1.5 When to Label

When to label: the eternal conundrum of the self-proclaimed expert.

You see it in the wild, in the depths of the internet, and in the halls of academia. A label, any label, will suffice. But what about when it doesn't? What about when the label is a crutch, a cop-out, or a lazy excuse?

Here are some guidelines to help you decide when to label:

When to Label: The Five Commandments

• Thou shalt label thy variables, lest they be forever lost in a sea of confusion.
• Thou shalt not label thy variables, lest thou be forever lost in a sea of unnecessary complexity.
• Thou shalt label thy code, lest it be forever lost in a sea of debugging.
• Thou shalt not label thy code, lest thou be forever lost in a sea of over-commented code.
• Thou shalt label thyself, lest thou be forever lost in a sea of self-doubt.

But wait, there's more! Here are some additional labeling guidelines:

Labeling in the Wild

• Labeling is key when working with data, lest the insights be forever lost in a sea of numbers.
• Labeling is key when working with people, lest the misunderstandings be forever lost in a sea of miscommunication.
• Labeling is key when working with code, lest the bugs be forever lost in a sea of un-debugged code.

And finally, here's a bonus labeling tip:

Labeling in Style

Be bold, be bright, and be concise. Use colors that pop, and fonts that shout. Make it easy to read, and hard to ignore.

That's it for today's labeling tutorial. Remember, labeling is a skill, but it's a skill that can be learned. Practice, and you shall be a labeling master.

Advanced Labeling Techniques for the pros.

When Not to Label for the contrarians.