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Guide categories don't seem to fit what is being described

Just wanting to start a conversation about the rationale behind the nomenclature for the guide types.

There are a number of categories for guides and IMO they aren't particularly good at describing what is really being shown.

Most guides are catagorised as INSTALLATION whereas they are usually showing how to disassemble something to remove a particular part for repair or replacement.

Disassembly - we may do this for fun but most folks are here to get something out to replace/repair it so perhaps REMOVAL is a better description. For me it it seems more logical for most guides to be catagorised for example REMOVAL of iMac Intel 24" EMC XXXX HDD.

Installation - reserved for where additional/upgraded parts are being ADDED to the item in question. Adding a second HDD, more RAM, new VGA or customisation like adding LED or CCFL Bling to your PC case.

Technique - tip/trick/short cut, how to do a particular activity like soldering, measuring voltages etc. - This seems to work well.

Maintenance - self explanatory

Repair - for things beyond board/module/motor removal - component level repairs, PCB repairs, SMD rework, things that are beyond the usual FRU rationale.

Teardown - self explanatory

It would also be great if when you select the type of guide you get the helpful prompter like you get when you select the difficulty of the procedure

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I like this!

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Sounds really good, I like it as well.

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Hi Richdave, thanks for the comments and suggestions. This is definitely something we'd like to look into, to make things more intuitive for everyone. I'll bring it up with the rest of the writers tomorrow, and we'll get back with some ideas.

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Richdave,

We were calling our guides "Installations" because the end user was installing a new replacement component (as opposed to repairing the component itself), but you're right -- the word is not the best fit for that sort of procedure.

You're also correct that we should have descriptors for each of these guide types.

How about:

  • Replacement: The vast majority of our guides that show how to replace a particular component in a particular device. So instead of having a "Installing iPhone 5 Battery" guide, it'll change to a "iPhone 5 Battery Replacement" guide.
  • Disassembly - Used to completely disassemble device, without any specific component in mind.
  • Installation - Gets nixed. Even when you add RAM to a computer, chances are you're removing old RAM out of there, so that guide can fall under Replacement.
  • Technique - As you said, a "tip/trick/shortcut, how to do a particular activity like soldering, measuring voltages etc."
  • Maintenance - As you said, self explanatory -- keeping the device running buttery-smooth.
  • Repair - As you said, "for things beyond board/module/motor removal - component level repairs, PCB repairs, SMD rework."
  • Teardown - Also a complete disassembly of a device, but more fun and less procedural than Disassembly. Boring steps (like removing the 47th screw) are omitted, and you can link to lolcats and other fun stuff.

We're going mull this over internally, since we also have to figure out how hard it's going be to actually *change* all the Installation guides into something else.

But what do y'all think? Is good? Is terrible? I'd love feedback from all the regulars around here.

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Looks good to me....

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Thanks for the reply and for considering my thoughts. I think your proposed changes will be of benefit to all. hope it isn't too much of a headache to implement :-)

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Richdave will be eternally grateful.