# new-speak ...translation please?



## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

I was just looking at a company's website for information, and this is what is written under the "About US' tab:

"*Our team has deep domain expertise and is purpose-built to help companies scale.*"

I know I'm old school...but can one of you young whipper-snappers please give me an idea of what this means? What, exactly, does this outfit DO? 
I'm guessing it means they know lots about technology & the internet & stuff, and they focus on helping companies grow??

(oh well, at least they didn't trow in "sustainable"...


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Deep sea fishing specialists?


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^^ Sounds venture capital to me. If it's on any exchange, put your bet on red. Does the name of the company not give you any clue?


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

kcowan said:


> Deep sea fishing specialists?


That sounds logical. Do those deep sea fish have scales?


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

...you're right beav...VC outfit...


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

It should mean they know how to help a company handle large growth.
I think problems start when you increase headcount by more then 25% in a short period of time.
If you try to double, triple or more your team or business volume in a short period of time there are unique scaling challenges.


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## off.by.10 (Mar 16, 2014)

It means they have a good PR / marketing budget.

What it's supposed to mean is "we're really good and will help you make a lot of money".


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

off.by.10 said:


> It means they have a good PR / marketing budget.
> 
> What it's supposed to mean is "we're really good and will help you make a lot of money".


Likely that too. 
But the reality is as you try to ramp up, it requires different skills and technical solutions. 
You could do it yourself, or bring on a team to help.


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## Userkare (Nov 17, 2014)

jargey3000 said:


> I was just looking at a company's website for information, and this is what is written under the "About US' tab:
> 
> "*Our team has deep domain expertise and is purpose-built to help companies scale.*"
> 
> ...


I went to that same old school, so I'm guessing they're saying that they work proactively to create synergy in a low entropy network. Duh?


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

These guys are the real experts in whatever it is you do and they have a team of people who need employment on your dime. If you really believe them, they’ll take your money and kick you out of your own company as they run it into the ground while filling their pockets.


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## Userkare (Nov 17, 2014)

This reminds me of playing "Buzz Word Bingo" at work when management would give a presentation. We would try to guess what words they would use that they thought made them look intelligent, but actually made them look dumb. 

Here are some...

Optics - A physical part of an instrument that processes light, like eyeglasses, microscope, telescope - not how someone perceives something.
Impact - When two or more things physically collide, not to be confused with "effect".
Literally - To distinguish a statement from a figure of speech, not just to make a statement sound more emphatic.
Organic - Related to actual living things or their bi-products, not "company internal" i.e. organic growth vs mergers and aquisitions.

Feel free to add to the list with your favs :^)


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

synergies, runways, moats


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## kelaa (Apr 5, 2016)

Userkare said:


> This reminds me of playing "Buzz Word Bingo" at work when management would give a presentation. We would try to guess what words they would use that they thought made them look intelligent, but actually made them look dumb.
> 
> Here are some...
> 
> ...



What is your disagreement with those terms, other than "literally"? 

Organic has been used that in that way in common usage outside "business-speak". For instance: "The Ready Reserve Force and the Military Sealift Command (MSC) Surge Sealift Fleet provide DoD with an organic ability to move most of its unit equipment that is too large to fit in commercial containers." http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/millennium/00137.pdf

Impact can certainly mean "effect". Scientific journals have "impact factors" that quantify the number of citations by subsequent articles. Do you suppose they mean researchers go engage in a cage fight with each other with rolled-up copies of their manuscripts?

Optics: this usage seem to date back to the 70's (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/buzzword/entries/optics.html). Since it has crept into common usage, I would hardly blame the MBA's for this.


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## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

Pivot
We used to say, "oops we f^cked up, that strategy/investment/product didn't work"
The new wunderkids don't screw up, they just proudly "pivot".


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## Userkare (Nov 17, 2014)

kelaa said:


> What is your disagreement with those terms, other than "literally"?


Because my head literally explodes when I listen to a presentation where the speaker tries to use as many 'trendy' words as possible in an attempt to appear intelligent.

I understand how words' meanings change over time, but sometimes it appears forced. Take "organic" for instance. It could mean not actually a living organism, but organized in a similar way.

From your linked document, the word used twice with no explanation....

_"The ReadyReserve Force and the Military Sealift Command (MSC) Surge Sealift Fleet provide DoD with an organic ability to move most of its unit equipment that is too large to fit in commercial containers.... _DoD may be able to recapture some of the lost capability by purchasing organic specialized fleets._"

_So then could it mean strapped on the back of whales? Couldn't a better, less ambiquous word have been selected here?

And also, I'm being "tonque in cheek", figuratively.


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## kelaa (Apr 5, 2016)

I remember a military hex-board computer game back in the 90's that was my first exposure to the word in that context. If you need to move your units long distance, it had either "organic" transportation, that is, belonging to itself that you had previously purchased for it, or you had to use credits to purchase transportation for it (mobility as a service :subdued. Makes sense to me. The organic transports "belongs to", or "is of" the unit. I'm not sure if my etymology is off, but to my mind it is in a way an "organ" of the unit.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

jargey3000 said:


> ...
> 
> "*Our team has deep domain expertise and is purpose-built to help companies scale.*" ...


The translation is: *"Don't do business with our company, because our business is to baffle you with B.S."*

Books have been written about this plague of PR buzzwords and NewSpeak, but it seems to be a lost cause. The rats outnumber us all.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

LOL, people who use the latest generation of 'buzz words' to describe something that could as easily be said in simple English really do make me laugh.

You can find all kinds of sites online bemoaning this kind of nonsense. Here's one.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/groupt...ous-and-useless-business-jargon/#4c2c63512eea

But I have to admit some of those in that article have found their way into my own speaking and writing. It is what it is.


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

MrMatt said:


> ...when you increase headcount by more then 25% in a short period of time....
> 
> ...there are unique scaling challenges.


Yes, scaling the fish heads is uniquely challenging. 25% more will probably disrupt your deep sea fish scaling business.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

why do they say "talk TO", when they mean "talk ABOUT"
eg: "Can you talk to your plan to change the climate?"
Does it sound more cool? more modern? or what?
I'm pretty sure the plan they're talking to can't hear them.

what'll they be saying next? "Come over here & talk ABOUT me."(instead of TO me)

and dont get me started on the trend to replace "Well..." with "So...." at the beginning of answers...


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Of course it's "cool" 'cuz they "know it all."


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

"Our team has deep domain expertise and is purpose-built to help companies scale."

It is actually a pretty descriptive sentence.

It looks like the company has expertise in purchasing and developing domain names that are suitable for search engine optimization to optimize scaling opportunities.

In plain English...if your company domain name is shirleyshomemadebiscuits/.com...you won't likely be found on a Google search to sell any biscuits.

Anyone can register a domain name for $10 a year, but the best domain names sell for tens of millions of dollars and less attractive names for tens of thousands.

These types of companies register a decent domain name and populate the internet with it. They deal a lot in social media platforms.

In short, if people don't know you are there you won't be getting any business. These companies say they can help with that problem.

How well the company does in this business should be reflected in their web portfoliio.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

*"Our team has deep domain expertise and is purpose-built to help companies scale."
It is actually a pretty descriptive sentence.
It looks like the company has expertise in purchasing and developing domain names that are suitable for search engine optimization to optimize scaling opportunities.*

you'd be right sags, IF that is actually what the company does....which it is NOT....


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

as happens regularly in cmf forum, thread is rife w fausty crinolines speaking yesteryear

kelaa has it right how the military are using the word "organic." Evidently to the brass it means an in-house technology, so a job doesn't have to be outsourced

& sags has it right about "domain"

c'mon crinolines. Stop getting ruffled. Don't get your gathers in a grind or your tiers in a tizzy. You don't want to be seen exploding your heads off over a petticoat.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

sags may well know what a "domain" is, but the VC company in question is not in the business of dreaming up or buying or selling domain names...
I think his take on it kinda justifies my puzzlement over their babblespeak about what they actually DO do...lol


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

^^^^....ooops! I just said doo-doo....^^^


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> sags may well know what a "domain" is, but the VC company in question is not in the business of dreaming up or buying or selling domain names...
> I think his take on it kinda justifies my puzzlement over their babblespeak about what they actually DO do...lol


 ... does the company in question starts with an ''S" as well as an ''E"? If so, I'm speculating they're trying to create make-shift business(es) (aka their own jobs) with your $$$. Something like what JAG (post #10) is saying.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

good sleuthing beav...
what'd you do? ....google my opening post? ...lol


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Yep and I'm dazzled with all those pretty faces ... too bad, their "About Us" or what do they exactly do is baffling.


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## kelaa (Apr 5, 2016)

Aren't you guys overplaying the business-babble angle a bit? Isn't it readily apparent from the website it is a venture capital firm?


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

:smiley_simmons::smiley_simmons::smiley_simmons:

well.....maybe juuuuuust a bit......

but, in their "About Us" tab, why the heck dont they just say "We're a venture capital firm."


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

company looks fine. I'll never buy their stock but their website is clear as glass. 

it's a venture capital company based in boston & san francisco. They're currently seeding another $1.25 billion in new or enhanced startups.

emphasis on youth. The principals are young enough to be grounded in tomorrow, old enough to have cut their working teeth at the likes of goldman sachs & credit suisse bank. All are graduates of leading ivy league & european business schools, ie graduates of the world's best.

crinolines this is a quality operation. You missed it. Time to flounce on by.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

kelaa said:


> Aren't you guys overplaying the business-babble angle a bit? Isn't it readily apparent from the website it is a venture capital firm?


 ...no to your first question. And to your second question - what does this vc firm actually do, in your own words, please.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

kelaa said:


> Organic has been used that in that way in common usage outside "business-speak". Command (MSC) Surge Sealift Fleet provide DoD with an organic ability to move most of its unit equipment that is too large to fit in commercial containers."


That's almost as bad as the quotation in the first post! Maybe worse - Babblespeak plus acronyms!

Could have been shortended. "MCS SSF provide DoD with an organic ability to move most of its UE that is too large to fit in CC's.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

jargey3000 said:


> :smiley_simmons::smiley_simmons::smiley_simmons:
> 
> well.....maybe juuuuuust a bit......
> 
> but, in their "About Us" tab, why the heck dont they just say "We're a venture capital firm."


Maybe it had already been mentioned, but is this the company? https://www.spectrumequity.com


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## kelaa (Apr 5, 2016)

Agent99: I thought we were looking at Safeguard Scientific, ticker SFE.

Beaver101: Well, a venture capital firm invests in other firms with promising technology, growth trajectories, business plans, or pyramid schemes, etc, at relatively early stages where the playoff can be large. A hands-off approach might just give them money and leave them alone to do their own thing. A hands-on approach might give more than cash in the form of guidance, R&D, take over, etc. It looks like Safeguard Scientific bills itself to be more of the hands-on approach.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

kelaa said:


> Agent99: I thought we were looking at Safeguard Scientific, ticker SFE.


We were?? Only clue so far was that name started with an S and an E. And included Jargeys doublespeak quote from post #1 in 'About Us'. It's actually under "Team".
https://www.spectrumequity.com/team


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## kelaa (Apr 5, 2016)

Okay, you are right, agent99. Seems like a dime a dozen.


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

jargey did not ever appear to be talking about a firm named safeguard scientific

what he'd found, as i mentioned upthread, was a US lean startup special situation venture capital firm. A kind of goldman sachs youth lab. Big talent. But jargey couldn't read the road signs.

perhaps folks w mild communication challenges should stick with their couch potatoes. It was the investment technology of yesteryear.

even for couch potatoes, TD, Evolve, Horizons & others are brazenly making investing faster, cheaper, easier w solactive indexes.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

...hahaha....for those who care, here's what brought me to be checking out Spectrum in the first place...

https://news.google.com/articles/CA...CAowqKNmMKjdCjDBjx0?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA:en

https://news.google.com/articles/CB...nkvNDIyMzIyP2FtcD0x?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA:en

....who said anything about investing in the company? ....besides they're private...
(apology for snarky comments accepted)


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Hey Jargey - You got a good run out of this thread  What I liked, was that there was no mention of DT or JT or CC or GW.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

....haha...thanks 99
BTW ...Who're CC & GW?


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## Userkare (Nov 17, 2014)

jargey3000 said:


> ....haha...thanks 99
> BTW ...Who're CC & GW?



Should ask *what *are CC & GW..... got it? No .. getting warmer? <-hint


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

seriously jargey what's your opinion of Safeguard Scientifics?


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Userkare said:


> Should ask *what *are CC & GW..... got it? No .. getting warmer? <-hint


Had a full week of it on CBC ......


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> ...hahaha....for those who care, here's what brought me to be checking out Spectrum in the first place...
> 
> https://news.google.com/articles/CA...CAowqKNmMKjdCjDBjx0?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA:en
> 
> ...


 .... and that's a scary part. Seems like they're a bloated middle-man having to get so many financial backings (ie. too many hands in the pot potentially) for NFLD's largest venture company "V" (which is going to trend/do well for the future, I say).


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

agent99 said:


> Had a full week of it on CBC ......


....aha!... got CC...i think....
now GW? .....hmmmmm......sure you dont mean. GT?.....


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

humble_pie said:


> seriously jargey what's your opinion of Safeguard Scientifics?



....never hoid o' dem humble...but, on first blush, they appear to be
a different kind of capital provider, delivering a different kind of experience for entrepreneurs.....


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> ....aha!... got CC...i think....
> now GW? .....hmmmmm......sure you dont mean. GT?.....


DING! the lightbulb just went on! ...got it....hahah
ya could've throw in a 'who' too i think.....GT?


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

jargey3000 said:


> ....never hoid o' dem humble....


 :excitement:  :glee: :victorious:

Sorry - Just experimenting with emoticons, Discovered max number was 4.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

...got a lot of time on your hands ,99?:redface::eek-new:nthego::miserable:


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

....so.....did you figure out GT?.....


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

jargey3000 said:


> ....so.....did you figure out GT?.....


Oh yeah - That squeaky Swedish tös


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

jargey3000 said:


> for those who care, here's what brought me to be checking out Spectrum in the first place...
> 
> https://news.google.com/articles/CA...CAowqKNmMKjdCjDBjx0?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA:en
> 
> https://news.google.com/articles/CB...nkvNDIyMzIyP2FtcD0x?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA:en





hey jargey that's a truly interesting story about Verafin, the 15-year-old financial crimestopper based out of st john's which has developed into an important $100 million/year enterprise.

company is the brainchild of 3 graduate students working in artificial intelligence & was nurtured in its infancy by Memorial University's Genesis Centre, the article says. And it says there are another 80 tech sector startups on the Rock. Says that newfoundland's burgeoning tech industry is growing at the fastest rate in canada, faster than founder communities such as kitchener/waterloo.

jargey i'm thinking that there have got to be some other great newfoundland IP stories out your way. Perhaps you could be the wingman here & report on one or another of these jewels from time to time?

me i think we need stories like the Verafin success as antidotes to all the bad news in the air these days, see.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

will do, Chief!


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

...this just in...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/colab-hiring-investment-1.5307067


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

jargey3000 said:


> ...this just in...
> 
> https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/colab-hiring-investment-1.5307067


Becoming the Silicon Rock?


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

agent99 said:


> Becoming the Silicon Rock?


...cutting edge, man....cutting edge.....
seal-icon valley!


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

jargey3000 said:


> ...this just in...
> 
> https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/colab-hiring-investment-1.5307067


That's good news! Venture capital has just gone insane in the last couple years, and absolutely should be milked for all its worth. I've seen all kinds of bizarre projects being funded... you don't have to be profitable. It's kind of like a dot com bubble again.

Hope the young guys go for it and collect as much silicon valley dough as possible


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

james4beach said:


> That's good news! Venture capital has just gone insane in the last couple years, and absolutely should be milked for all its worth. I've seen all kinds of bizarre projects being funded... you don't have to be profitable. It's kind of like a dot com bubble again.
> 
> Hope the young guys go for it and collect as much silicon valley dough as possible



are u saying that angel investors are gravely mistaken while the e-kidz are taking em for a milk ride?

that's a curious view for someone who also says that the energy resource sector in canada is way past noon & we should be morphing into a smart economy


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

humble_pie said:


> are u saying that angel investors are gravely mistaken while the e-kidz are taking em for a milk ride?
> 
> that's a curious view for someone who also says that the energy resource sector in canada is way past noon & we should be morphing into a smart economy


VC looks out for their own best interests so I wouldn't shed any tears for them (they will dilute the owners down sufficiently). But if it's a fun project and good work experience, then at least VC can pay the bills for a while.

Information economy is great, I'm just saying there is silly stuff happening in venture funding due to the current tech bubble. Economic trends are long term things. You can both have a shift to a smarter / information economy, while still having bubbles and stupidity along the way. And I think if an entrepreneur encounters such a bubble phase, they should milk it for all it's worth.

Part of me wishes I had quit the professional job and tried some kind of "start-up", but I really hate the silicon valley culture and can't bring myself to do that.

One thing people don't understand is that technology work / high-tech is *not synonymous* with silicon valley culture. Unfortunately, Canada is trying to imitate silicon valley... and really should not. This is not a good culture, and not something to aspire to. The VC world is centered in silicon valley so they only fund stuff that looks like silicon valley.

So everyone ends up imitating it. I refuse to...

I'd like to see Canada build its own brand of technical innovators without imitating silicon valley silliness.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

:very_drunk:


james4beach said:


> VC looks out for their own best interests so I wouldn't shed any tears for them (they will dilute the owners down sufficiently). But if it's a fun project and good work experience, then at least VC can pay the bills for a while.
> 
> Information economy is great, I'm just saying there is silly stuff happening in venture funding due to the current tech bubble. Economic trends are long term things. You can both have a shift to a smarter / information economy, while still having bubbles and stupidity along the way. And I think if an entrepreneur encounters such a bubble phase, they should milk it for all it's worth.
> 
> ...


I think us newfs might be kinda good at that angle james b'y.....
we've been building our own' brand' for over 500 years.. 
we dont imitate nobody.....but, people imitate us!.:..


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## humble_pie (Jun 7, 2009)

james4beach said:


> VC looks out for their own best interests so I wouldn't shed any tears for them (they will dilute the owners down sufficiently). But if it's a fun project and good work experience, then at least VC can pay the bills for a while.
> 
> Information economy is great, I'm just saying there is silly stuff happening in venture funding due to the current tech bubble. Economic trends are long term things. You can both have a shift to a smarter / information economy, while still having bubbles and stupidity along the way. And I think if an entrepreneur encounters such a bubble phase, they should milk it for all it's worth.
> 
> ...



thankx for sharing your pov. Fascinating. Everybody should pay attention, these are real people working in/have been working in/ commenting on the new economy.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

I should clarify, I'm not knocking the entrepreneurs here. They may be working on something amazing that could turn into something big.

I'm just commenting on the funding and VC situation (current mania). It's absolutely a good idea to use VC if it can push your ideas and career forward!


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