True enough, but the Jewish connection really is a fairly strong one, and a large number of people would recognize the word as to be intricately related to the story about the Jewish people being 'scattered to the four winds' after leaving Israel.

I think their Jewish background is what caused them to pick it, not because they relate it to African, Greek or Irish events.

A "Diaspora" -- breaking up a monolithic gathering and scattering the people into lots of little enclaves here, there and everywhere -- is a pretty apt description of what they want to accomplish.

Also, the allusion is more recognizable in the niche of early adopters they need to court for traction. That's a signal that they'll be less mass-market (connotations: more hip, less tacky) than FB has become recently.

FWIW when I read the project name I didn't connect it at all with the Jewish faith, and I have personal ties to Judaism so it's not that far from my mind. Maybe you've got Jews on the brain? ;-)

No, just lots of Jewish friends around here. You can't help but pick up a lot of history, then there's the huge exposure in school to WW2 and the aftermath.

Technically the word "diaspora" can apply to any disperse part of a group. However, it does have a Jewish connotation since the Jewish people lived completely as a diaspora with no central nation for more than a millenium. Moreover, the word is most commonly used when referring to the Jewish Diaspora.