Last updated: Aug 1, 2025, 02:00 PM UTC

Transcription File Naming Guide

Generated: 2025-07-30 16:45 UTC
Status: Complete
Purpose: Standardize transcription file naming with meaningful, human-readable formats

Naming Convention

Standard Format

YYYY-MM-DD-[INITIALS]-[TYPE]-[BRIEF-DESCRIPTION].txt

Component Breakdown

Component Format Purpose Example
Date YYYY-MM-DD Chronological sorting 2025-07-30
Participants INITIALS Clear identification LS-RM-MH
Type keyword Content classification meeting
Description brief-summary Searchable context proposal-discussion

Participant Initial Mappings

Initials Full Name Role
LS Lindsay Smith Project Lead
RM Robbie MacIntosh Team Member
MH Mike Hollywood Consultant
[ADD] [New Participant] [Role]

Multiple Participants

  • Two people: LS-RM
  • Three people: LS-RM-MH
  • Four+ people: LS-RM-MH-TEAM

Content Type Classifications

Type Usage Description
meeting Scheduled group discussions Multi-participant structured meetings
call Phone/video conversations Informal calls between 2-3 people
interview Client/candidate interviews Formal interview sessions
demo Product demonstrations System or feature demonstrations
presentation Formal presentations Prepared presentations to stakeholders
memo Voice recordings/notes Individual thoughts or voice memos

Description Guidelines

Format Rules

  • 2-4 words maximum
  • Hyphen-separated (no spaces)
  • Lowercase preferred
  • Descriptive keywords

Good Examples

  • proposal-discussion
  • claude-code-hirebest
  • client-requirements
  • product-demo
  • quarterly-review

Avoid

  • Long phrases: detailed-discussion-about-the-new-proposal
  • Generic terms: meeting-notes
  • Special characters: proposal_discussion or proposal discussion

Renaming Examples

Current Files → Proposed Names

Current Filename Issues Proposed New Name
LS-proposal-thoughts.txt Missing date, unclear type 2025-07-24-LS-memo-proposal-thoughts.txt
ls-rm-proposal-discussion-30-jul.txt Date at end, inconsistent case 2025-07-30-LS-RM-meeting-proposal-discussion.txt
mh-ls-cluade-code-as-hirebest.txt Missing date, typo in description 2025-07-29-MH-LS-call-claude-code-hirebest.txt

Quick Reference Templates

Copy-Paste Templates

Meeting Template

YYYY-MM-DD-[INITIALS]-meeting-[TOPIC].txt

Call Template

YYYY-MM-DD-[INITIALS]-call-[TOPIC].txt

Interview Template

YYYY-MM-DD-[INITIALS]-interview-[CANDIDATE-ROLE].txt

Memo Template

YYYY-MM-DD-[INITIALS]-memo-[TOPIC].txt

Advanced Examples

Common Patterns

Scenario Filename Example
Weekly team meeting 2025-07-30-LS-RM-MH-meeting-weekly-standup.txt
Client product demo 2025-07-31-LS-CLIENT-demo-hirebest-platform.txt
Requirements gathering 2025-08-01-LS-RM-interview-requirements-gathering.txt
Strategy discussion 2025-08-02-LS-call-strategy-planning.txt
Project retrospective 2025-08-03-TEAM-meeting-project-retrospective.txt

Special Cases

Situation Format Example
External client Use CLIENT 2025-07-30-LS-CLIENT-meeting-requirements.txt
Large team Use TEAM 2025-07-30-TEAM-meeting-all-hands.txt
Follow-up Add followup 2025-07-31-LS-RM-call-proposal-followup.txt
Part 2 of series Add part2 2025-08-01-LS-interview-candidate-part2.txt

Implementation Checklist

For Existing Files

  • Review current filename
  • Identify date from content or file properties
  • Determine participants from transcript
  • Classify content type
  • Create 2-4 word description
  • Apply new naming format
  • Update any document references

For New Recordings

  • Use naming template before starting
  • Include date at beginning: YYYY-MM-DD
  • Add participant initials
  • Specify content type
  • Create brief, searchable description
  • Verify hyphen-only format

Benefits

Organization

  • Chronological sorting with date prefix
  • Quick participant identification with initials
  • Content type filtering with classifications
  • Searchable descriptions with keywords

Consistency

  • Standardized format across all files
  • Predictable naming for automation
  • Clear conventions for team adoption
  • Future-proof structure for scaling

Workflow Integration

Recording Process

  1. Before recording: Determine participants and topic
  2. Create filename: Use template format
  3. During recording: Note any key topics for description
  4. After recording: Verify filename accuracy
  5. File storage: Save with standardized name

Batch Operations

# Example rename commands (when ready to implement)
mv "old-filename.txt" "2025-07-30-LS-RM-meeting-topic.txt"

Related Documents

  • Recording Workflow: /docs/processes/recording-workflow.md
  • File Organization: /docs/admin/file-organization-standards.md
  • Transcription Services: /docs/tools/transcription-services.md

This guide ensures all transcription files follow a consistent, meaningful naming convention that supports chronological organization, participant identification, and content searchability.