The potential difficulties from attempting a name change, besides the variety of opinions on what that name might become, do suggest this could be too big a hurdle to tackle right now, and maybe never. If a name like the PBS becomes standard in the flower bulb enthusiasts' world, then it's lack of inclusiveness by name won't really matter. If PBS ends up stagnating in membership, a look at the name amongst other things might be something to reconsider. I would hope the idea would remain on the table for folks, though. To me "Pacific" is more limiting than "North American", which is more limiting than "International" or such. And I don't so much see a limitation in it's more regional classification in the sense of "people" or "members", but in it's application to flower bulbs. Essentially, when I think of "Pacific", whether I'm correct or not, I think of hardiness zones 9 & 10, maybe 8. As soon as you expand to North America, you represent zones 4-10, which is, in my opinion, more representative of it's members, even if from another country. I really like the word "geophyte", but I would suggest that this description will only attract major students of flower bulb culture. Although no longer regionally restrictive in it's name, I believe it then becomes restrictive in the realm of "people". Most gardeners are not going to do internet searches on "geophyte". I don't want to push any idea one way or the other, myself. PBS is doing pretty good as it is, I think. I exited the IBS when most of the original members of PBS formed the new society, but I didn't join for quite awhile, believing it would only be about California bulbs, or bulbs popular in CA, like South African bulbs. It would be great if folks just mulled it all around in each's own mind every now and then. Another list of names I like is: The Flower Bulb Cooperative Society The Flower Bulb Enthusiast Society The Flower Bulb Enthusiast Cooperative The National Flower Bulb Society The Flower Bulb Culture Cooperative No matter how you slice it, just identifying the meaning of the society with the single word, "bulb", is not practical for society promotion, in my opinion. This was also true with the IBS, which happens to also be an acronym for a syndrome I'd much rather do without. PBS is going to be more familiar in folks minds with the public broadcasting system. Bottom line for me is, this is a solely (or almost so) internet based organization, which means you should cater to that internet as much as is reasonably possible. As PBS has been around several years now, it may be too late. As has been suggested, the change could interfere with visibility, although I know Google will correct search engine links if you do some things with forwarding or parking. With all of this said, you have to have the consensus AND the people power to make any changes, not one without the other. "What's in a name?" --Shakespeare Mr. Kelly M. Irvin 10850 Hodge Ln Gravette, AR 72736 USA 479-787-9958 USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 6a/b http://www.irvincentral.com/ Tom Mitchell wrote: > I joined the PBS a little over a year ago despite living, as I put it > at the time, 'about as far from the Pacific Rim as you can get > without leaving the planet', in a sleepy corner of England. >