Things have been quiet on the WordPress LMS front, but only because we have been hard at work in a variety of different areas. Today, I want to take a moment to share with you some big news regarding the WP LMS project – something that we have been wrestling with for a while now.
After multiple conversations with those invested in the success of our end goal, we have decided going forward to promote WordPress LMS under the new brand LearnDash (short for “Learning Dashboard”)
There are multiple reasons for doing so, but some of the major ones include:
Reason #1
We found “WordPress LMS” was more of a description than an actual promotable brand.
Reason #2
When speaking to people over the phone, or in conversations, we found confusion over the name (i.e. WPLMS vs. WordPress LMS). Having to clarify the domain name was getting troublesome.
Reason #3
While the initials “WP” make sense to those familiar with WordPress, it is a bit foreign to those who are not as knowledgeable with the program. While our intent is to serve the WordPress lovers such as ourselves, we don’t want to unintentionally limit our potential customers by a rather narrow definition.
Reason #4
In regards to word of mouth, “.org” domain names are more difficult for people to remember, and often unknowingly will go to “.com”. Unfortunately, we don’t own the “.com”, so it can be confusing.
Reason #5
Using a “.org” can be misleading, as people usually associate a non-profit venture or public organization to that extension. We want to be clear with our intentions as a commercial venture, therefore “.com”.
With these things in mind, we ultimately decided that choosing an easy to spell and remember name for our WPLMS project was the correct direction. Granted, we could have waited until after launch to see if a brand change was even necessary, but in the end that would require more effort on our end to get the right message across. Instead we wanted to hit the ground running from day one with a consistent brand and message.
In the near future, look for a redesign of the site as we build around the LearnDash brand. In the long term, continue to follow-us as we aim at making LearnDash the #1 WordPress Learning Management System (heck, even the best LMS) available on the market!
Until next time!
Nice move and definitely easier to brand.
Any development updates?
Hi David, thanks for the comment re: the brand – we think so too. In regards to development, we will be sure to keep you in the loop and get you another note out in the near future. If you have specific questions, by all means contact me via the contact tab.
So your big news that you couldn’t fit in an email was that you changed the name…wow that’s is amazing progress.
Hi Glenn-
Thanks for your comment. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any specific questions relating to the project.
Good luck on this venture. The product is very timely.
Totally agree, great move! Looking forward to using Learn Dash in the future
Thanks Natty! We are really working hard at a building a really solid product, coupled with unparelleled customer service in the learning industry. Can’t wait to work with you!
Agree with you completely. Looking forward to using it.
Thanks Sami, looking forward to your feedback!
Good luck
and i impatiently waiting for this LMS
Hi Gustin , Nice think
but in LearnDash I don’t see LMS ! it is better in new brand we can find LMS anyway.
Like LMSDash …
Have nice time
I agree with Naser here…I think keeping an “LMS” somewhere in the name would help a lot in terms of marketing, and immediate recognizability of what the product is. Probably too late now, but I thought I’d put my 2 cents in anyway…
Thanks Timmay, that was something we wrestled with as well. There are some examples of programs doing well w/o “LMS” included in the name (i.e. Moodle). Thank you for the feedback though, we will now be sure to make it clear upon coming to the site that it is an LMS (through the copy and various descriptions).
Good idea to differentiate and separate yourself this way…I am looking forward to your product launch–
I must say that I’ve never seen so much hype for a non-existent application as I’ve seen with WordPress LMS / LearnDash. Although I think that someday this app might see the light of day, being a developer myself, I predict that it will be another year before any of us get to actually use it, after alpha and beta testing. For those of you who’d like to start using a real-live Learning Management System that is built for WordPress using BuddyPress, and totally free, check out this page — wordpressinfo.com/2011/10/09/buddypress-scholarpress-courseware/