Protocol
Use aliases for names that change but the knowledge object does not
Names drift faster than the underlying need.
When it fits
- A project, product or concept gets renamed and old vocabulary stops retrieving the current note.
When to avoid it
- Aliases should support retrieval, not merge concepts that actually changed meaning during the rename.
Why it matters
Keep old names, acronyms, translated terms or common misspellings as aliases on the canonical entry. Search should match the alias while the displayed title remains current. This is especially useful across migrations, rebrands and multilingual work.
Steps
- Searching an important prior name reaches the current knowledge object.
An example
A project renamed from Lautform to Ptichi keeps 'Lautform' as an alias so old notes and future searches still converge.
Check your result
Searching an important prior name reaches the current knowledge object.
Keep this limit in mind
- Aliases should support retrieval, not merge concepts that actually changed meaning during the rename.
Evidence and sources
Supports
Information re-finding research distinguishes content search, browsing structures and contextual cues as different ways people relocate previously encountered information.
The review is older and specific tools have changed; the retrieval-mode distinction remains the relevant claim.