Maybe, then, the rule should be to try to not use acronyms, especially arcane ones that were invented here?
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And just typing words would make it easier still.
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@a_m and @small_h Typing out the words is an option but there are some expressions we use alot here on ho so using a shorthand is convenient especially if it’s a longer expression. I’m thinking of when we have a TPSTOG. I seem to be in the minority though.
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I understand the lure of HO-specific acronyms, but it strikes me as a way of saying “we have a secret language and you don’t know it.” Which does not seem very welcoming to me.
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That’s the point of having an acronym sticky.
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Yeah, I honestly don’t get the constant implication that this is some sort of “insider lingo” an exclusive club invented to keep the plebe away 
Language is in flux. Acronyms and shorthand both develop in fora with a specific focus.
I find simple communication is often the easiest solution, e.g. when I come across a word or abbreviation I am not familiar with (which happens even to the acronym qween here 
), I usually google it.
We have all the information in the universe at our fingertips, so to speak — but if that doesn’t render any results, I’ve found that asking the person using the term / acronym generally satisfies that curiosity pretty quickly 
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you want welcoming for newer Hungry Onion readers–make it an exercise for the writer, not the reader. acronyms can always be linked to a post in the acronym thread at the time of post generation, so instead of the reader having to guess what TPSTOG means, they can just click on it.
We’re literally talking about ONE thread among several hundred. And the only new users I’ve seen pop up here lately are bots.
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I like this suggestion and will try to follow it – going forward.
For me, its not hard to type things out as I am using a computer and a full keyboard.
I don’t know how hard it is to type on a smartphone keyboard – is it hard??
It’s a massive PITA I mean pain in the arse.
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@digga articulated this well elsewhere:
There are acronyms in common usage in the world or on the internet that are easily looked up (also in professional fields — eg accounting principles, as in the compilation of GAAP or “Generally Accepted Accounting Principles” — Generally Accepted being the key phrase).
Then there is what one or two people make up while giving the impression that everyone should know what they were imagining when they made it up.
Not the same thing — and implying a clubby, fratty, fake cool, false exclusivity and propagates the impression that you need to be “up on the lingo” to participate.
There are bullying studies in kids that demonstrate how language and lingo are employed in exactly this way. Not that different a practice in adults.
The one-off acronyms require several more replies to spell them out anyway, so the only reason not to use the words in the first place is to create a situation where someone feels left out enough to ask them to be spelled out, or bizarre narcissism where someone has a desire to be constantly asked what on earth the random letters they strung together mean.
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Most smartphones these days will offer to complete words and even sentences for you if you are having trouble typing.
It’s not a technology problem.
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That’s bound to make texting anyone a little difficult
Wow that phone is epic. I just wish you had an older PC next to it, maybe a PS/2 or something with a CRT monitor, to complete the look.
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Funny story – my new dentist tried to text that phone (as a reminder for an upcoming appointment). Of course, I never got that text.
When I showed up she didn’t think as I was coming because I didn’t respond – confirming the text. I explained that the phone number I gave her was a land-line which seemed to blow her mind. I didn’t dare tell her it was hooked to a rotary phone.
Now she sends me an email, so I can confirm my appointment. I don’t know what is wrong with just calling me – perhaps its an automated system??
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Dude, I get emails, texts, AND phone calls from my various health care providers. It’s a PITA, and despite having opted out of texts they won’t stop.
At least I never miss an appointment 
PS: We also have still have a landline. We’re so old-fashioned.
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I have a wall calendar with all of my (and Sunshine’s appointments) on it. As soon as an appointment is made – it goes on the calendar.
We’ve never missed an appointment and never been late.
I will say all of the portals (that seem to be required now a days) are beginning to be a “pain in the arse”… They’ve become a requirement for some medical providers.
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I can barely keep track of the various health portals I’m signed up for, and immensely grateful for this new-fangled tekkmollogy keeping track of all my passwords.
A strange mix of old and new stuffs @casa lingua, but we navigate it pretty well
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I stumbled upon an interesting dictionary plug-in that other Discourse users have developed. Not knowing anything about the inner workings of Discourse or anything about coding, I have no idea how easy/difficult it would be to implement this. But it might be a solution to the issue of acronym use. I saw that the code might be available on GitHub.
At my workplace, we have a similar plug-in tool where we hover over a term and a bubble pops up with additional information (our previous Java script tool could not do this). Of course, this is on my laptop, and not on mobile. I guess the dictionary plug-in could work on both?
Edited to add: One foreseeable issue, I think, is that the utility of this might be dependent on users actually designating a term as a “dictionary term.” But I only looked at this for 5 minutes. I’m clueless right now and gotta get back to work.
