I believe most conventional studies of typing speed and keyboard use would confirm that “your” is actually faster to type than “u’r” — not to mention being grammatically correct and easier to read.
I’m just saying.
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More trouble than it’s worth
I believe most conventional studies of typing speed and keyboard use would confirm that “your” is actually faster to type than “u’r” — not to mention being grammatically correct and…
Actually, I have a ‘real life’, verbal version of this bitch.
I design and deliver training material. With the surge of elearning and web-based content, there’s been a need to differentiate between classroom versus online training.
Most places use “Instructor Led Training” and “Web Based Training”.
Fine.
Folks abbreviate Instructor Led Training as ILT, when speaking.
Fine.
Folks also abbreviate Web Based Training as WBT, when speaking.
Stop. Stop stop stop.
Count the syllables, people.
Web (1) Based (2) Training (3, 4).
double-ewe (1,2,3) bee (4), t (5).
Abbreviations should make things SHORTER.
I’ve seen that before, too (probably more in the past few years, as “www” has become such a commonly spoken phrase). (And I’ve heard people just shorten it as “dub-dub-dub,” too.)
I think most folk, when they pronounce “WBT” will shorten it to “dubya-bee-tee,” which is only four — shorter than the source term, but avoiding having to process different names for the written vs. spoken terms.
Start having business meetings using Scrabble rules.
If someone uses an acronym, challenge them to define what it actually means. If they can’t, beat them with your dayplanner.
I don’t manage to get away with the beating part, I don’t actually own a dayplanner, but it is fun in meetings with people and listening to them throw acronyms around, pausing for a moment and asking them what that one means.
I do web engineering, so a freakish amount of acronyms that most people seem to have no idea what their meaning is unless they also are developers.
I work in IT. I read the trads
I work in an engineering firm.
I’ve done extensive database work with enviromental regulations, testing, etc.
I PWN acronyms. 🙂
No Dave…
You forgot the Flats. Add that and you can PWN TLA’s.
I had entire conversations in TLA’s…that and really bad cliche’s….and combo’s of same “Let’s run HazzWpr up the Flag pole and see who salutes.”
My last big project was PuSPS which I took great delight in getting everyone involved on the projest, except some of the VP’s (who were very angry about my attempt) calling it Puspus.
See…that is the final step in TLA’s…pronouncing them as words.
Ah, yes. HAZWOPR. Fun times.
Did I mention the environmental stuff I did was in support of the Air Force and the Army Corps of Engineers — both of which use different acronyms (and systems) to do the same things?
Glee.
No, it isn’t to see if you know the acronyms… It is to see if the person spouting them actually knows what they mean.
I tend to notice it being really bad when I have to listen to graphic artists or marketing people using ‘XML’ as a verb.
“We want to site to be accessible, can’t we just XML it?”
*snort*
Actually, in my area, that’s less of an issue. Acronyms are either used, legitimately, as shorthand for technical terms, programs, etc., or they’re used as “Inner Priesthood” language to sound important (by people who generally know what they mean).
I work for a large government agency, and much of my job is coordinating the web presence of every other service unit in the agency. Between the service units, the other government agencies involved, and the technology speak, I’m trying to imagine what would happen if we stopped to challenge every TLA in each meeting…disaster!
***Dave, about those keyboard studies. I am sure “your” is easier to type if you can type, but if those people who hunts-and-pecks while staring at the keyboard, perhaps that seems more efficient. Also, common usage for the second person posessive is “ur”, no apostrophe; I can’t say I’ve ever seen u’r. That’d get an |= in my l33t c1@55. w00t!