I kind of like the term Rural Shoring. Sure there’s no shore, but that’s kind of the point. The sales pitch is built into the term (Rural Shoring’s Not Shoring)! The term is a little tongue-in-cheek, which appeals to me as a bit of a dig against offshore.

The most common term is probably Rural Sourcing. The term is ok, it is descriptive and makes a strong reference to offshoring, but it is more of a specialized type of outsourcing than a juxtaposition to offshore. I’d prefer something else.

Another term I’ve heard is InSourcing. It’s less descriptive than the other terms because it really sounds like an alternative to outsourcing, not an alternative to offshore. From my perspective ‘outsourcing’ means hiring someone else to do your development, but not necessarily an overseas firm. I like outsourcing because it’s how I make my money, I’m just not a big fan of offshore outsourcing.

Domestic Sourcing: This I like. It meets all the requirements plus it avoids the term Rural, which some (not me) say is undesirable. I wonder about trademarks in this matter, though. Does someone own the trademark for Domestic Sourcing? What about Rural Shoring, and the rest of them? It’s probably safe to call them Domestic Development Centers… at least until someone trademarks that one too.

I’ll stick with Rural Shoring for now… until I hear a compelling argument that convinces me to call it something else.