Please, Please, and Please..Don't Use Abbreviations That All Do Not know..Please...

[Stuart G]

..Yes, the abbreviations are easier to use, but some of them are very difficult to interpret. I often
need to look up many of them, and finding the meaning is often very hard. Don't assume we
all know the meaning of the abbreviations, because many of us do not know the meaning.
...Consequently, the full meaning of a post is often lost. I respectfully request that we use full
words unless everyone knows the meaning. For example: we all know the meaning of the G.O.P.,
but there are so many we do not know the meaning of. Thank You for reading this...
....Stuart G

[unweird]

1. OK, I mean acknowledged and will attempt to comply

Ok?

[Towlie]

76. Lots of recommendations, lots of supportive replies, but nothing will change.

 
?

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

2. I agree. I have had to give up on some posts because I have no clue what the abbreviations mean.

[hvn_nbr_2]

19. If I have to work hard and play Sherlock Holmes to figure out what a post is about...

...then I conclude that the poster isn't even trying to communicate, so I don't read/listen/pay attention.

Also, if I have to watch a 50-minute video to find out what a post is even about, well, no.

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

45. My feelings also.

[Paper Roses]

50. Ditto! n/t

[Scottie Mom]

61. Same here.

Some of the old ones like LMAO or IMO...oK...but some of the new ones? No clue.

[Jeebo]

3. I feel the same way.

I rarely use abbreviations for just the reason you mention. If you're going to post your comments here at all, you're defeating your purpose if you use abbreviations that others might not understand, or that they're going to have to spend time scratching their heads trying to figure out. It's like posting your messages in code. I hate abbreviations.

-- Ron

[Pongo]

4. I appreciate this post. I'm not good with all the internet abbreviations.

[niyad]

43. Welcome to our DU family.

[Pongo]

52. Thank you so much.

I’ve been reading this site for a long time. I need to go check out some of the different groups. I didn’t know there were so many.

[calimary]

67. Welcome to DU, Pongo!

Sometimes it’s like alphabet soup! I imagine being in the military would mean you’d have to deal with those initials at least once every five seconds or so.

[Pongo]

68. I think my screen name may have military connotations but it actually has nothing to do with that.

I’ve never been in the military.

[lunatica]

5. Thanks! This needed to be said.

There is no limit on the number of characters allowed on DU posts.

[LAS14]

6. Glad to know I'm not the only one who has to frequently ask what an abbreviation means. nt

[PlanetBev]

7. I have a problem with this, too.

I’m just not that good with abbreviations.

[IL Dem]

8. Agree wholeheartedly.

Thank you.

[PatSeg]

9. Thank you

There are quite a few acronyms that are pretty well known, like OMG or WTF, but I keep encountering ones where I haven't got a clue. Sometimes even Googling them doesn't help, as I think some people just abbreviate as they go, assuming others can read their mind.

I finally reached my limit and decided if people can't type out the actual words, I'm just going to move on to something else. I was spending more time trying to find out what they were attempting to say than it would have taken to type the words in the first place.

We have language for a reason, it is how we communicate our thoughts and ideas with others. We all here fortunate enough to have sufficient education to be able to use that language effectively and clearly. And when we come to a site like Democratic Underground, it is not like we are sending chatty texts on our phone to our best friends, who probably know what we are trying to say.

[lagomorph777]

31. " some people just abbreviate as they go" - YES!

So often, I see abbreviations that seem to have popped out of somebody's head on the fly. I skip posts like that and move on.

[PatSeg]

89. Exactly!

Like several words pop in their head, but it is too much work to type all of them out. Or it is "TMW to type all of them out"!

Awhile back I posted something like this on Facebook and we actually had great fun with it. People made up some of the most absurd examples to make the point and we all guessed what they meant. Meanwhile, one of the people that it was actually directed at, completely agreed with the post, but never got the clue. She still does it as if she is a fifteen year old girl texting her BFF. I just don't respond. If "ikr" is the only comment you have, then why say anything at all. Click "like" and move on.

I had a few really good English teachers when I was young and they would be appalled by the ridiculously abbreviated communications of the 21st century.

[Firestorm49]

10. I spend too much time looking up acronyms only to find out that it's a local issue. Who would know?

Those who used them, please, spell it out the first time, then use the acronyms. It's a big country with more acronyms than can be remembered. It may be routine for you, but it's not for many of the rest of us.

[NCjack]

11. Also, please give political party affiliation of politicians.

[Lefta Dissenter]

53. YES! THIS! (n/t)

[phylny]

57. Yes!

Just because the poster knows who and where the person is from doesn't mean the rest of us do, especially during primary season and before an election. I can't stand "Warner ahead in polls." So yes: "Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) ahead is polls" is extremely helpful.

[intheflow]

12. UrbanDictionary.com is your friend.

95% of acronyms I don't understand are listed there. Considering we're either at or near a majority of internet users accessing the 'net via cell phones, the use of abbreviations is a blessing.

[Paladin]

71. Friend? UrbanDictionary.com is my FUCKBUDDY!

All on account of all the abbreviations I've had to look up in the last month or so. The OP has it right: make plain what groups you're talking about when you post. It's just good manners.

[Major Nikon]

13. WILCO

[Kali]

81. ...

[MyMission]

100. What does that mean?

Seriously. Not one I know.

[Myrddin]

103. I will comply

I Will comply

[ecstatic]

107. lol. You got me there. And it wasn't an easy Google either

Considering the number of major companies with that name. But changing my search to "wilco meaning" did the trick.

[lame54]

14. Who the hell is Stuart G and what does the G stand for?

[speak easy]

16. I suspect a sock puppet

for HighFructosePronSyrup

[Sneederbunk]

21. " " " "

[IronLionZion]

70. G can stand for Government. Stuart could be a G man

[A HERETIC I AM]

15. If the VP is such a VIP, maybe we should keep the PC on the QT.....

or it might get out to the VC and he could become an MIA and we could all end up on KP.

[Dagstead Bumwood]

65. And if you do...

And if you dooooooooooo....

[ret5hd]

17. TBH IDK WTH...

you’re going on about.

[Totally Tunsie]

36. IKR

[Hugin]

18. I consistently try to be sensitive to this issue, Stuart.

Spelling unusual or custom abbreviations/acronyms out somewhere in the post.

I agree it is frustrating and sometimes in general discourse abbreviations/acronyms may have multiple meanings.

[Stuart G]

23. Thank You. I appreciate your post. If this were not a problem, I would not have posted it.

This is not a joke. Please look at the number of people that agree with this problem. We
should try to keep our messages clear, simple and easy to read. Thanks to all who have
read this post and agree that this is a problem for many of us....

[ChazInAz]

55. I concur.

Incidentally, I only recently learned that FTW no longer means what it did in my Hippie days.
Makes a real difference in my understanding of a title like "AOC FTW"!

[CaptainTruth]

64. "When I was a kid" FTW meant F**k The World

Every time I see it that's still my first thought.

[Timewas]

20. Well

If there is an abbreviation I don't even try, just don't read the post, waste of time.

[lillypaddle]

22. I've posted this before

but it warrants posting again.

Use the full name/title the first time, and then use the abbreviation thereafter. For example:

Planned Parenthood of Central Okla. (PPCO) just opened a new clinic in Edmond. PPCO hopes to open several more clinic locations in the near future.

[FakeNoose]

24. Exactly correct

The entire name must be spelled out completely on the first usage. Subsequent references may be abbreviated for brevity's sake.

Thanks Lilypaddle!

[lillypaddle]

84. My pleasure

[AwakeAtLast]

49. +1,000!

Louder for the folks in the back!

[Montauk6]

25. ACRONYMS, sheesh...

... I'm still trying to figure out terms like "gaslighting" and "virtue signalling."

Christ, I'm old....

[Stuart G]

28. You are not the only one...who is "mature." I really do not like the "O" word.

....I use ..."mature" when I can... Some of the modern terms leave me wondering for awhile..Then
I go on and read something else that I don't know, and then I wonder some more. It really never
stops, and the English language is alive and growing and new words and abbreviations appear
all the time.......

[ProfessorGAC]

88. I Don't Know, Stuart

I'm 64, but whether I'm mature is debatable!

[Hugin]

29. I found a great graphic on 'gaslighting' posted by a friend.

It really lays it out there.

I need to see if I can find it somewhere so I can re-post it.

'virtue signaling' is generally merely a pejorative way of criticizing those who choose to do the correct thing like wearing a damn mask during a pandemic.

[Hugin]

32. gaslighting in a nutshell.

[hlthe2b]

35. +++

[Ron Obvious]

42. Gaslighting comes from the 1943 movie Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman

Great movie in any case.

I think "Virtue Signalling" is fairly self-explanatory: "look at me having the correct opinions". It's usually applied to the side we disagree with, especially if we think they're not sincere.

[CaptainTruth]

62. I must say "virtue signaling" makes no sense to me.

Signaling is used in many ways, consider a train crossing. When a train is near lights flash & bells ring to warn drivers of the approaching train. We could call that "train signaling."

I hear "virtue signaling" & I imagine a person with virtue walking down the sidewalk with lights flashing & bells ringing to warn other pedestrians so they don't end up injured or even possibly killed in a horrific collision with a... a... virtuous person?

[Celerity]

98. Virtue signalling is is when you make a statement designed to make you look acceptable to the

group you are engaging with, even if you do not really believe it or you have no practical input into doing something about it. It can be a form of gaslighting people as well. You erect a fake sense of moral superiority or you are trying to enforce groupthink at a superficial level to gain plaudits from the group.

A cousin of virtual signalling is humblebrag.

[niyad]

66. If you saw the movie "Gaslight" with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, it was the prime

Example.

[Ron Obvious]

26. Agreed. And no text speak, either.

No "r u" for "are you" etc, please! Blech!

[piddyprints]

30. This.

I don't even use text speak in text messages. It's not that difficult to type out complete words.

[Ron Obvious]

37. I also use correct punctuation in texts too.

I've been known to use semi-colons as well, and I'm quite smug about it.

[lpbk2713]

72. Some people might disagree with the way I use elipsis ...

but I use it anyway.

[dhill926]

27. ikr...

[Stuart G]

38. ...ikr....means, "I Know Right"..perhaps you do.., but that is a matter of opinion.

[dhill926]

40. just a joke...

[ancianita]

46. "I know, right?" is an expression similar to "I feel you." Both draw from Black usage. IKR is

a sloppy acronym of the first.

[piddyprints]

33. A friend of mine had to make a phone call to someone else.

He was going to tell me how it went. When I sent him a text asking if he'd called yet, he replied "LM."

My head started trying to decipher it. Hmmm ... Love Mom? Nope. Lost mask? Nah. Light marmalade? Can't be.

Finally, I called about something else and told him I had no idea what his message meant. "Left message" was his reply. Sure, I should have know that exactly how?

And now you know! If someone texts LM to you, they left a message to someone. Well, unless it means something else as well.

[Hugin]

34. Large Melon?

Laughing Mime?
Left Most?

[piddyprints]

41. Those too.

There were several possibilities.

[ancianita]

39. Major Manuals of Usage require a full first reference before any acronym is used after.

Joint Terrorism Task Force for full first reference, then JTTF is okay thereafter.

That rule can easily apply to all first comments by posters.

[mwooldri]

47. Does DU have an acronym dictionary?

Example IOKIYAR - It's OK If You're A Republican - is commonly used here. Are there others?

[littlemissmartypants]

93. No, but wouldn't it be nice if someone started one.

How about in the Community Help group

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1256


or

Languages and Linguistics

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1165

...

Or both.

[MyMission]

104. I thought so too

See my post #99. I was probably typing it while yours came in so I didn't see it.

I like your ideas too. I thought it could be in announcements because this request came from the top. Announce what acronyms are considered common, since the boss said we shouldn't use ones people don't know...how are some supposed to know what others may or may not know? Announce them.

Community help would be a good place to learn this too, and the language and linguistics could be more of an informative thread. And it would turn out to be ongoing and evolving.

I love what I learn here on DU, but for newbies and oldsters, announcing the acronyms would be helpful. I don't really want to look up acronyms when I'm reading a post. If anyone posts confusing gibberish letters (as some have done on this thread) we can reply " please see announcements for which acronyms are considered common." Sometimes that can be revised as needed. I didn't put DOJ on my list, but that's a common one, in my opinion (IMO).

I understand some are having fun with this thread, posting acronyms as replies, while most agree with Stuart and are more serious about it. Seems you and I are trying to figure out how to address this problem. What do you think?

[littlemissmartypants]

106. I've been trying to address it since I got here.

I would love to think we could fix it. I actually think Community Help would be the most appropriate place to post it with Language and Linguistics as a back up. Announcements is more appropriate for a "one off" kind of post so I don't think that would be the best place for such a running and updating post for acronyms and other abbreviations.

When I run across a post full of acronyms how I proceed depends on how interested I am in the post. I often move on to another post. I may use the urban dictionary if I am interested in learning more. I also have put cryptic and unintelligible posters on full ignore and trashed many threads that were just too incoherent to be worth the time.

DU is full of post redundancy. Duplicate posts run rampant so the odds are good if you don't get it in the first post you will in the second or third. Few posters check for duplicate content before posting and the only place this is considered a mistake is in Late Breaking News.

I admire StuartG's persistence. This isn't his first post on this topic. I don't see anything changing though. It is nice to dream.

Thank you for your reply, MyMission.

❤ miss pants

[momta]

48. One of my favorite stories on this...

And it might be apocryphal, but it was about someone who sent a message to their mom that a family friend had died. Mom replied "I'm so sorry, lol." Person asked mom why on earth she texted "lol" on a message like that. Turns out mom thought it meant "lots of love".

Abbreviations can be difficult.

[USALiberal]

51. Just google them, quick solution! Nt

[KG]

54. tl;dr

[Lefta Dissenter]

56. For the longest time

For the longest time I thought "FTW" meant "fuck the world." I finally learned that it was actually a good thing - "for the win!"

[TNNurse]

58. Excellent point

As a retired healthcare person, I am aware that there are acronyms and abbreviations that are redundant and confusing.

AMA--American Medical Association
AMA--Against Medical Advice

These two amused me.

I am sure there are many examples that can be used.

Also some of us are older than others of you, be kind.

[KS Toronado]

59. Your G.O.P. abbreviation should be spelled Q.O.P. or G.Q.P.

In My Humble Opinion.

[Magoo48]

60. Yes, yes, and yes please!.

I often lose the plot entirely when I stumble over an alphabet soup of mysterious Capital letters.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

63. I'm with you.

Perhaps because I'm not accessing DU on a phone or small tablet, and I have a full sized keyboard under my fingers, I find it's a lot faster to type out a full word rather than try to remember the stupid abbreviation.

Yes, there are a lot of common abbreviations, but when you are referring to something more local or out of the mainstream, please spell it out in full at your first mention. There's been a lot of times when I've tried to find the meaning of an abbreviation on line, and nothing sensible or relevant comes up

Oh, and perhaps even if you are posting in the thread for a specific state, you might want to give us a clue where you are, especially if talking about something like the weather.

Keep in mind that we are not all watching the same news feed as you are, so give us a clue what you are responding to.

[CaptainTruth]

69. Agreed! Atticus posted about this not long ago.

[judesedit]

73. NP. Just joking. No problem.

[Warpy]

74. Use Le Google

or any of the more private search engines. It only takes a second. It's what I do.

Urban Dictionary is also useful, although you might not want to do it at work. Employers frown on random hysterical laughter, work isn't supposed to be fun.

[PutGramaOnThePhone]

78. Right, I don't think it's really that hard, or distracting to do

[hurple]

75. And while we're airing grievances...

Please add some context to your posts!

I can't count how many posts make me ask WTF or say IDKWTHTTA*.

heh.


* I don't know what the hell they're talking about

[ret5hd]

77. Oh man...I thought "feats of strength"...

came after “airing of grievances”.

Dammit.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

79. TL; DR. JK. NT

[BadGimp]

80. Sorry, NO

[PutGramaOnThePhone]

82. Come on old ....

folks (me included), bend your brains a bit and learn some abbreviations

now...what about emoji?

[electric_blue68]

91. Guess I was lucky that on the music site I frequent...

from back in the early '00's I picked up most of the ones I know because there is a wide age range of fans that post.

[Butterflylady]

83. Thanks

I always feel like a dumb a** because I need help.

[barbtries]

85. The example you gave is so common,

but others are not so common. here's a great resource:

https://www.acronymfinder.com/

if that doesn't work, just ask. and don't wait to ask the way i did. I was probably on DU for a year before finally discovering that IOKIYAR means "It's Okay If You're A Republican"

I don't see people suddenly writing out Republican or grand old party. A lot of people are posting from a phone. I'm likely to use any appropriate, common acronym available before laboriously pecking it onto my phone.

Just saying. If you don't know just ask,DUers (the people of Democratic Underground) are as a rule happy to help.

[PutGramaOnThePhone]

86. For sure!

My experience in reading here at DU, has been that there is often someone asking, and I’ve only seen polite, respectful, and helpful replies*

* I have only been around for about 5 years, and certainly don’t get to all the corners and crannies of DU

[electric_blue68]

90. Thanks! There's only one I've kept running into that I didn't know, and...

... I just looked it up, and now I know. 👍 😁

I just saw the other one I didn't know, looked it up -
now I know that one, too. Thx!

[barbtries]

92. you're welcome!

the Urban dictionary is good for more recent acronyms too, but i don't know the URL (universal resource locator, I think)

[electric_blue68]

95. I'd forgotten about but knew of The Urban Dictionary 👍

[DFW]

87. If anyone tells you they are going to play a funny song for you

And the title is „Harvey and Sheila,“ cover your ears, fast.

For anyone who has no idea what I‘m talking about, it mocks America‘s penchant for using abbreviations all the time, and this song is over 50 years old!

By the way, if you find the excessive use of abbreviations bothersome, don‘t EVER visit Germany or France!

[littlemissmartypants]

94. Dear Stuart G, I can't believe that you are still beating this dead horse. Good luck. ❤ pants

[mopinko]

96. the language is evolving

as it does.
try to keep up. it wont kill you to learn new things.

[marie999]

97. I don't use abbreviations. I even write "okay".

[MyMission]

99. Kicked and recommended (K & R) with comments

It took me a while to figure that one out.

Suggestion: could we have a common abbreviation list, perhaps in the announcements?

Many here know many abbreviations, others only know some "common" ones. I'm not one to use abbreviations much, I tend to spell things out. Some folks do us them a lot and may not realize which ones are common or well known here.

The ones I know that come to mind are the following.
FYI, FWIW, IMO, POS, FOS, SOL, WTF, K+R, GOPQ or GQP, LoL, ROFL,
(I no longer use gop)

There are probably other common ones I'm not thinking of, and others I don't use that I figure out in context; but many times I don't know what other abbreviations mean.

I appreciate this topic.
Thanks.

[PCIntern]

101. Well, first you have to TOTT

And GTFOOMT

B4 I4Q Ru/18 qt (pi)?

[pnwmom]

102. But it's super easy to look any up. Just google TTYL, for example, and see what you get. n/t

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

105. I can try to explain the meaning of "nt":

[Chakaconcarne]

108. They're kind of here to stay....

We've all had to learn them at some point... just takes time.

[DFW]

109. OK, it's time