The word FORGE has a very special place in our hearts, and represents the positive creation of something powerful and meaningful. The name IdeaFORGE® originated from the idea of building a technology that was strong, meaningful, valuable, and long-lasting. Forging metal requires great effort, focus, and dedication, and the same is true for building a great technology. Our mission is to build great technologies that will enable our customers to forge their own success and transform their business and communications in a powerful and meaningful way.

This page is dedicated to exploring the meaning behind the word forge, and why we think it is so special.

Definition of Forge

Forge has many different meanings and can be used as a verb or a noun.

Verb form of FORGE:

When used with an object, as in forged, or forging, when referring to a physical process means to form by heating and hammering, or beating into shape. 

Example: A blacksmith forged a sword. 

Using the verb forged or forging in a metaphysical context means to form or make, especially by concentrated effort. 

Example: He forged a strong friendship through mutual trust and loyalty.

Forge can also be used as a verb without an associated object as in: working at a forge.

Noun form of FORGE:

Forge as a noun means a special fireplace, hearth, or furnace in which metal is heated before shaping.

It can also mean the workshop of a blacksmith; smithy.

IdeaFORGE® uses the noun form of forge with extra meaning derived from the verb object form. We imagine the users of our technology to be carefully crafting their stories in a purpose built workshop, with all of the necessary and innovative tools required to bring a story to life. 

Origins of the word FORGE:

The word Forge originated somewhere between 1250–1300 AD. 

The journey forge took to become a modern words follows the path of: Middle English “forgen” < Old French “forgier” < Latin “fabricāre” (to fabricate). 

Meaning of FORGE:

There are a number of other powerful concepts associated with the word forge when used as a verb to include progressing steadily and moving with an increased speed and effectiveness. The first record of this use of the word is found in the early 17th century. Invention, formation, and creation of new ideas, technologies, or physical things are also associated with the term forge.

Another word that is also commonly seen is forger. Forger is a noun that originated from the word forge, which actually had a positive context that is less commonly seen today. The word comes from Old French the word for construct is forgier.

Forgeries in the digital world, and how IdeaFORGE® is counteracting it:

Today there are some negative contexts associated with the concept of forge and forger. With the internet making it easier than ever to falsify information and spread misinformation, it is critical that solutions are developed and used to counteract the dangers posed. It is fitting that our technology platform IdeaFORGE® was designed for the purpose of eliminating a lot of risk and misinformation. Disclaimer: the following is not legal advice, we are only sharing our feelings and interpretations of laws and regulations. If you require legal advice, please consult with a licensed attorney.

There are many different types of forgery that range from simple actions like sharing content under someone else’s identity, through to other offences like forging a work of art. In a broad sense, forgery in the legal world is defined as counterfeiting, or altering documents and instruments. Forgery of Government documents is serious would be one serious example. Forgery is a felony in all fifty states here in the United States and involves making, altering, use, or possession of a false writing in order to commit a fraud. When currency is forged, it is called counterfeiting.

Forgeries and Misinformation:

Today so much of our information is digital, and often times there is great difficulty in verifying the source and authenticity of that information. If misinformation is shared with someone, and that person makes a decision based on that information, there could be serious consequences including financial loss or even death. Imagine misinformation was spread during the COVID-19 outbreak which was 95% true, but small details, like how the transmission occurs, were slightly modified. Simple tweaks and half truths could be the difference between contracting the illness and spreading it with your friends and loved ones, and not. Currently there is too much trust placed in the avatars that disseminate information. How do we know that it was really the CDC that shared a health warning video, and not a bad actor? We are trusting that the platforms that the CDC is using to share content and distribute information is secure, but what if it is hacked?

Forging or the Forgery of a document or file in today’s digital world is like signing an electronic signature under a false identity.

Nobody is going to have a perfect solution to eliminating the risks that come with forging digital information or digital forgery, but what is clear is that the technology community needs to collaborate and begin to set a standard for solving this problem, otherwise the fake news and misinformation is just going to get worse, and hurt more people in more ways than we can think of.

At Iternal, we are working incredibly hard in developing technologies that we can integrate into IdeaFORGE that will enable better accountability, tracking, and verification of content and information throughout the lifecycle. The goal is to be able to understand every person who had a hand in creating a piece of content, know why they worked on it, where it is intended to be released, and why that content matters. If we can begin to have more insight into who is creating the information we all consume and why, then we will also have the ability to make more informed decisions about whether or not we should be believing that information and if it is or is not forged.

Forging of Metal:

There is so much power contained within the concept of forging metal, and this energy was one of the main drivers behind the name IdeaFORGE. To give you an idea of the energy and power contained within this idea, we have included a few additional images of the incredible people who work with metal every day.