Summary: User friendly term for metadata

[pete swisher <PSwisher -at- QUARK -dot- COM>]

Original Message:
Metadata means "data about data."  In the software I'm documenting, an end
user can build custom data views using metadata fields. For example, I could
choose the file name, file location, thumbnail, and file size metadata
fields in building such a data view.  Then, when I view a file, I only see
that information.

However, I feel metadata could be intimidating to our end users.  Our
audience ranges from sys admins to librarians. A possible choice is
"header", but that's a little vague.  Does anyone have some good
suggestions?

Summary:
The majority of respondents were in favor of using the word metadata. In
fact, they convinced me to use it as well. However, I'll list the possible
alternative words for metadata, along with the convincing reasons not to
change it.

Alternatives:
Field headings
Field names
Filter
Interpretor
File information
Catalogue information
information categories
information classes
data categories
variables
categories
types of information
Data set
Data file

Reasons not to change a good word:
~~Changing a perfectly good word spreads more confusion than understanding.
~~Metadata is an easy concept to understand, given effective examples.
~~Trying to find a more user-friendly term for metadata may lead to
inaccuracy because I don't think the term can sufficiently deconstructed.
~~Users that need to be familiar with these notions prefer seeing them used,
rather than hidden.
~~What is more confusing to information professionals is re-naming
everything every five years. We used to call metadata a document surrogate,
a bibliographic record, or, more recently, the format data.  Please, I beg
you, no more. Let metadata be the standard
~~I don't really know a more precise word.  At least for the way that
metadata is applied in your case.  As others have pointed out, it is a
"catch all" term which does not transpose its meanings across applications.
I would suggest keeping the word metadata but with a big, easy-to-find
explanation as to what you mean by metadata in your document.
Thanks to everyone for your responses!  I sent a message to the decision
makers at my company about this. It has sparked a wonderful, circuitous
debate. The most interesting argument from a debator was that he tried the
word on his mother and she didn't understand it. This is interesting because
2 respondents on this listserv suggested trying the same thing.

Thanks again,
Pete

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