Annoying Acronyms

[markcres]

The lead story on MacRumors is something about Apple not wanting the 'FCC' to be the first to reveal iPhone.

Sorry.. but who or what is the FCC??

Could any acronyms used be expanded on at their first time use please?
I assume FCC is some US organisation - but MacRumors is read Worldwide - so we won't all automatically know what these organisational acronyms are!!

Thanks
Rant over!

[WildCowboy]

Good point.

FCC is the Federal Communications Commission (http://www.fcc.gov/). They govern both technical and content aspects of US airwaves.

Edit: Is this (http://www.macrumors.com/2008/04/03/3g-iphones-and-the-fcc-myth/) better? :D

[iPhil]

FCC (http://www.fcc.gov/) (US Government department)

[redAPPLE]

instead of ranting, why didn't you try to find out yourself? type in "fcc" in google and it would reveal the answer immediately...

i am not ranting about your rant, but maybe you need to try to educate yourself first, before asking mr to explain "everything" to you...

[solvs]

Yeah, Google is your friend.

[Eraserhead]

I've created a Common acronyms Mac Guide, with this and a few other common acronyms.

[riscy]

So this could be called AMRG??

(Another MacRumours Guide ;) ) Maybe needs adding to your list Eraserhead (joking)I've created a Common acronyms Mac Guide, with this and a few other common acronyms.

[kwood]

I've created a Common acronyms Mac Guide, with this and a few other common acronyms.

You may also want to consider adding TiBook too, I know I had to look that one up when I first saws it. IMHO I don't like using acronyms BTW. AFAIK I only like ones that are for something official like the FCC or some technical term. But the internet language like "lol" or "brb" or "g2g" drives me nuts.

And yes putting those acronyms in this post hurt my inner child. My fingers burned as I typed them.

[Eraserhead]

^^ Added IMHO, BTW, and TiBook (which I had to look up to check), also added MB and MBP, CD (Core Duo) and C2D.

[riscy]

How about IMO, RAM, MBA, GHz, FF (Firefox), MTR, OO (Open Office) - not so common this one.

[atszyman]

I'd advise staying out of the console games forum... I don't know of a thread, or even post that doesn't contain at least 6 different acronyms for various games.

[Lord Blackadder]

Eraserhead - Not to give you more work, but I have another acronym that caught me out: "SR" for the Santa Rosa chipset found in the Apple laptops.

I don't know who started using it but even with Google I had a hard time figuring out such a niche market arconym.

I'd advise staying out of the console games forum... I don't know of a thread, or even post that doesn't contain at least 6 different acronyms for various games.

I have to admit I found that very irritating, and then caught myself using them.

[Eraserhead]

You can add them yourselves too ;). Go to Edit at the top and scroll down to the table, which begins with {| followed by some other formatting stuff.

Each entry of the table is divided by a |-. After the entry that should be the previous entry add a new line. Put a |- at the beginning. Then put the acronym, meaning and description on a following new line, each beginning with ||

i.e.


<<Last Acronym in alphabetical order>>
|-
||TAIQ
||The Acronym in Question
||An example Acronym to add to the table.

<<Next Acronym in alphabetical order, also begins with a '|-'>>


I'd advise staying out of the console games forum... I don't know of a thread, or even post that doesn't contain at least 6 different acronyms for various games.
I have to admit I found that very irritating, and then caught myself using them.

Actually there is already an article on that Game acronyms.

EDIT: If its the last one, make sure its before the closing |} for the table ;).

[riscy]

I saw it was a wiki but assumed it was not open for edit - never assume :)

Made my changes for you.Guys you know you can add them yourselves. Go to Edit at the top and scroll down to the table, which begins with {| followed by some other formatting stuff.

Each entry of the table is divided by a |-. After the entry that should be the previous entry add a new line. Put a |- at the beginning. Then put the acronym, meaning and description on a following new line, each beginning with ||

i.e.


<<Last Acronym in alphabetical order>>
|-
||TAIQ
||The Acronym in Question
||An example Acronym to add to the table.

<<Next Acronym in alphabetical order, also begins with a '|-'>>

[Eraserhead]

I saw it was a wiki but assumed it was not open for edit - never assume :)

Any member with over 5 posts can edit it.

[brad.c]

Yeah, Google is your friend.

ZOMG, GIYF FTW!

[StealthRider]

Enjoy...
Goodness, between getting a new BnCO and BnXO, and having the BCOCO and PCO give me forty thousand things to do (FUBAR), I barely have time to read silly threads like this. Not my fault the OPSO is an OCS OC and thus a slavedriver. I'm just a 4/C, FCOL, this **** isn't really in my AOR.

...BOHICA!

[cbrain]

Could someone please tell me what "FTW" means?

[119576]

Could someone please tell me what "FTW" means?

For the win.

[Cepe Indicum]

Enjoyed reading this thread - some great responses! Feel a bit bad for the OP though :)

BT always annoys me on this forum. Most people use it as an abbreviation for Bluetooth, but here in the UK, BT is more commonly associated with "British Telecom" (as was; now known simply as BT) - they are the main telecoms provider and an ISP.

[solvs]

For the win.

Also means F* The World.

[Eraserhead]

For the win.

Enjoyed reading this thread - some great responses! Feel a bit bad for the OP though :)

BT always annoys me on this forum. Most people use it as an abbreviation for Bluetooth, but here in the UK, BT is more commonly associated with "British Telecom" (as was; now known simply as BT) - they are the main telecoms provider and an ISP.

Added both.

[notjustjay]

I'm going to create a new organization called the American Association Against Annoying Alliterative Acronym Abuse.

You can all be charter members!

[munson]

I'm going to create a new organization called the American Association Against Annoying Alliterative Acronym Abuse.

You can all be charter members!

Ha ha, absolutely priceless. Sign me up!

[jbernie]

instead of ranting, why didn't you try to find out yourself? type in "fcc" in google and it would reveal the answer immediately...

i am not ranting about your rant, but maybe you need to try to educate yourself first, before asking mr to explain "everything" to you...

With all due respect, maybe you are one of the generations who don't undestand traditional media and common practices that they use. The term is used in full first and then can be abbreviated there after.

Likewise, on a website like MacRumors where the audience is global regardless of the general subject, assuming that everyone in every country understands every acronym makes you look like an ignorant.

[Hankster]

Apple is an AMERICAN company. The FCC is an AMERICAN government agency. If "FCC" is listed here, you should know what it is. If not, look it up. Don't say this site needs to cater to the entire world. I guarantee over 75% if not more members of this site know who FCC are.

The only person being lazy is the one who can't do a SIMPLE Google on FCC. Now, that is just plain lazy. I Google EVERYTHING I don't know before asking on a message board.

Sorry. OP = Wrong.

[evilgEEk]

Hankster, I'm sorry, but that just comes across as extremely ignorant to me. Proper journalism will always spell out the entire acronym in the first use and then they are free to use the acronym thereafter.

But all that aside, Apple may be an AMERICAN company but it is also a GLOBAL company.

I do agree a simple Google search should have been used, but the poster still made a valid point.

[CalBoy]

Proper journalism will always spell out the entire acronym in the first use and then they are free to use the acronym thereafter.

Common acronyms are not included in this, however.

For example, it would be ridiculous for an article to write out what "AT&T" stands for. It's very common knowledge and the average person would know what it stands for.

Similarly, most Americans know what the FCC is and what the acronym stands for.

The question is, how are international users treated in all this?

Considering how easy it is to A) Google "FCC" or B) Wikipedia "FCC" or C) use context clues to infer that the FCC is a government agency that oversees telephones, I don't think it's all that unfair to leave FCC as is in a story.


I do agree a simple Google search should have been used, but the poster still made a valid point.

I think the point is valid for acronyms of less fame. For example, few people know what HUD (Housing and Urban Development) stands for because it's not an agency that is often discussed on this site (and why would it be?).

And so, with many things in written communication, I think the "Reasonable Person Test" be used. Would a reasonable person know what the FCC is (not necessarily what it stands for, but what it does relating to Apple) by reading the article in question? Would a reasonable person have looked it up using the myriad of resources available on the web?

[riscy]

I agree with most of the posts and I think that although the FCC is an American organisation, I don't think I have often seen BBC written in full in an article (no doubt, if I googled it, I could find some, so please don't just to prove a point), it would be taken as read, as would CNN, CD, Wi-Fi etc.

I think the problem is that the FCC would be known by many, especially here, but probably should have had an explanation.

However not all acronyms should need an explanation, as they are clear to the majority of readers, and are used in common language as such.

Edit:

FYI : Just saw this article (http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/09/fcc.cell.phone.alert/index.html) on CNN:

FCC approves emergency alert text-messaging system

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Cell phone users will get text message alerts of emergencies under a new nationwide alert system approved late Wednesday by the Federal Communications Commission, according to FCC spokesman Robert Kenny.

An emergency text message would be sent in the event of a widespread disaster, severe weather or child abduction.

Under the plan, the FCC will appoint a federal agency to create the messages and pass them on to cell phone companies that choose to participate, an FCC representative said earlier. Once that agency is named, the participating cell phone providers would have 10 months to comply with the new system's requirements.

and IMO (to use an acronym), this is badly done - the letters FCC should follow Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in brackets immediately the first time used.

[notjustjay]

Irrespective of the journalism quality (e.g. whether or not the acronym SHOULD have been expanded), we are all sitting at computers with internet access, and Googling a term takes mere seconds. It takes me less time to Google "FCC" (or any term) than it does to write a post asking someone to tell me what it is (not to mention getting the info immediately vs waiting for a forum reply)!

Edit: saw this banner ad at the bottom of the thread, thought it was apropos in a funny sort of way: http://parentalstreetcred.com/

[Eric Lewis]

what the hell is AAPL?

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AAPL
http://finance.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ:AAPL

In short: The NASDAQ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASDAQ) ticker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticker_symbol) for Apple shares...

[dsl4c]

what does BBC and UK mean? I see Europeans use it, but dont know what they mean..

[oblomow]

what does BBC and UK mean? I see Europeans use it, but dont know what they mean..

That's simple. BBC stands between ABC and CBC.
And UK is the 51st state of the US. Tssk, schools in Oregon must be bad :)

[dsl4c]

That's simple. BBC stands between ABC and CBC.
And UK is the 51st state of the US. Tssk, schools in Oregon must be bad :)

I dont understand the abc,cbc thing, also, the us only has 50 states. I'm confused?

[Eraserhead]

I dont understand the abc,cbc thing, also, the us only has 50 states. I'm confused?


UK (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uk)
BBC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bbc)

[oblomow]

UK (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uk)
BBC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bbc)


nonono. 51 state (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/51st_state)
( don't want to turn this into a political thread. I agree that everyone should
first try to google an acronym, american or non-american)

[riscy]

Good link - and has a link to the greatest band of all time, in my opinion, which states something that is, I feel sadly true.

"For example, the 1986 single "Heartland" by The The (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_The) contains a repeated refrain that "this [the UK] is the 51st state of the USA."

nonono. 51 state (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/51st_state)
( don't want to turn this into a political thread. I agree that everyone should
first try to google an acronym, american or non-american)

[Eraserhead]

UK (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uk)
BBC (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bbc)


Added the UK and BBC to the Mac Guide.

[Eric5h5]

I dont understand the abc,cbc thing, also, the us only has 50 states. I'm confused?

No, you're "dsl4c". Also, you're lacking a sense of humor. ;)

--Eric

[Eraserhead]

No, you're "dsl4c". Also, you're lacking a sense of humor. ;)

--Eric

If he didn't know who the BBC and what the UK is, then how could he get the joke ;).

[skunk]

If he didn't know who the BBC and what the UK is, then how could he get the joke ;).FIIK.

[Much Ado]

IFIIK.

WAFIWK