Acronym Management 101

[ToSeek]

I've maintained for some time that what we need is a sticky (no! not another one!) of frequently-used acronyms. Because, frankly, there are some that aren't going to get spelled out in every post as Mugaliens suggests. "ATM"? Even though we all use it in at least two contexts, even just around here, we will continue to expect people to know when we mean "Against the Mainstream" or "Automatic Teller Machine."

If someone wants to put together a list, I'd be happy to add it to the "Frequently Asked Questions" sticky.

[ToSeek]

TLA - Three Letter Acronyms. And yes, it is one, itself.

This is one of my pet peeves - especially after spending a few years with perhaps, the greatest wholesale manufacturer of TLA's, International Business Machines, Inc. I would drive people crazy by asking them what the TLA's stood for. It turns out, in that culture, people really remembered the expansion.

I'd like to see a comparison between IBM and NASA. Whenever I start supporting a new mission, the first thing I have to do is to figure out all the acronyms.

[Gillianren]

If someone wants to put together a list, I'd be happy to add it to the "Frequently Asked Questions" sticky.

Give me a couple of days--Graham's got today and tomorrow off, and I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow--and I'll start it!

[mugaliens]

If someone wants to put together a list, I'd be happy to add it to the "Frequently Asked Questions" sticky.

Is there any way to create a thread limited to just one sticky that everyone can edit? That way, whenever anyone has an acronym they'd like to contribute, they can simply insert it into the single-post sticky in alphabetical order.

I'll begin:


NASA - National Aeronautical and Space Administration
RAF - Royal Air Force
USAF - United States Air Force
...

On second thought, can you just create a sticky containing a link to Mark Bradford's Frequently Seen Space/Astronomy Acronyms page?

I still think we should spell them out the first time they're used in a thread, though... It's only a little extra effort, but it goes a long way.

[ToSeek]

Is there any way to create a thread limited to just one sticky that everyone can edit? That way, whenever anyone has an acronym they'd like to contribute, they can simply insert it into the single-post sticky in alphabetical order.

I don't think the board software allows for that. I'd suggest that you PM Gillianren with any recommendations you might have. Once she has an initial list, I can set up and maintain it (moderators can edit any post forever). (Even if it did work, I don't think letting anyone edit it is such a great idea unless there's an easy "undo" method.)

[Gillianren]

I have a text file on my computer right now called "abbreviations." Anyone who wants to send them to me can--if my PM box is full, because it is getting there, give me maybe ten hours, and it'll be empty. Less, if it's a weekday during the day.

[Gillianren]

Can someone tell me what "MOND" means so I can add it in? Thanks!

[Musashi]

MOdified Newtonian Dynamics.

[Gillianren]

Thank you! I've got maybe a couple of dozen, with more added as I read the board--and Apollo Hoax.

[John Mendenhall]

I don't think the board software allows for that.

Yes, guess what we would re-invent!

[Tensor]

BTW, FWIW, IMHO, yes. OTOH, AAMOF,AFAIK, maybe not.

[ToSeek]

I've posted an initial acronym list. Please coordinate any updates through Gillianren. Thanks.