beats at the heart of WordPress.
- Jots or Scribbles: Thinking about the early stages of drawing, stick figures, unfinished thoughts, empty structures, etc. Someone has an idea or an experiment, they jot it down in Playground for someone else to build on or remix.
Thanks @thetinyl!
Is Ansible something that the largest Playground audience segment will be very well aware of?
@adamziel How familiar is our target audience with Ansible? From a technical perspective, Is the mental model too similar to Playground?
Thinking along the lines of Playbook, what about Playlist (since we had already mentioned mixtape)?
I don't expect most of them to know what playbooks in Ansible are.
Probably the most advanced technical part of the audience, so extenders and people potentially contributing to Playground Core. But most of them, as in educators, testers, designers, everyday users, I don't suppose most of them will have that knowledge.
The extender audience is super important, but it won't be the majority of the users in the long term. What do you think? And what would be the downside of them being familiar with Ansible playbooks? Why would that be a bad thing?
And by the way, Alex, thanks, I love "playlists".
Okay, thanks for clarifying that. As long as Ansible isn't a direct competitor, it's likely okay if the name is the same. Based on your description of the audience's familiarity, the term Playbook is not specifically owned by Ansible.
I vote for Playbook as a more branded name and Presets as a second choice.
Playlist could work, but it's a slightly different metaphor, and the term is already closely associated with music players. If we are having difficulty landing on a branded riff on "play" for this, Presets could still feel clear and utilitarian enough to work.
How about calling it a "build file" or Playgroundfile? I think the naming needs to be kept simple and intuitive for newcomers to understand. Playgroundfile might work because it keeps the playful name while sticking to the conventions seen in similar tooling.
I think the naming needs to be kept simple and intuitive for newcomers to understand. Playgroundfile might work because it keeps the playful name while sticking to the conventions seen in similar tooling.
Playgroundfile is really interesting from the developer perspective, although I'm not convinced about sentences like “Playgroundfile community space”.
Playgroundfile is really interesting from the developer perspective, although I'm not convinced about sentences like “Playgroundfile community space”.
No I wouldn't suggest a sentence like that 😅. I think it would be better as "Playground community space".
"Playbook" is one of the few options that evokes a pre-existing sense of meaning for me, a sense that there is a plan.
"Playbook" feels close. But maybe we can be more precise while keeping the same general sense and imagery.
In American football, a playbook is not a specific plan but rather a collection of plays one may choose from. Plays are grouped according to purpose. At game time, when the offense needs to pass the ball, they choose a play from a set of known, rehearsed passing plays.
A playbook is like our documented set of available Blueprint steps.
A team's strategy for a specific game is called a game plan. There are many jobs on a football team. Each player has a different role, and all come together to execute the game plan, one play at a time.
What do you think of "gameplan" or "game plan"?
Interesting ideas! Appreciate all the contributions so far.
Some things to consider:
-
If we're going with a branded name, I recommend keeping the term within the "Playground" metaphor. This name should make this feature feel ownable and easily recognizable as part of the Playground ecosystem. My concern is that a name that leverages a different metaphor doesn't feel like it's helping to drive recognition and build brand equity.
-
This name should clarify that this is an outcome of what you created in the Playground. It doesn't need to include "play" in the title, but if it's going to be branded, it should be clear that it is the output (and, again, fit within the world of playground terminology).
-
The name should also clarify that this output is a work in progress or a sketch and, therefore, not final.
Frankly, I'm not sure any suggestions are as clear as "Blueprints" (the current name). Out of the alternative names that have been proposed, Playbook or Playset are the only options thus far that satisfy all the above requirements.
If those feel too playful and don't resonate, my recommendation would be to use a functional term, such as Playground Presets or Playground File (or any other ideas we can think of along these lines).
Hope this helps!
Frankly, I'm not sure any suggestions are as clear as "Blueprints" (the current name). Out of the alternative names that have been proposed, Playbook or Playset are the only options thus far that satisfy all the above requirements.
Thanks for laying that out!
If those feel too playful and don't resonate, my recommendation would be to use a functional term, such as Playground Presets or Playground File (or any other ideas we can think of along these lines).
I like how a term like Playbook can also be applied like "Running a Playbook on WordPress". It's related to Playground but can be applied more broadly if we wish (since we've been planning things like implementing a Blueprint execution library in PHP).
Just a few terms to add to the mixture here and some work, some less so:
- Maps
- Guides
- Plans
- Charts
I would vote against things that have strong meaning connected to those making, for example Playbooks and journeys are already really hooked into things. I kind of like 'quests' but I adore the gaming concept. I don't know if it's too disconnected for many.
What about Playground Models?
This touches on an unspoken question I've had about this discussion. What is the scope of the new term?
Do we envision Blueprints being applied to WordPress outside of Playground?
We've previously discussed implementing the next version of Blueprints as a PHP library, and I believe we've casually discussed running Blueprints to configure regular WordPress installs.
I love Playground Models! It feels tied to the Playground branding and has slightly less of a learning curve for people unfamiliar with the concept. It also feels evergreen enough to work in the larger WordPress ecosystem if we ever decouple this feature from Playground.
Adding a few more suggestions not already covered:
From “File” — funfile or playfile From “Plan” — playplan From “Blueprint” — funprint or playprint From “JSON” — PlaySON file as a silly & fun variation (say it out loud 😉)
Please share your ideas before September 23rd. After that, we will create a pole with all the suggestions to collect feedback.
Although I don't have a specific name to add, it's a shame that .playground (dotPlayground) and .play (dotPlay) file extension formats already exist in the wild.
"Stagehand" as a product, "Stagehand Config" or ".stagehand". I feel like it fits decently with the product suite, though not perfectly in line with 'Playground', the syllable structure is similar.
'Stage' and 'Play' have association. The term Stagehand in the theatre would generally be used to describe the individuals responsible for setting up the stage, and props/environment to a specific layout for scenes. 🎭
How about "groundwork"? As in ready to use template, "we did the groundwork for you". But playground groundwork doesn't rhyme good together, because of the repetition.
Thinking about a broad term for all the things you find at a playground (swings, slides, seesaws, sandbox, etc), and searching online for synonyms, I see:
- playground equipment (uncountable noun, so might be awkward in a sentence)
- playground structure
- playground apparatus
- playground ride 🤨
- playground activity
- playground game
I'm a little biased coming from the automotive industry, but buildsheet comes to mind. It lists all the components of a car and can be used as a way to recreate a specific build
I saw the message in the #automattic channel, although I have no direct connection to this project, I always like a good naming exercise.
Having spent a few minutes to understand the product, I think playbook does make sense, especially if we want to keep to the "play" theme.
One thing I like to do in naming exercises is start with the most boring / obvious / basic name for something, and use that to understand our reasons for calling it something more interesting. This can help find the best name by clarifying why we are naming it.
So in this case, a blueprint for playground seems (to me) most analogous to what might be called a "preset" in any other piece of software.
So for the sake of discussion, why don't we just call it a "preset" or even more painfully, a "configuration file"?
Partial to Playground Model myself but had a couple suggestions:
- SitePlay
- PlayCase
