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Often when I have to greet all the people using my different software collectively I'm not sure which word to use for them. For example I can't say

Overroot wishes all its users a Happy New Year!!!

Because Overroot is a company which makes software and users are associated with software not the company so saying all 'its' users would be incorrect I think.

Overroot wishes all its customers/clients also seems incorrect because my software is free so no-one has to pay for them and therefore no one is really a customer or a client.

What do I call the people using the software that I make under the name of Overroot company?

Edit: I don't want to wish the users of a specific software but anyone who uses any software produced by Overroot.

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  • 6
    Victims perhaps?
    – mgb
    Dec 31, 2011 at 20:33

4 Answers 4

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"Users" sounds pretty impersonal for a holiday greeting.

"Customers" may be technically incorrect because of the 'free' thing, but I think it would get the point across.

You could keep it generic: "Overroot wishes you a Happy New Year!" (wished to anyone reading it) or simply "Happy New Year!"

My preferred suggestion: "Happy New Year to the Overroot community!"

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Turning the greeting around may give you more options:

  • A Happy New Year to all users of Overroot software products!
  • A Happy New Year to all users of Overroot software: Squiggle™, Scribble™, Scratch™, and Scrawl™!
  • Wishing all Overroot software users a Happy New Year!
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With a product name interposed and excess bangs removed, your first sentence is ok:

Overroot wishes all its Squiggle users a Happy New Year!

Rephrasing "all its users" as "all the users of its software" also is workable, and covers a broader scope.

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  • Squiggle is just one software. How can I wish everyone without naming a single software? Dec 31, 2011 at 20:43
  • I added a sentence re that Dec 31, 2011 at 20:44
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I would personalize the pronoun: "our users", not "its users". And, to answer your question, I think it is perfectly correct to shorten the phrase "users of Overroot software" to "Overroot users". So...

Overroot wishes all our users a Happy New Year!!!

...as do I.

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