Why I don't say 'tape'
by Glenn Koenig
I don't use the word 'tape' as a verb if I can help it. I prefer the word "record."
The reason is simple. Tape refers to a specific recording technology. Although recording on tape has been practical since the late 1930s (for sound) and the mid 1950s (for video), there are numerous other media on which to record things these days. Would you say you'd like to "disk" a meeting? Of course not. You wouldn't "flash RAM" it either. But if you say you want to "record" a meeting, the meaning is clear and you're not dating yourself by specifying the recording medium.
But, of course, even just recording something leaves out all the other things you might do with what you're recording. A recording has no inherent purpose other than to save a record of something. Compare this with "producing" a "video program" or a "piece" with a specific message or content, aimed at a specific audience of viewers, which may use specific parts of a recording in its content. Now we're talking about making an effort at active communication. There is another page in this series where you read about An Alternative Approach.