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> Well SCUSE ME....but, I have seen SSAN a number of times in
> state tax forms, employee applications, mortgage loan
> applications, etc. It even says that on my Social Security
> card issued in 1967. SSAN is a common acronym for your
> Social Security Account (SSA).
Seeing an acronym or term on different forms does not make it an official
term. That would be like saying that a "Driver License" (referring to the
legal privilege) is a "Driver's License" (referring to the driver of a
particular vehicle) is a correct term for the card because so many people
say "Driver's License" when they refer to the privilege and the card that
represents it. It is incorrect. Perhaps there are states that refer to the
card as a "Driver's License," but California does not.
Forms that use their own nomenclature do not define a term, the owner of the
term defines the term. And if the owner changes the term, as you say SSA
referred to an SSAN in 1967 and now the SSA refers to the SSN, then the
changed term is the correct term. I have several copies of my card issued
by the SSA and they all refer to "Social Security number" or "SSN." If SSAN
is a common acronym for a Social Security account established by the SSA,
then prove it. Send a link. Scan the documents that support your position
(without personal information, of course), but unsupported claims presented
as fact are a little wrong.
What you are doing by initiating a claim that there is such an acronym as
SSAN that is used by the SSA, when the SSA does not even recognize the
acronym, is non-factual and irrelevant. SSA will refer to establishing a
"Social Security account," but the number that is assigned is a "Social
Security number" or "SSN."
With respect to technical writing, the use of the acronym should be
determined by the owner of the document and not the writer. It should also
be defined as necessary according to the understanding of the audience, but
inaccurate and repetitive terms and definitions should not be used. So an
audience unfamiliar with the acronym and file extension "pdf" should have
that term defined at its first occurrence in the document and is should be
referred to as just the acronym on subsequent occurrences. In my case, a PM
was trying to change a document that the owner (client manager) already
approved and that the audience already understood.
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