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Now where did I put that file?
Part 3 - What's in a Name?
 
Have you ever had your boss or client ask you to attend a last minute meeting about a project and you can’t find the necessary files? Perhaps you’ve also created several versions of the project in different folders and you have no idea where you saved them!
 
This article will help you avoid future embarrassment by teaching you how to come up with easy to find and identify file names.
 
Gone are the days of file naming limitations & restrictions. Use meaningful names and don’t be afraid to include as much information as you need to know at a glance what the file or folder contains.
 
Always include info about the client, project, or subject matter. If you have photos for a newsletter, use a descriptive name for the photo, without limiting it to the newsletter issue. Instead of calling the file “Four Guys” or “Team - June 2006,” consider calling it “ABC Mktg Team 2006-06.” Then, if you need a picture of the same team for a future issue, you’ll know immediately from the file name who’s in the picture and when it was taken.
 
Web Tip: Keep in mind that web-based applications don’t take kindly to files with spaces or capital letters. Use all lower case file names with underscores instead of spaces – “abc_mktg_team_2006_06.”
 
How about a date?
It’s also a good idea to include a date or version number in your file & folder names. Again, think about how the files will sort when you view them – do you want the date before or after the name? What about the year?
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