[Ads-l] "skill"= online access to a corporate service

Ben Zimmer bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM
Tue May 14 22:20:35 UTC 2019


On Tue, May 14, 2019 at 5:27 PM Mark Mandel <mark.a.mandel at gmail.com> wrote:

> From a membership renewal letter from the Philadelphia Museum of Art:
>
> >>>>>
> P.S. Ask Alexa to "Open Philadelphia Museum of Art" to plan your next visit
> and renew your membership (Member through Keystone levels only). Our new
> skill is available on Amazon Echo and via the free Alexa mobile app.
> <<<<<
>
> "Member through..." means the offer applies to only the three lowest
> levels: Member @$75/year, Member Plus @$125/yr, and Keystone @$250/yr.
>
> Does anyone see this as falling within the customary semantic range of
> "skill"?
>

"Skill" is the term used by Amazon for a third-party function or app that
can be installed on the Alexa virtual assistant to extend its capabilities.
See e.g.:

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/amazon-echo-most-useful-alexa-skills/

--bgz

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