Definitions and Acronyms

[Bridges]

Didn't want to sidetrack the SPAR thread, but this is a great comment.

Some of us have a tendency to speak in acronym and it really places a barrier to understanding whats being said for readers who have recently joined the lurking ranks.

+1000.   This is a big problem around MetroJacksonville.  You know, a definition section might not be a bad idea.  When people are highly informed about an issue they tend to use technical jargon and know the processes very well.  This can be intimidating to outsiders who don't know the nuances of issue.  It can actually intimidate and alienate people. 

I understand why they are used, no one wants to keep typing Transit Oriented Development, or Local Initiatives Support Corporation, or Land Use & Zoning.  But it might help, if there was a section on the website with common acronyms or processes (how a bill gets passed, etc.). 

Would help open up the conversation to outsiders and help activate the community.  Give the citizens the language and the power, and let them make it happen.

[Jason]

I like the idea as well, although Google already does that for us.

[funwithteeth]

It wasn't until I started visiting this place that I knew PUD could mean something other than....

[RiversideLoki]

A lot of the acronyms can be replaced with their spelled out names/terms via the "censored word replacement" in SMF (the forum software)... which may be a good idea for some terms... but things like RAP and SPAR may not work if you're talking about an actual rapper or a spar of a sailboat. Maybe we could just compile a common list of acronyms and make a sticky?

[Jason]

Let's start compiling a list of common acronyms and definitions in this thread and the we could just throw it all together  in a thread that can be "sticky'd". 


I'll start!

Sticky

Sticky or Sticky'd means to lock a thread at the top of the forum section, typically because it contains important information pertaining to the content in that particular section.