Terminology Rant

It's really frustrating and confusing when people throw around the wrong terms. We're getting ready to take over some website work for a client and (being the tech dude in our office) I'm asked if I'd rather do the updates "in html" or in "a CMS, like dreamweaver or something".

Umm... so are you asking me if I want a CMS on the website or if I'd like to use a WYSIWYG editor? Yes. I want a CMS. I don't care if you provide me a WYSIWYG editor. I can still code in HTML the stuff that I like to code in HTML.

I know Content Management Systems are the big popular thing now (because they really are valuable), but an HTML editor and CMS are completely different things.

I guess it's bad enough when people use the wrong terms. It's worse when I can't tell if they're using the wrong terms or not.

Dude, there is no speed limit on the information superhighway. While most of us are out there testing the top speed there are still going to be people who drive 55 in the fast lane.

Compounding your problem, it's tough even among people who know what they're talking about to get any consensus on what exactly is and isn't a CMS. Django --which the GRM and Classic sites are built on -- is often called a CMS, but it's not. On the other hand, anything that manages content could legitimately be called a CMS, even a blogger account.

The terminology that irks me, probably because I do it wrong all the time myself, is using "font" when you mean "typeface."

Hah, you should hear the things the marketing person at my company says. In fact let me quote these little things relating to a website under development which will be managed with a CMS.

This is a requirement:

Video integration into Flash skins and fully integrated into Content Management System

Template with built-in content management system?

....This template would have a built-in content management system (CMS) which will enable our internal team to expand and modify the site as needed....

Well to be honest this person is getting better. Less than a year ago it was an awful buzzword bonanza whenever it came to tech issues. Classic moment: Asking for "podcasts" and not knowing what they are.

Searching this person's name in my Outlook is a comedy goldmine.

Incorrect terminology does not bother me when it is actually clear what they other person wants.

With this job, they've talked about using a CMS, and about doing editing in Dreamweaver. But then they will refer to Dreamweaver as a CMS. So when they talk about me doing something "with the CMS" I don't know if they mean the actual CMS or Dreamweaver.

Like: we're going to be doing gardening with a shovel and a rake. But I don't really understand what a rake is, so I'm going to call it a shovel. Then I'll ask you to hand me the "shovel" when you have both a shovel and a rake sitting next to you.

Gameboy, at least that person knows so little about what they want, that if you just do something cool they won't be able to know that they weren't provided with the invisible pink jargoncorn that they asked for.

"The internet is a series of tubes...."

At the custom shop we get all kinds of odd requests.

1) A guy came in with an Eclipse that was burning oil so he thought he needed a new exhaust. He asked if we could put "headlers" on.

2) One guy came in smoking terribly. He had started a roller rocker replacement and wanted us to finish, but he hadn't replaced the "rocker panels" yet. (valve covers)

3) Then there's this guy on the forums who is still running Windows ME with Iexplore 6.0... oh wait, that's me.

Gameboy, I think I can translate his first one. He wants the videos converted to FLV files and embedded into the page using Flash and one of the readily available Flash FLV players. Flash has an adequate one built in, and you've probably seen this one (http://www.jeroenwijering.com/?item=JW_FLV_Media_Player) somewhere, too. It's nice, and free.

Anyways, we do that here. Dealing with the very large movie file uploads via the CMS will kill ya, though.

Yeah, dealing with people who don't use the correct terminology can be frustrating. It can also be funny as hell.

At the bike shop we had a guy come in and tell me he needs a new "rear gorilla", and after looking at his bike it did look like a gorilla had had it's way with the rear derailleur. Then there was the lady that called and asked if we sold hubs. After a little discussion about why she needed a hub I learned that "all of her barbarians fell out" of her old hub.

Even when I do understand the acronyms people toss around, just because it annoys me I like to stop them and ask them to spell out what they mean. It really doesn't take that much more time to talk in English instead of Geek.

HTML = Hyper Text Media Language; the code that web pages are written in

CMS = Content Management System (which I did spell out); used to make updates to a website more efficient

WYSIWYG = What You See Is What You Get; generally used to describe editing programs (Word, Dreamweaver, etc.)

There is also TITS or GTFO.

HTML = HyperText Markup Language, you're on Geek probation!

Oh and I made sense of those two things quickly, so it wasn't really so bad. The second one meant that it should be possible to make new web pages based on templates, using the CMS.

I once observed a guy asking the person behind the counter of a refreshment stand at the zoo ask if the drinks they serve are "carbureted"?

I really wanted to jump in and add: "No sir, all of our drinks are now fuel injected"

GameboyRMH wrote: HTML = HyperText Markup Language, you're on Geek probation!

I will now go hang my head in abject shame.

I just found out that they're doing everything in SharePoint. Bloody hell. I don't know much about SharePoint, but it's Microsoft and I'm going to assume that it does it's job about as well as FrontPage.

Which is to say, that it will bugger everything up to a point that I won't be able to use a different program that will do the same thing right.

Anyone have experience with SharePoint? Can you tell me what I'm in for?

It's got to be better than FrontPage. I used to have a nice little side income cleaning up and fixing FrontPage websites when people finally figured out it was of the devil.

SharePoint? Are you doing some really complex web apps? It's total overkill for most stuff, and as always it's MS-proprietary, and I would assume a total PITA. I did some research on it once, and it wasn't easy to find real info on it. Lots of marketing fluff is available though.

I am not building the site. Another firm is building the site. I get the lovely job of making updates and edits to a site that someone else builds. I'm not sure if it's the firm or the client, but someone does all of their stuff with SharePoint. So I will, by default, be forced to use that system to maintain this site.

I don't know why somebody would use SharePoint on purpose these days (unless they already used it and it was easier to continue that way than start from scratch). It's pretty goofy.

Bryce

Nashco wrote: I don't know why somebody would use SharePoint on purpose these days

You lost me Gameboy...clue me in to the joke.

Most folks who get bent out of shape over novices and the innocent not knowing correct in-house specialty lingo are jerks. They get off on knowing words other folks don't, and don't even care about. It gives them a petty little sense of self importance.

If you really know your specialty, you don't need the jargon. You can translate what people say quite easily, and communicate with them in plain language so they can understand you. Do it without rancor and you can have a very pleasant conversation with a non-expert. They can learn, and so can you. For the input of a novice seeing something for the first time can be quite illuminating to an entrenched expert.

It it really worth it to get so hung up in lingo and the rest of the trappings that come with it?

foxtrapper wrote: It it really worth it to get so hung up in lingo and the rest of the trappings that come with it?

As I've said earlier, I'm less hung up on people mis-using terms, although that can be frustrating, I can handle it when people using an incorrect term consistently. I am getting frustrated when people keep using the same term for two totally different things. Then I can't tell what they're talking about.

Incorrect terminology isn't difficult to sift out by context usually. At the worse you might have to ask some leading questions to get key descriptions to clue you in.

Tims typeface or font is a good example. When a customer says they want to change the font, you agree with them and ask what they might like instead. If they say "bigger", you know what they meant. If they say "something blockier", you also know what they meant.

Sharepoint is the goddamn devil.

That is all.