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Update 11/25: Thanks for your feedback! We're going to go ahead and drop "& Usage" from the site title. The header image and the "official" language around the site (in the help center and about page, for example) should be updated within the next few days.


I'm Laura, a product manager at Stack Exchange.

I wanted to let this community know that I've started a discussion over on Meta Stack Overflow about some general guidelines for naming our sites, specifically our language sites, going forward. Feel free to read and discuss my post over there.

The gist of my proposal is that "& Usage" generally makes a site name longer and more difficult to say and type without adding much, if any, meaning.

We'd like to rename existing Stack Exchange language sites to just "X Language" and drop "& Usage" from both existing sites and any new language sites we launch in the future.

This means the header image on the site would simply read "German Language" rather than "German Language & Usage", and all of the official documentation would drop "& Usage" as well. The site URL would not change.

We've already done this with our Italian Language site (in private beta at the time of this writing), and they were pleased with the simpler name. Until now, our language sites have followed the naming convention of "X Language & Usage Stack Exchange", but why? It seemed to make sense at the time, but as we've grown, it's become clear that "& Usage" isn't really necessary. A site about a particular language is, by definition, concerned with the usage of that language — that's where all the questions come from!

Before we actually make any changes to existing sites, I wanted to hear any concerns you might have. I feel like a shorter, simpler name is a big win for everyone, but please feel free to post concerns about this particular community here, or any general concerns over on the main MSO thread.

4 Answers 4

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Good idea!

From the first day I was always wondering what value talking about a language's "Usage" could possibly add. Most of our questions are on language usage anyway, with only few questions on e.g. etymology, history, or typography. This will all be included in a label "German Language".

So I can no less than fully agree with dropping "& Usage" from our site's label.

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That's a good plan. Do it.

Actually, the additional "& Usage" might be a little confusing. Does it mean the usage of the german language or the german usage of something else? And what would this "something else" be?

Right now, the title is a little redundant, as in my opinion, the topich "usage of a language" is already included in the topich "language". It's always a good idea to reduce a title to its shortest and clearest form - as long as this does not cut anything away.

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I understand the "& Usage" as trial of additional tip that it isn't a translation service. Dropping it would leave that somehow, although it wasn't a very optimal representation.

So additionally to dropping the "& Usage" I suggest to introduce a subtitle also. This could be named for instance "usage, history and backgrounds - but no translation service".

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Drop "Language" as well, when you're on it. Just "German".

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  • 3
    As we don't intend to be a site for German culture, travel, politics, history, or whatever, it does make sense to keep the topic narrowed on German language.
    – Takkat
    Nov 19, 2013 at 8:05

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