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I sometimes have a doubt if the meta site of Ask Ubuntu is Ask Ubuntu Meta or Meta Ask Ubuntu.

Let's look into some details (to understand why I'm confused).

If we click on the Stack Exchange icon at the top right corner, the site name is mentioned as Ask Ubuntu Meta.

Screenshot of contents displayed under "CURRENT COMMUNITY" when clicked on Stack Exchange icon at the top right corner

When we go to the meta site, we can see the name of site mentioned in search bar and at bottom left as Ask Ubuntu Meta.

Screenshot of name of site mentioned in search bar in meta site

Screenshot of name of site at the bottom left in meta site

The logo of the meta site might confuse new users as to how to read it (either as Ask Ubuntu Meta or Meta Ask Ubuntu or Ask Meta Ubuntu). But for the sake of this question, let's say it's Ask Ubuntu Meta.

Screenshot of logo of meta site of Ask Ubuntu

So far the naming seems consistent. But.. the help center article is the problem.

In the What is "meta"? How does it work? article of help center, the name of the meta site of Ask Ubuntu is mentioned as Meta Ask Ubuntu.

What is "meta"? How does it work?


Meta Ask Ubuntu is the part of the site where users discuss the workings and policies of Ask Ubuntu rather than discussing Ubuntu itself.

Screenshot of "What is "meta"? How does it work?" help center article


So what is the name of the meta site of Ask Ubuntu? Is it Ask Ubuntu Meta or Meta Ask Ubuntu? If it's Ask Ubuntu Meta, is the help center article wrong in naming? (So is it a bug?)

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In the help article you've linked, you need to think of the word "meta" as an adjective instead of part of the site name.

For example, if the article is about explaining the colour grey for Ask Ubuntu, it would have been like so.

What is "grey"? How does it work?


Grey Ask Ubuntu is the part of the site where users [...]

The article isn't talking about the meta site itself, but it's talking about the "meta part of Ask Ubuntu" if that makes sense.

Another example that can maybe explain the situation better is to look at another site that is a subdomain of stackexchange.com instead of its own domain like askubuntu.com.

"What's meta" on Artificial Intelligence

Meta Artificial Intelligence Stack Exchange is the part of the site where users [...]

In this case, it is slightly clearer that the intention isn't to use the full name of the meta site.

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