USERS: THREAT OR MENACE?

[ivorygates]

I'm looking for input on terminology here, because I'm running across more and more translation strings with the word "user" in them, and it's my understanding that Dreamwidth wants to avoid using that term. Now, frequently "user" can be replaced with "you", but just as frequently it can't, as in "Similar Users" or "No users are similar to [[user]]." (I could go on. And on.)

ETA: Judges' Ruling: "users" will be replaced with "accounts" throughout translation strings where "user" or "users" cannot reasonably and logically be replaced with "you".

What are we going to do in these situations? "Individual" is too cold-corporate; "People" is misleading (because sometimes the "USER" referenced in the translation string might also be a community or communities); "Persons" has the same problem as "People" (and is grammatically-hideous into the bargain).

I'm just about ready to replace "user" with "dude or dudes"....

Your thoughts?

Comments

[pgwfolc.livejournal.com]

That was going to be my suggestion. But there are potential problems with that. Then again, if people want to be immature, that's their problem, or perhaps should be.

Maybe something thematically apt? "Dreamers," perhaps? Or is that not clear enough for actual usage?

Hard to find a term that encompasses both individual journals and comms. When you get down to it, "users" doesn't really work for that.

"Accounts"?

[brownbetty]

Members is a bit of a problem on a less juvenile level, too, since, well, membership in what?

Putting that hat on tim drake is a crime against god and nature.

[pgwfolc.livejournal.com]

Membership in Dreamwidth. What else?

Sorry the icon offends. I hope this one is easier on your eyes. You're actually the first person to specifically recognize Tim. Few even recognize that it's Robin.

It was created as a visualization of my alter ego of HatMan (I'll spare you the long explanation). It's been my face to the virtual world for a few years now. I'd have done something more original, but, well, I'm not much of an artist. Drawing the hat is about the limit of my capabilities.

I'm a bit curious, though, why it matters so much to you if you only care about "even numbered Robins." Actually, I'm curious about that term in general. Fan of Jason and Steph?

Anyway... Girl-Wonder? Cool. :) My interaction with the site is mostly limited to reading Planet Karen, but I like the idea of it and have recced the site to several friends.

I'll shut up now. Hopefully not too much later than you wanted/cared to have...

[brownbetty]

I'm sorry, that was exaggeration for rhetorical effect, it only offends me aesthetically, and not very at that. It's just such an un-tim-ish hat!

It occurs to me, though, that a good alternative to user is people/person. "If you have a problem with another person on dreamwidth..."

I mean, you'd have to specify, occasionally "person with a journal" or "person with an openid account" but really, I like the idea of referring to people as, you know. People.

[pgwfolc.livejournal.com]

Ah, gotcha. It's hard to read tone in text-only.

And... I suppose it is un-tim-ish, but it doesn't really feel un-robin-ish to me. I mean, Tim's whole point when he knocked on Bruce's door was that Batman needs a Robin to help him lighten up from time to time. And he's certainly not averse to clowning around...

As for people/person... it's mentioned in the original post. (Easy to forget/lose track of these things...) Turned down because the term should ideally refer to comms as well as individual journals. (Of course, you've also got individuals with multiple journals, journals which are fictional in nature, etc...)

I'm starting to think the best solution is just to invent a new word, define it somewhere convenient, and then hope it catches on. The situation does seem to call for something of a neologism...

[brownbetty]

Whoops, reading, can haz.

But if you're referring to both communities and personal journals, you're not really referring to users so much as accounts, right? I mean, a user might have several personal journals and "own" several communities, anyway. It seems to me like it might be a good idea to separate those concepts. One is a person, and the other is a table in a database on a server.

[pgwfolc.livejournal.com]

Agreed. Actually, that's more or less what I said in my first comment. I guess the icon distracted you. ;)

[brownbetty]

...I'll just leave and come in again, shall I?

[pgwfolc.livejournal.com]

lol, let's just call it even. Or something. Whatever.

I'm Paul. Well met. :)

[denise]

I don't like using something like 'dreamers', just because it can come off as too cutesy to a lot of people.

I think 'account' is probably the least problematic option -- as niqaeli points out, 'member' can be confused with Members of the LLC owning DW, namely me and mark.

[damned_colonial]

Or for members of a specific community.