A Plea In Denouncement of Acronyms (APIDOA)
- Thread starter woodsroad
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I concur. They bug the crap out of me. It usually takes me longer to figure out what the hell people mean by them than it would to actually type out the words.
Excessive use of acronyms is a big personal pet peeve to me also. As a long time technical writer, designing, developing and writing computer training, you want to put the work in to make it easier for the reader to understand. Write to reduce the reader's workload, not add to it.
It's the same reason one wants to use proper spelling, punctuation and grammar. Format your writing to make it easy to read.
Psychologists will tell you 80% or so of communication is non-verbal, with the written word you lose that 80%, making your grammar and formatting even more important. Put the work in to make it easy to read, and don't make new members have to wonder or ask what PAD (Pipe Acquisition Disorder) and TAD (Tobacco Acquisition Disorder) are.
Excessive use of acronyms and not using your best grammar and spelling is saying you don't think communication is important. I do think communication is important.
You don't have to own the fanciest clothes but, when you're on a public forum as a representative of the ever more demonized smoking community, wear the best ones you have.
It's the same reason one wants to use proper spelling, punctuation and grammar. Format your writing to make it easy to read.
Psychologists will tell you 80% or so of communication is non-verbal, with the written word you lose that 80%, making your grammar and formatting even more important. Put the work in to make it easy to read, and don't make new members have to wonder or ask what PAD (Pipe Acquisition Disorder) and TAD (Tobacco Acquisition Disorder) are.
Excessive use of acronyms and not using your best grammar and spelling is saying you don't think communication is important. I do think communication is important.
You don't have to own the fanciest clothes but, when you're on a public forum as a representative of the ever more demonized smoking community, wear the best ones you have.
That's been used at Boeing (land of acronyms) for years - now it's even more appropriate. I can take 'em or leave 'em. I've seen this request before, and it didn't matter.
My Dear Sir,
Your provocative article and associated diversions therein have caused me to make my New Year’s resolutions early this year. Thus, in a small way I should hope to contribute to ‘Pipes Magazine Forum’ becoming a better, more adult place wherein members of our community may converse and enlighten one another on all matters relating to this most wonderful of hobbies.
Henceforth I will not:
- Use acronyms, those most pernicious examples of literary sloth.
- Post cryptic new topic titles in a vain attempt to make their contents seem more interesting.
- Post in another member’s thread without reading and considering the preceding posts.
- Deliberately divert members’ attention from the central purpose of the original topic post.
- Use poor grammar or misspell.
Perhaps these resolutions will strike a common chord with others of our fellowship who feel that presentation standards can improve. Regardless, I am myself firmly resolved.
Yours with the utmost sincerity,
The Hon. Flaky Jakey
Your provocative article and associated diversions therein have caused me to make my New Year’s resolutions early this year. Thus, in a small way I should hope to contribute to ‘Pipes Magazine Forum’ becoming a better, more adult place wherein members of our community may converse and enlighten one another on all matters relating to this most wonderful of hobbies.
Henceforth I will not:
- Use acronyms, those most pernicious examples of literary sloth.
- Post cryptic new topic titles in a vain attempt to make their contents seem more interesting.
- Post in another member’s thread without reading and considering the preceding posts.
- Deliberately divert members’ attention from the central purpose of the original topic post.
- Use poor grammar or misspell.
Perhaps these resolutions will strike a common chord with others of our fellowship who feel that presentation standards can improve. Regardless, I am myself firmly resolved.
Yours with the utmost sincerity,
The Hon. Flaky Jakey
I will say that finally figuring out what PAD and TAD meant made me feel like I had made it into the club...
flakey, I too am guilty of sometimes high jacking a thread with some inane drivel that spews forth from my gaping maw, I will try to do better as well.
I'd like anyone who happens on my post to get the meaning right away. I'm not so interested in feeling clubby.
If someone is a new member, or maybe not a member at all, just looking over the site, I'd like them to be able
to read a post without decoding it. Some of these text and twitter acronyms are fun, if you're into that, but I'd
rather be understood as broadly as possible. When I'm not (which sometimes happens) it's my own fault.
If someone is a new member, or maybe not a member at all, just looking over the site, I'd like them to be able
to read a post without decoding it. Some of these text and twitter acronyms are fun, if you're into that, but I'd
rather be understood as broadly as possible. When I'm not (which sometimes happens) it's my own fault.
Nothing like reading something like the following - "Hey gang, I just tried my first bowl of FYRID and it is great. Anyone else here tried it? I think its similar to TCRYO."
My thoughts? - IANFOAEAJMOTTNPITTWSSTO.
For the acronym challenged, the above is an acronym for "I am no fan of acronyms either and just move on to the next post in the thread when someone starts spewing them out."
Pipestud
My thoughts? - IANFOAEAJMOTTNPITTWSSTO.
For the acronym challenged, the above is an acronym for "I am no fan of acronyms either and just move on to the next post in the thread when someone starts spewing them out."
Pipestud
That is a good recommendation Pipestud. Alternatively perpetrators could be subjected to a touch of harmless fun.
We simply need to take a lesson from the rabid anti's and make acronym use socially unacceptable.
Later on, we get legislation passed that will criminalize the abhorrent behavior, then start construction on the camps....
Wait, am I making a satirical parody of my own post? My mom is right, I AM an obstinate old bastard!
Later on, we get legislation passed that will criminalize the abhorrent behavior, then start construction on the camps....
Wait, am I making a satirical parody of my own post? My mom is right, I AM an obstinate old bastard!
A small point...
There's a difference between and acronyms and initials. "NASA" is an acronym, as the initial letters of National Aeronautic and Space Administration, spell a pronounceable word.
"WTF" is not an acronym in the strictest sense as it's not a pronounceable word. They're just initials.
That's always bugged me.
There's a difference between and acronyms and initials. "NASA" is an acronym, as the initial letters of National Aeronautic and Space Administration, spell a pronounceable word.
"WTF" is not an acronym in the strictest sense as it's not a pronounceable word. They're just initials.
That's always bugged me.
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