Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/11/23

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Subject: [Leica] Thanksgiving 2006
From: marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small)
Date: Thu Nov 23 13:06:19 2006
References: <20061123193021.310090@gmx.net> <200611231942.kANJgE2X002266@server1.waverley.reid.org> <cb81b0b00611231215y6701263cl71cd5e42ded5fd5b@mail.gmail.com>

At 03:15 PM 11/23/2006, R S wrote:
 >The International Zone is normally referred to as 'IZ' .
 >You'll find a lot of journalists hanging out there and they tend to refer 
 >to
 >the IZ as the GZ (or 'Green Zone').
 >Odds are the food was provided by KBR.

Oh.  Mads was referring to Iraq?  Then the 
posting properly ought to have been so 
labeled.  I am now just a recovering journalist 
and I fear that I do not speak babble 
well.  Spell it out for us old guys who need to have things explained ...

Avoid ALL acronyms, abbreviations, and 
initialisms unless you spell them out at first 
use, as in "the International Zone in Baghdad 
(hence, "IZ")" or "the Green Zone in Baghdad 
(hence, "GZ")" or "KBR (formerly a Halliburton 
subsidiary originally known as Kellogg, Root, and Brown (?))" or the like.

The problem with using abbreviations is that they 
speak only to a few of those receiving the 
message.  Clarity in communications is 
everything.  Abbreviations impede clarity by 
restricting the exchange of information to "those in the know".

And, for that matter, I can think of several 
"International Zones" in the world over the past 
half-century or so.  So, yes, defining it as 
being in the Middle East would have been most 
helpful.  How about having a SUBJECT line of 
"THANKSGIVING 2006 IN IRAQ" or the like?

Clarity, clarity, clarity.

Marc




msmall@aya.yale.edu
Cha robh b?s fir gun ghr?s fir!



Replies: Reply from hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (G Hopkinson) ([Leica] Thanksgiving 2006)
Reply from gregj.lorenzo at shaw.ca (GREG LORENZO) ([Leica] Thanksgiving 2006)
In reply to: Message from mads.christensen at gmx.net (Mads Christensen) ([Leica] Thanksgiving 2006)
Message from marcsmall at comcast.net (Marc James Small) ([Leica] Thanksgiving 2006)
Message from darkbulb at gmail.com (R S) ([Leica] Thanksgiving 2006)