RE: Lots of acronyms (Was: Nitpicky little style question)

["Sarah Bouchier" <Sarah -dot- Bouchier -at- exony -dot- com>]

>A hundred definitions no a page is an indication that some serious
>editing needs to be done, or at least a conversation with the SMEs
about
>terminology. Even in electronic documentation, that many links to
>definitions would probably loose the viewer, especially if they were
>popups.

It would be my contention that acronyms are normally for the convenience
of the writer, not the reader.  After all, who wants to type out
Association for the Abolishment of Acronyms a hundred times when they
could just type AAA?

Unfortunately, opportunities for confusion abound, and you might end up
with some poor reader wondering why the Automobile Association of
America are so het up about acronyms.

For the sake of the reader, I'd suggest (if possible; corporate style
guides mean it isn't always) strictly limiting the number of acronyms to
a few clear ones and either typing in full the rest of the time, or, if
there is another possible shortening that isn't acronymious, use that
instead.

For example, I recently documented a product with a name five words
long, which I was not allowed to acronymise.  In most places I managed
to refer to it by the last one or two words, however, without any loss
of clarity.

S.
----------------------------------------- 
Sarah Bouchier 
Technical Author 

exony 
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