More Cataloguing Questions

[Cindy C.]

Welcome aboard, Debbie!

FWIW, I think we have everyone on board who is planning to help with 
FAQs.  So we have the complete team now, and a clever one at that.

Speaking of which . . .

>And being the lawyer I am, I have some questions which I'm 
>submitting for a ruling:


<Cindy braces for withering cross-examination and hopes she doesn't 
wind up inadvertently confessing to wrongs she didn't even commit>

> Can we call Lucius Malfoy "Lucius" instead of "Malfoy"?  

I think it would be best if we stuck with the naming rules.  
Remember, we're only talking about Key Words here.  So you might key 
a Lucius post with "Malfoy" "Imperius."  But in the comments 
section, you can certainly say "Lucius really was under the Imperius 
Curse.

Will that work?

> 2.    Is there any reason to distinguish between Expecto Patronum 
>(the incantation for the charm) and Patronus (referring to the form 
>that emerges from the wand)?  

I think either works fine.  When the editor does a sort (say, for 
the Magical Creatures FAQ), he or she ought to know to look for both 
both.

 
> 3.    Are there any exceptions to the incantation rule for 
>spells?  What about spells that are widely known and discussed 
>using the name of the spell, such as my beloved Memory Charm?  It 
>took me a good 5 minutes to remember the name of the incantation.  

Uh oh.  

I don't know what to do on this one.  I didn't recall that Memory 
Charm even had an incantation, and we surely don't want to force 
people to consult the Lexicon while cataloguing.  

Maybe we have the rule backward.  Maybe we should all be using the 
common names and not the incantation?  

But then again, it would make no sense to refer to AK as "The 
Killing Curse."  Or "Wingardium Leviosa" as the "Levitating spell."  

Oh, dear.  Can someone sort this out?  Should we just leave it to 
the person culling to decide which is the more common term for each 
spell and accept the fact that there will be a split of opinion on 
things like "Accio?"

> 4.    Topic terms:  Do we want new topic terms to be posted here 
>for debate/approval?  Or should we just upload them to the list if 
>those subjects aren't yet covered?  

I think we should just upload them, and only raise questions when we 
aren't sure the best way to go about things.  

So those of you who hurry up and fly through your message blocks get 
to *set policy* for those who come behind.  See?  Yet another reason 
to work quickly.  ;-)

> 5.    What's the "social" category Cindy mentioned along with 
>culture?  

Mmmmm, I think that I was trying to think of a way to distinguish 
between all of the things that might wind up in a social issues 
FAQ.  But I wouldn't say anyone should use "social" unless they 
think it fits what they are trying to express.

Cindy