TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: User friendly term for Metadata From:Roy Anderson <royanderson -at- MINDSPRING -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 28 Apr 1999 18:30:00 -0400
Beth Agnew wrote:
>
> Trying to find a more user friendly term for metadata might lead to
> inaccuracy because I don't think the term can be sufficiently deconstructed.
> Metadata as "data about data" is pretty easy for users to wrap their minds
> around, especially if you give a few examples. Sometimes people just have to
> learn new words.
>
> When we talk about metadata in our documentation, we explain that every data
> item has certain attributes, such as a file name, file size, location, and
> so on. Once users connect the idea of data having characteristics that can
> be catalogued, they "get" metadata fairly quickly.
>
> --Beth
> Beth Agnew
> Manager, Information Development
Apparently, "metadata" has become the cool, obtuse, and abbreviated
successor to confusing terms such as: document, file, field, variable,
name, label, attribute, and property. We can lump all the other terms
under "metadata" and move on. Yay!
Mom once challenged me to "Learn at least one new thing every day."
"Mom, I learned about 'metadata' today. It was an accident, honest."
(Grin.)
I worry about the future of our country when someone invents a need
to define the data about metadata.
