What Does The Word "Sherpa" Means For You?

by Alex Barboza

Posted: 13 years ago 23 replies

OFF TOPIC

I ask this because I am planning to enter a new niche and like the sound of the word "Sherpa" for it. It's very brandable and the two word domain is available (i.e. mainkeywordsherpas.com)

To me it is like the guys who help and guide others. Do you agree with me? Does it sound the same for you?

Thanks for your help

MoneyMagnetMagnate 13 years ago

Sherpa is Tibetan for 'guide' as far as I know...it has always had that connotation - they were the experienced mountaineering guides in the Himalayas...
(unless you're talking about jackets )

1. a member of a people of Tibetan stock living in the Nepalese Himalayas, who often serve as porters on mountain-climbing expeditions.

2. ( sometimes lowercase ) an expert chosen by a chief executive to assist in preparations for a summit meeting.
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LarryC 13 years ago

I always thought it meant guide. However, apparently it has several other meanings as well. This article doesn't even mention the common usage of the word:

Sherpa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I still think most people think of it the way you're using it. Another concern, however, might be that not everyone is familiar with the word at all.
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Kurt 13 years ago

Sherpa - Sounds like someone wants to use a word like guru, but doesn't want to use guru.
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- Alex Barboza 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Kurt
  
  Sherpa - Sounds like someone wants to use a word like guru, but doesn't want to use guru.
  
  Does it really sound like that? :confused: That's something I would like to avoid
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  Kurt 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Alex Barboza
  
  Does it really sound like that? :confused: That's something I would like to avoid
  
  Hi Alex,
  
  Whenever I hear "sherpa", I think "guru lite". Maybe it's just me?
  
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  MissTerraK 13 years ago
  
  Wow! And here I was thinking Sherpa was a kind of super soft and cuddly material that throw blankets were made of.
  
  I swear, I just bought a U of M Sherpa blankie today!
  
  Terra
  
  Thanks
  
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Mark Andrews Banned 13 years ago

LDV Sherpa - a van made in the United Kingdom with a 1.9 Peugeot diesel engine.

Often used by the Post Office, beaten to death and drives like an old tin can.

I should know, I used to own two of them although the mpg is excellent at 48mpg on a run.
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- antovn 13 years ago
  
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  Dan Curtis 13 years ago
  
  When I hear "Sherpa" I think of Tenzing Norgay.
  
  Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary were the first two to ascend Mount Everest. It was May 29, 1953. Hillary could never have made it to the top without the help of Sherpa Tenzing.
  
  This was just before I was born, but when I was young people still spoke about this event. Sherpa Tenzing at that time was one of the most famous people on the planet.
  
  As far as your use of the word, most people will have no idea of the meaning of the word, but for those that do it will probably be understood to mean "guide."
  
  Thanks
  
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Alexa Smith

Banned 13 years ago

To me (and I would think to most people in Britain, anyway) the word "Sherpa" simply denotes someone's ethnic background.

It's true that some Sherpas were/are working as tour-guides in Nepal, and doubtless many people will have heard of Tenzing Norgay, who was - famously - of Sherpa origin, but that's not what people think here think of the word as meaning, or signifying. And I can't imagine what it might have to do with "gurus".

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Frank Donovan 13 years ago

Aren't sherpas what you'd find in a store in France?
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Kurt

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Alexa Smith

To me (and I would think to most people in Britain, anyway) the word "Sherpa" simply denotes someone's ethnic background.

It's true that some Sherpas were/are working as tour-guides in Nepal, and doubtless many people will have heard of Tenzing Norgay, who was - famously - of Sherpa origin, but that's not what people think here think of the word as meaning, or signifying. And I can't imagine what it might have to do with "gurus".

Since you can't imagine, I'll try to help you out... :rolleyes:

Sherpas are considered guides. Gurus are also considered guides, in a spiritual sense. Both portray some "higher understanding". But more relevant, both words have been over-used in online marketing for quite a while and in the context of IM is where the usage of the words tend to blur.

The site The Marketing Sherpa has been around forever, and is a great site with some excellent marketing related content and case studies:
Marketing Research: Articles, Reports and Case Studies | MarketingSherpa

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Brandon Tanner 13 years ago

I love adventure documentaries, and have a handful of videos @ Mt Everest... so I am familiar with the term. But I have to admit that I had never heard of the word prior to watching my first Everest video.

So I think the term might be lost on a lot of people who are not also into that sort of thing (at least in the Western world). That's not necessarily a bad thing though, as curiosity in and of itself can be a good tool for branding... especially if the site gets popular enough!
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Alexa Smith Banned 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Kurt

Since you can't imagine, I'll try to help you out... :rolleyes:

Thanks for your explanation, Kurt, and your ever-impressive tact and diplomacy in offering it. I suspect it's just a "cultural/geographical difference": the word seems not to have that meaning, over here - I've seen/heard it used only in the way referred to in Wikipedia. It's a "funny old language", English: sometimes all the rest of the English-speaking world attributes to a word an entirely different meaning from the one understood in the US (or vice-versa).
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- tagiscom 13 years ago
  
  First thing that comes to mind is someone who moves goats around!
  
  Certainly something l have zero interest in, best to test your niche to make sure it has the numbers!
  
  As the "chicken coops" niche has shown it can still be a profitable niche?
  
  Shane
  
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  Alex Barboza 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by tagiscom
  
  First thing that comes to mind is someone who moves goats around!
  
  Lol! I won't move any goats in my website
  
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rain21 13 years ago

it sounds like serpents, snakes to me. Also sounds like Shepard
by the way good choice.
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- Brian John 13 years ago
  
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SteveJohnson 13 years ago

A 325cc Bultaco Sherpa T motorcycle, my first-ever trials bike.
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Dennis Gaskill 13 years ago

When my dad would ask me if I'd do something for him, I'd usually reply, "Well sherpa, I can do that for you." :rolleyes:
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- SteveJohnson 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Dennis Gaskill
  
  When my dad would ask me if I'd do something for him, I'd usually reply, "Well sherpa, I can do that for you." :rolleyes:
  
  I'll have to admit, that one took me a minute , not being the sharpest saw in the shed...
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  Gun control means never having to say, "I missed you."
  
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  Dennis Gaskill 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by SteveJohnson
  
  I'll have to admit, that one took me a minute , not being the sharpest saw in the shed...
  
  You're plenty sharp, Steve. I've just been cursed with a strange sense of humor.
  
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What Does The Word "Sherpa" Means For You?

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