[disiplus]

im not sure the "amateur" needs changing, it could be used to point more users to middle tier, we have something like that, where we call our first tier something that like that, and the second "smart" and people take the second one. also there is a decoy effect. we push our middle tier like that without "fake" most popular tier badge. we don't have a free tier.

[jjjensen90]

Amateur, at least in common American English, is virtually never used in a positive or neutral sense. It should definitely be changed in anything marketing-related.

[SECProto]

> Amateur, at least in common American English, is virtually never used in a positive or neutral sense.

"Amateur astronomy"[1] doesn't have negative connotations. And I don't think this is an exception that proves the rule - as a native speaker of North American English, amateur can have negative connotations, but that isn't the default.

That said, in this particular case, something like "hobbyist" might fit better.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_astronomy

[CPLX]

I'm real good at speaking common American English and I don't agree.

The word means non-professional. So you don't do it for a living. Which is directly factually a description of what's happening here.

In some contexts is could be negative, because the concept of a non professional doing the thing is scary. Like there's nothing positive about an amateur heart surgeon, or amateur parachute designer.

But in the context of gardening it's clear and descriptive. The needs of a professional farmer and someone with a backyard garden are very different. The term clears up which one this app is made for.

[jasonsync]

I would suggest change "Amateur" to "Starter".

Amateur definition:

"sloppy, not professional looking." https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=amateur

"a person who is not skilled" https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/americ...

"one lacking in experience and competence in an art or science" https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amateur

[tasuki]

It's from French, where it means "lover", ie someone who loves something: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/amateur#Etymology

[bovermyer]

I speak common American English, and I've always equated "amateur" with "not paid or licensed to do the thing," rather than "awful at the thing."

It's neither positive nor negative most of the time.

Context: I've lived primarily in the Midwest and the East Coast, with a few years spent in New Zealand. I've also been either involved in or peripheral to a few hobbies that style themselves as "amateur X."

[mindcrime]

I speak common American English, and I've always equated "amateur" with "not paid or licensed to do the thing," rather than "awful at the thing."

Same here. Native English speaker, lived on the East Coast all of my life. I don't find "amateur" to necessarily have negative connotations, but clearly it depends on the context.

[FroshKiller]

As a native speaker of American English, I have to disagree. I acknowledge that it is often used pejoratively, but I hear it used neutrally more often than not.

[wolco]

Amateur sports is pretty big and positive where professional sports has a slight taint.

But in this sense it might remove ceetain tiers (pro).

[albedoa]

I'm another American English speaker chiming in to say that this is not true anywhere I've lived. I had never even heard your belief expressed before.