Without being able to find anything resembling a standard on, or even discussion of, this topic (using the search, of course), when I've come across [recent] posts that are otherwise fine, except that they seem like they could benefit from some readability/formatting improvements, I've thus far been just doing what "looks" best and easiest to read to me.

Particularly with the usage of the backtick character (<kbd>`</kbd>), I'm rather curious as to how the community feels it "should" be used.  Lately, I seem to have seen or noticed a lot of what I presume to be different opinions, and even variations on "accepted usage" across SE sites.

One from today sticks out where someone on the English stack exchange site [edited an answer to remove][1] two <kbd>`</kbd> characters and left a comment along the lines of ~"that formatting markdown has a specific meaning, don't use it like that," without explanation on how it should be used, naturally.

Even in my edits and posts I've seen a lot of superseding edits where the use of <kbd>`</kbd> was completely reversed or even rolled back on the basis of its use, so it seems like a good time to pose the question and maybe even achieve some clarity on the issue.  [For example, here.][2] (Not to single out or complain about @MDMarra 's superseding edit in any way, because it is an edit that improved the post, but it illustrates a diametrically opposite opinion on the usage of the backtick formatting between myself and him.)

Basically, as I understand it/think, it's to be used for inline distinction of, um... "not actual words" (for lack of a better way to phrase that), like one would use the <kbd>></kbd> markdown, only, inline, given it applies the same type of format as the `codeblock` and `blockquote` markdowns.  So I've been applying it to things like "Proper" names or "Proper acronyms" (subjective, I know), file paths or names, file extensions and what I'd consider to be synonymous from an sysadmin perspective with markingdown inline "code" from a developer perspective.  Similar to how an inline reference to a functional call, say `rnd()` ought to receive this markdown, it seems to make sense to me that, it would be used to distinguish, say an inline reference to `.jpg`, since they're is functionally the same thing from each discipline's perspective (or I think they are).

And, with an eye to readability and formatting considerations, I'll generally use it more liberally to help visually "breakup" a wall of text effect or string of acronyms/jargon and more conservatively when the readability/formatting seems fine, or using it to some stricter standard would make things less readable to my eye.

Anyone have any thoughts, opinions, compliments, trade secrets or other assorted combinations of words they'd like to share to help enlighten me?


  [1]: http://english.stackexchange.com/a/81405/18597
  [2]: http://serverfault.com/posts/427162/revisions