{"id":2322,"date":"2026-10-23T21:41:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T21:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/?p=2322"},"modified":"2026-10-23T21:46:34","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T21:46:34","slug":"call-it-what-it-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/call-it-what-it-is\/","title":{"rendered":"Call it what it is"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The principle is simple: The visitor shouldn&#8217;t have to figure out what a section is called before they can figure out what it contains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a site like WoodCentral, with a history dating back to 1998 and a growing collection of woodworking resources, this approach also emphasizes substance over marketing gimmicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Examples: Clear names vs. clever names<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Clear, descriptive name<\/th><th>Clever or ambiguous alternative<\/th><th>Why the descriptive name wins<\/th><\/tr><tr><td>Articles<\/td><td>The Woodworker&#8217;s Journal<\/td><td>Immediately identifies written content without suggesting a particular publication or format.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Archive<\/td><td>The Vault<\/td><td>Sounds intriguing, but doesn&#8217;t explain whether it contains old articles, historical discussions, photographs, or something else.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Forums<\/td><td>The Workshop<\/td><td>Could mean discussion boards, woodworking plans, a physical workshop, or instructional content.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Gallery<\/td><td>The Showroom<\/td><td>Sounds polished but could suggest products for sale rather than photographs of woodworking projects.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Marketplace<\/td><td>The Trading Post<\/td><td>Has character, but visitors must infer that they can buy, sell, or find woodworking-related items.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Search<\/td><td>The Finder<\/td><td>Doesn&#8217;t immediately tell visitors whether it searches articles, products, discussions, or the entire website.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Videos<\/td><td>The Screening Room<\/td><td>Sounds like entertainment rather than a collection of woodworking videos and channel uploads.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Comments<\/td><td>The Soapbox<\/td><td>Suggests opinionated commentary, not necessarily the ability to respond to an article or discussion.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Help<\/td><td>The Workshop Assistant<\/td><td>Could refer to technical support, woodworking advice, or a virtual assistant.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bookmarks<\/td><td>My Stash<\/td><td>Has personality, but doesn&#8217;t clearly convey that it saves pages for later reference.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The clever alternatives aren&#8217;t necessarily bad names. They&#8217;re simply less precise when used alone as navigation labels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. The problem with clever naming<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consider three hypothetical navigation menus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Approach A \u2014 Clever branding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Vault<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Workshop<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Showroom<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Trading Post<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Visitors must interpret each label before deciding where to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Approach B \u2014 Plain description<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Archive<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Forums<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gallery<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Marketplace<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Visitors can scan the menu and identify their destination immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Approach C \u2014 Description with personality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Articles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Forums<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Project Gallery<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Woodworking Marketplace<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The labels remain descriptive while adding specificity where it helps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Approach B is the cleanest when the surrounding context already makes the subject obvious. Approach C is useful when a section needs a little more explanation, particularly for new visitors arriving from search engines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Why this matters beyond navigation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are several practical benefits to using descriptive names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lower cognitive load. Visitors don&#8217;t have to decode a metaphor or learn a site&#8217;s internal terminology.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Faster navigation. Familiar terms make it easier to scan menus and find the desired section.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Better accessibility. Descriptive link text gives screen-reader users meaningful information about a link&#8217;s destination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clearer expectations. A link labeled Gallery establishes a more predictable expectation than one labeled The Showroom.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consistent terminology. Using the same name in navigation, page headings, breadcrumbs, and references throughout the site reinforces what each section contains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Less marketing clutter. The content itself becomes the attraction rather than the name used to sell it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Descriptive labels can also support search-engine understanding, particularly when they are consistent with page titles, headings, and actual content. They are not, by themselves, a ranking shortcut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. A practical naming philosophy for WoodCentral<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I use three rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rule 1: Use the ordinary name for the thing.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Articles are articles. Forums are forums. A gallery is a gallery. Avoid inventing a new vocabulary for familiar concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rule 2: Add a qualifier only when it provides useful information.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Articles \u2192 Articles (not The Knowledge Center)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gallery \u2192 Project Gallery (if project photographs are its primary purpose)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Videos \u2192 Woodworking Videos (if the context doesn&#8217;t already establish the subject)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Archive \u2192 Article Archive (if it contains articles specifically and could otherwise be confused with other archives)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rule 3: Put the personality in the presentation, not at the expense of clarity.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WoodCentral can have a distinctive logo, an engaging tagline, a humorous description, and a recognizable visual identity without renaming its basic functions. The brand can be memorable while the navigation remains conventional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, a page can have an engaging headline such as The Internet&#8217;s Workshop for Woodworkers while the navigation link leading to it remains Forums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same applies to calls to action. Browse Articles, View Gallery, Visit Forums, and Explore Marketplace all communicate an action and a destination without resorting to gimmicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. The underlying principle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;d summarize my philosophy this way:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Name things for what they are, not for what a copywriter thinks will make people click.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Or, a slightly sharper version:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clarity is a feature. Don&#8217;t make visitors solve a riddle to use your website.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal isn&#8217;t to eliminate creativity. It&#8217;s to use creativity where it adds value\u2014editorial headlines, descriptions, illustrations, and branding\u2014while keeping the site&#8217;s basic information architecture predictable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For WoodCentral in particular, straightforward naming reinforces the idea that the site is a substantial, established woodworking resource, not a collection of marketing funnels dressed up with clever labels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The principle is simple: The visitor shouldn&#8217;t have to figure out what a section is called before they can figure out what it contains. For a site like WoodCentral, with a history dating back to 1998 and a growing collection of woodworking resources, this approach also emphasizes substance over marketing gimmicks. 1. Examples: Clear names &#8230; <a title=\"Call it what it is\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/call-it-what-it-is\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Call it what it is\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2322"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2325,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322\/revisions\/2325"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodcentral.com\/-\/peter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}