Fewer acronyms please
Re: Fewer acronyms please
People sometimes use acronyms such as YMMV and IMHO to take the edge off a post, i.e., they use them like emojis to set a tone or express an emotion. For example, someone using YMMV might tack it at the end of a post to emphasize that they know their experience might be unique and that they're not trying to be a know-it-all. It's how the youngsters communicate these days. It's not going to change.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
Shouldn’t we want certain abbreviations to be so common that they overtake the long hand themselves? In so much as, LASER and SCUBA are the understood acronym, I hope VTI, VXUS, and BND become the same.
Regards,
John
Regards,
John
Last edited by John Laurens on Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:56 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Fewer acronyms please
This one of the most off-putting things about many internet communities. Very little does more to deter new members from the community than the wall of abbreviations and acronyms they meet when they join the forum. And before they can make any sense of the posts, they have to decipher literally hundreds of abbreviations. Bogleheads should be better than this.
Re: Fewer acronyms please
It's even quicker to click on another post.triceratop wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:20 pm I prefer acronyms. If used accurately it greatly increases the speed with which I can read posts. It takes <3 seconds to look up a ticker in a new tab and close the tab and most tickers in common to less common use are familiar to me now.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
Or as we say on another forum that I hang on: IAWTP
(I Agree With This Post)
Last edited by 22twain on Fri Feb 02, 2018 10:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
Meet my pet, Peeve, who loves to convert non-acronyms into acronyms: FED, ROTH, CASH, IVY, ...
Re: Fewer acronyms please
Topic moved to Forum Issues and Administration.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
+10000........yep......and it ain't gonna change......Rupert wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:24 am People sometimes use acronyms such as YMMV and IMHO to take the edge off a post, i.e., they use them like emojis to set a tone or express an emotion. For example, someone using YMMV might tack it at the end of a post to emphasize that they know their experience might be unique and that they're not trying to be a know-it-all. It's how the youngsters communicate these days. It's not going to change.
Re: Fewer acronyms please
I've always used IMO. The implied use of humble is a little snarky to me.alexander29 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:20 pm ... IMHO (do you have a dishonest opinion? Isn't your post an opinion?) ...
To the OP, yes, I have the same reaction to obscure acronyms but can usually live with them. However the use of only ticker symbols is more irksome to me. I'll frequently stop reading rather than look it up.
I am a user of several myself: YMMV, IMO, and a few others. I have no plans to change.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
You and I clearly have different acquaintances.randomguy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:33 pm ...
All the people i know who have english as a 2nd or 3rd language have no problems with acronyms. It is using big words like "voluntary" and cultural references that make comprehension hard. Acronyms have been a part of online culture for at least 30 years. I think you will be disappointed if you expect things to change. MNHO:)
In any event I won't be disappointed because I don't expect anything to change, except for the worse. I called for voluntarily writing for an audience for whom English is a third language, i.e., e.g., by not using abbreviations such as those that assume the people who have English as a third language have Latin as a fourth. I don't expect it.
YTYWCAITM. You Type Your Word Choices And I'll Type Mine.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
........what's the old saying again.............."either Lead, Follow or Get out of the Way"
Re: Fewer acronyms please
I believe George Carlin had some words for that...https://youtu.be/Nf7x3zW67zE?t=2m39s It has some salty language so please don't watch if you'll be offended.fishandgolf wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 2:46 pm ........what's the old saying again.............."either Lead, Follow or Get out of the Way"
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
longleaf wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:22 pm https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Abbrevi ... d_Acronyms
By the way, imho is in my humble opinion
Do you ever have an un-humble opinion??
This who nuance made me LOL!!! Thanks all! Happy Friday!
Re: Fewer acronyms please
This seems to be the preferred method used by professional writers and should be an example to follow.
Ed
"What am I gonna do if I run out of money?"
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
IMNSHO, no.tesuzuki2002 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 3:08 pmDo you ever have an un-humble opinion??longleaf wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:22 pm https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Abbrevi ... d_Acronyms
By the way, imho is in my humble opinion
This who nuance made me LOL!!! Thanks all! Happy Friday!
PJW
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
Phineas J. Whoopee wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 3:30 pmIMNSHO, no.tesuzuki2002 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 3:08 pmDo you ever have an un-humble opinion??longleaf wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:22 pm https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Abbrevi ... d_Acronyms
By the way, imho is in my humble opinion
This who nuance made me LOL!!! Thanks all! Happy Friday!
PJW
Atleast there is a universal language most people understand!!!
Re: Fewer acronyms please
.
John,
Since many people use traditional mutual funds instead of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) as well as many who use non-Vanguard ETFs, if you are going to champion certain abbreviations that you think should overtake the long hand, would not it be more reasonable to chose: TSM, TISM, and TBM, instead of Vanguard's ETFs VTI, VXUS, and BND.
TSM - Total Stock Market
TISM - Total International Stock Market
TBM - Total Bond Market
Personally, I would still prefer people use the names, but I can understand the use of the general TSM, TISM, and TBM, but have considerable concern about use of one company's ETF names.
John,
Since many people use traditional mutual funds instead of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) as well as many who use non-Vanguard ETFs, if you are going to champion certain abbreviations that you think should overtake the long hand, would not it be more reasonable to chose: TSM, TISM, and TBM, instead of Vanguard's ETFs VTI, VXUS, and BND.
TSM - Total Stock Market
TISM - Total International Stock Market
TBM - Total Bond Market
Personally, I would still prefer people use the names, but I can understand the use of the general TSM, TISM, and TBM, but have considerable concern about use of one company's ETF names.
John Laurens wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:33 am Shouldn’t we want certain abbreviations to be so common that they overtake the long hand themselves? In so much as, LASER and SCUBA are the understood acronym, I hope VTI, VXUS, and BND become the same.
Regards,
John
Randy |
SCA - Build Savings early by living below one's means, minimize Costs including taxes, and maintain a diverse Allocation.
Re: Fewer acronyms please
We have one on the wiki: Abbreviations and Acronyms
Re: Fewer acronyms please
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
JT
JT
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
That would be zero. The fact that mutual funds have 5 characters and ETFs have 3 characters is irrelevant to the my post. Neither ticker symbol communicates the name of the fund being referenced. Although the name of a fund may not communicate the exact type of fund being described, it is more descriptive than a ticker symbol. Many people can relate to a proper name better than a group of letters. Many neophytes log on to this site seeking guidance. A bunch of posts using ticker symbols may drive them to the nearest Edward Jones or Raymond James advisor because they view this site as a group of nerds that post about esoteric information that they don't understand. That may be your vision for Bogleheads, but it is not mine.triceratop wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 3:53 amHow many 5-character long tickers do you know for ETFs? And 3-character for classic mutual fund?Dead Man Walking wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 1:28 am The use of ticker symbols can be confusing since ticker symbols may apply to mutual funds or exchange traded funds. The best way to communicate about funds is to use the proper name of the fund followed by the ticker symbol in parentheses. For example, Vanguard Small Cap Value Index Fund Admiral Shares (VSIAX) would be the best way to list the fund in the first reference to it. After the initial reference, the ticker symbol may be used to refer to the fund.
When I read a post that uses ticker symbols exclusively, I assume that the author is either lazy or illiterate. In either case the post is probably irrelevant to my situation. Acronyms should be used in the same way ticker symbols are used. Emojis are a different discussion.
DMW
DMW
Re: Fewer acronyms please
I wonder if someone could create a capability in forum-software to hover over an acronym to display possible meanings from some sort of dictionary. Maybe the spell-check dictionary has some of these. I guess the dictionary should be capable of learning new acronyms.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
No.
Look 'em up. Its not hard.
Welcome to Bogleheads.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
I have no such 'vision' for Bogleheads, only that I don't begrudge new members for using tickers only. Others may prefer to not answer such questions but I do not mind. I don't see how being more accommodating of such new members contributes to the effect you describe.Dead Man Walking wrote: ↑Sat Feb 03, 2018 1:40 amThat would be zero. The fact that mutual funds have 5 characters and ETFs have 3 characters is irrelevant to the my post. Neither ticker symbol communicates the name of the fund being referenced. Although the name of a fund may not communicate the exact type of fund being described, it is more descriptive than a ticker symbol. Many people can relate to a proper name better than a group of letters. Many neophytes log on to this site seeking guidance. A bunch of posts using ticker symbols may drive them to the nearest Edward Jones or Raymond James advisor because they view this site as a group of nerds that post about esoteric information that they don't understand. That may be your vision for Bogleheads, but it is not mine.triceratop wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 3:53 amHow many 5-character long tickers do you know for ETFs? And 3-character for classic mutual fund?Dead Man Walking wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 1:28 am The use of ticker symbols can be confusing since ticker symbols may apply to mutual funds or exchange traded funds. The best way to communicate about funds is to use the proper name of the fund followed by the ticker symbol in parentheses. For example, Vanguard Small Cap Value Index Fund Admiral Shares (VSIAX) would be the best way to list the fund in the first reference to it. After the initial reference, the ticker symbol may be used to refer to the fund.
When I read a post that uses ticker symbols exclusively, I assume that the author is either lazy or illiterate. In either case the post is probably irrelevant to my situation. Acronyms should be used in the same way ticker symbols are used. Emojis are a different discussion.
DMW
DMW
And in fact the 5-character for mutual funds and 3-character for ETFs is not irrelevant to your post, since you specifically said tickers could be either ETFs or mutual funds and this confused you. Well, now I pointed out how to be unconfused about this point!
"To play the stock market is to play musical chairs under the chord progression of a bid-ask spread."
Re: Fewer acronyms please
Me too +1alexander29 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:20 pm I much enjoy the Boglehead forums but am frequently stumped by the acronyms that are sprinkled so richly in its intriguing advice. Today's was TLH, which apparently stands for tax loss harvesting. Although I eventually puzzle most of them out, the vigor of our posters suggests they could provide much clarification with just a few more keystrokes. Yes, most of us know IRA, 401K, etc. Examples that irk are DH, DW, IMHO (do you have a dishonest opinion? Isn't your post an opinion?) YSP, MAGI, UHNW, VNQ, NIIT, MUB, AOTC, HELOC, SCU, HCOL, LCOL, VUL, FSA, TIB and on and on. Nor do I ever recognize the Nav shorthand symbols for mutual funds, including the ones I own. For those of us on the slower side, spell it out! (And thanks Taylor Larimore for doing just that.)
Re: Fewer acronyms please
If you are on a phone or tablet, it can be a blessing to get a shorter message, abbreviations and all. It is also a blessing for the person posting, where typing on a phone can be difficult; it's much easier on the thumbs and prevents carpal tunnel. All imho.
Re: Fewer acronyms please
Where I live, they say: "my old man"... I'm serious
Slow and steady wins the race.
Re: Fewer acronyms please
There was an extension for chrome that did that. Still is, but it stopped working. It worked like a charm. Hover, see the name and a link to M*.rgs92 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 03, 2018 2:26 am I wonder if someone could create a capability in forum-software to hover over an acronym to display possible meanings from some sort of dictionary. Maybe the spell-check dictionary has some of these. I guess the dictionary should be capable of learning new acronyms.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/deta ... alnikffcgg
It worked fora couple of years, then stopped.The app page shows last update 2011.
So its possible.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
For those that like only typing in three letter acronyms (TLAs), do everyone else a favour and spell out the TLA on first use. That is considered proper etiquette and prevents confusion as some TLAs may have many different meanings.
If you are too lazy to do so, then a workaround to consider would be to create autocorrect entries on your devices for the common TLAs that you use so it will happen automagically.
If you are too lazy to do so, then a workaround to consider would be to create autocorrect entries on your devices for the common TLAs that you use so it will happen automagically.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
This thread reminds me of a compelling email that Elon Musk once wrote to his employees...
Classic Elon.There is a creeping tendency to use made up acronyms at SpaceX. Excessive use of made up acronyms is a significant impediment to communication and keeping communication good as we grow is incredibly important. Individually, a few acronyms here and there may not seem so bad, but if a thousand people are making these up, over time the result will be a huge glossary that we have to issue to new employees. No one can actually remember all these acronyms and people don't want to seem dumb in a meeting, so they just sit there in ignorance. This is particularly tough on new employees.
That needs to stop immediately or I will take drastic action - I have given enough warning over the years. Unless an acronym is approved by me, it should not enter the SpaceX glossary. If there is an existing acronym that cannot reasonably be justified, it should be eliminated, as I have requested in the past.
For example, there should be not "HTS" [horizontal test stand] or "VTS" [vertical test stand] designations for test stands. Those are particularly dumb, as they contain unnecessary words. A "stand" at our test site is obviously a test stand. VTS-3 is four syllables compared with "Tripod", which is two, so the bloody acronym version actually takes longer to say than the name!
The key test for an acronym is to ask whether it helps or hurts communication. An acronym that most engineers outside of SpaceX already know, such as GUI, is fine to use. It is also ok to make up a few acronyms/contractions every now and again, assuming I have approved them, e.g. MVac and M9 instead of Merlin 1C-Vacuum or Merlin 1C-Sea Level, but those need to be kept to a minimum.
Almost nothing turns out as expected.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
Emergency room? Endoplasmic reticulum? Estrogen receptor? External relations? External rotation? Emergency response? Explicit rate? Earthquake relief?TwstdSista wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 4:58 amand ERs.Sheepdog wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 4:47 amYES....PleaseBlueskies123 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 6:32 pm Agreed, ticker symbols should always be followed by their proper name.
“If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.” – Earl Wilson
Re: Fewer acronyms please
Escape route.Emergency room? Endoplasmic reticulum? Estrogen receptor? External relations? External rotation? Emergency response? Explicit rate? Earthquake relief?
He's talking about the best exit strategies in case the fund tanks.
Almost nothing turns out as expected.
Re: Fewer acronyms please
Acronyms are bad enough but what about redundant acronyms?!! Please no more:
CRV value
CVT transmission
IRA account
LCD display
SALT Taxes?
UPC code
VIN/PIN number
most of these can be made double redundant!!
California CRV value; CRV=California_Redemption_Value
personal PIN number
State and Local SALT taxes
CRV value
CVT transmission
IRA account
LCD display
SALT Taxes?
UPC code
VIN/PIN number
most of these can be made double redundant!!
California CRV value; CRV=California_Redemption_Value
personal PIN number
State and Local SALT taxes
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
Yep, I still think of arms-limitation talks and treaties with the Soviets when I hear SALT.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
Good one!Phineas J. Whoopee wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:13 pmIt's a lucky thing we have PIN numbers. If all we had were PI numbers we'd never finish entering them.
PJW
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
I agree.Rupert wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:24 am People sometimes use acronyms such as YMMV and IMHO to take the edge off a post, i.e., they use them like emojis to set a tone or express an emotion. For example, someone using YMMV might tack it at the end of a post to emphasize that they know their experience might be unique and that they're not trying to be a know-it-all. It's how the youngsters communicate these days. It's not going to change.
In face to face conversations, non-verbal communication and tone of voice are used to convey that something is being said in a light-hearted way or to soften certain comments. In internet discussions, I think people are trying to use emojis and acronyms such as YMMV or In My Humble Opinion to achieve that objective.
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
While IRA can stand for Individual Retirement Account, I believe that at IRS, IRA stands for Individual Retirement Arrangement. See IRS Pub 590a: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p590a.pdf
Re: Fewer acronyms please
ERISA* uses the terms "individual retirement account" and "individual retirement annuity" but never the term "individual retirement arrangement". I think that term evolved to cover both "account" and "annuity".DSInvestor wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2018 3:21 pmI believe IRA stands for Individual Retirement Arrangement. See IRS Pub 590a: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p590a.pdf
http://www.legisworks.org/GPO/STATUTE-88-Pg829.pdf (Warning: large PDF**.)
*Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
**Portable Document Format
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
I also found this from section 408 of the tax code on Individual Retirement Accounts: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/408Pajamas wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2018 3:32 pmERISA* uses the terms "individual retirement account" and "individual retirement annuity" but never the term "individual retirement arrangement". I think that term evolved to cover both "account" and "annuity".DSInvestor wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2018 3:21 pmI believe IRA stands for Individual Retirement Arrangement. See IRS Pub 590a: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p590a.pdf
http://www.legisworks.org/GPO/STATUTE-88-Pg829.pdf (Warning: large PDF**.)
*Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974
**Portable Document Format
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
"YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary. People may have a different opinion or experience."
There are virtually zero reasons to ever use this acronym, and anyone who does use it is simply sowing confusion.
There are virtually zero reasons to ever use this acronym, and anyone who does use it is simply sowing confusion.
Re: Fewer acronyms please
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
I'm not sure if this is what Abe is referring to, but it reminds me that in an earlier era, amateur radio operators, "HAMS", had a shorthand for marital relationships, also. A man or a husband was an "OM" for "Old Man". A women or wife was, chivalrously, always a "YL", for Young Lady"
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
+1triceratop wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2018 10:20 pm I prefer acronyms. If used accurately it greatly increases the speed with which I can read posts. It takes <3 seconds to look up a ticker in a new tab and close the tab and most tickers in common to less common use are familiar to me now.
"The greatest enemies of the equity investor are expenses and emotions." -John C. Bogle, Little Book of Common Sense Investing. |
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
....except in Indiana, where you just press”3”Phineas J. Whoopee wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2018 2:13 pmIt's a lucky thing we have PIN numbers. If all we had were PI numbers we'd never finish entering them.
PJW
IRJDKWYCSOE
”I Really Don’t Know Why You Can’t Spell Out Everything”. In all of my technical writing, if one used an acronym, one defined it on first usage
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Re: Fewer acronyms please
Any chance of adding "LMP" (liability matching portfolio) to the list? It was in a long thread and not defined and also hard to figure out.
Re: Fewer acronyms please
It's there:
https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Abbrevi ... ronyms#L-Q
"Confusion has its cost" - Crosby, Stills and Nash