Down With Acronyms

Apparently LOL can also mean League of Legends (game; no, I haven't a clue either).

I have found the online "Urban Dictionary" quite useful at times.

spanishsue I also thought that 'LOL' meant 'lots of love'. The first time that I used 'LOL' I added it to a message that I'd sent a Facebook friend. She had had her dog 'put to sleep'...you can imagine how I felt when the penny eventually dropped and I realised that I had been an SOS (Sausage to all those who think I'm being crude).

Ooh, I must have missed all those 'I'm oh so perfect' posts Gardenman99

Hadn't realised Mary Poppins had joined.
Must check out the welcome page
Are you on the welcome page Gardenman99 ?
if so you will get a nice welcome to GN ( that's Gransnet)

I agree with you Gwoof it's like text talk. It's very distracting when one is trying to read someone's post.

However I have noticed on here that if one dares to comment on something as soon as one disagrees others like to jump on the bandwagon to tell us how they are 'oh so perfect.

Wonderful

Some of the acronyms aren't too obvious! When I first joined Facebook, I kept seeing 'LOL' and thought it meant 'lots of love' !!!!!!!!!!

I rarely use acronyms because having been a touch-typist for over 50 years, for me it's quicker to type the words rather than go looking to find what the acronym is!

But I appreciate it's eaiser for those who aren't 'typists' find it easier to shorten words to acronyms and just gloss over those if I don't know what they are! But I probably read the relationship forum the most so I've worked out what the DD, DiL etc are!

But outside of Gransnet, I abhor acronyms in business communication or general media communication! They assume that everybody knows what the acronym is! At least give the full wording initially then shorten it to the acronym later and give poor readers a fighting chance.

The point is that Gransnet is inclusive It includes things (comments) one doesn't like as well as things one does. Both ways.

I wouldn't call you whiners, but I would say that surely you didn't join without first reading through the posts to decide whether or not you would like it here. You must have seen the acronyms then. Joining was your own choice.

So is joining any particular conversation - you might choose to avoid certain topics. Also some threads include references to concepts or information that you haven't met, using words you don't recognise. If you want to join that thread, you either look up what is unfamiliar or you work out from the context what they must mean - or lurk quietly for a while and learn a lot. There have been complaints they posters should only use words and concepts that everyone understands, and not discuss anything in any more depth than that, but I don't imagine you would go along with that?

if

I called the complaining whining, bb. I did not call any individual a whiner. Those two things are different.

I regard certain kinds of complaining as whining. I'm allowed to think that and to express that opinion just as (as I clearly indicated with the phrase "which is fine") others are allowed to do what I call whining.

I just checked possible meanings of "whine". They include: "to complain peevishly". I checked peevish as well. Its meanings include: "complaining".

So, I think it is clear that people can complain of they want to (what various people are defending) including complaining about certain kinds of complaints (what I'm doing). Equality is thus achieved.

I don't think it's fair to call it whining to have a different opinion and not be afraid to air it. I don't whine like everthankful I just get on with not using them and translating but it doesn't mean we can't comment on a thread like this without getting called whiners

Rarely use them, make a conscious effort to use full words. It's not time consuming or difficult with predictive text and word check, in fact it takes longer to work out and type the acronym. My iPad usually predicts the word at the first couple of letters so it's easier to use full words. Needs to be proof read first though as sometimes it replaces the intended word with what it thinks you mean and can make an interesting, if not confusing read!

The thing about an open forum like Gransnet is that it is inclusive by nature: anyone can join in anytime anywhere on the forums. Like every other human endeavour that has been going for a while it has picked up some habits. There are two options for people who are recent joiners: muck in and get used to the habits (all the 'oldies' had to right from the start because the basic acronyms were adopted from Mumsnet before Gransnet had any members; why should now joiner-inners be different from then joiner-inners?), or, secondly, adopt the evolutionary approach that elegran has touched on.

In my experience there are very few acronyms other than the standard mumsnet/gransnet ones used so, really, I think people who are complaining are just enjoying whining about something they're not used to. Which is fine, I hasten to add, but so is a certain level of lack of sympathy from people who have buckled down and got used to the 'culture' in question.

Gwoof I absolutely agree.

Thank you all for posting your different opinions on use of acronyms.
My bugbear is use of obscure ones and overuse of general ones.
I have no objection to everyday acronyms like TV or even OH, DIL and all those relevant Gransnet terms.
it doesn't have to be a black or white solution. The important thing is to consider how we affect others and whether we want to make some little changes to include more people in enjoying our posts.
Ttfn

It just sounds so ordinary when people just refer to their S or their D.

(I did like secret societies as a child)

You don't change a culture from outside, or by telling the people who are quite happy with it that they ought to change. (If it has aspects of gross unfairness or cruelty, then you can appeal to their better nature, or you can invade their sovereignty and force change, but if they themselves don't want it, then you will spend eternity policing them)

The most you can do is to not follow that culture yourself, but to act as you think should be done and hope they follow your example. Applying that to acronyms (a sledgehammer to crack a peanut, admittedly) you must just keep on typing out the full words of everything you post. You may need a lot of patience though. Evolution takes a long time.

To say it is the culture of Gransnet does not mean it cannot change but only if members want it to, joyfully and most people seem happy enough with the status quo
La, la, la, la

Auntieflo I was just going to put that

Hardly!!! I was talking about my grandson!

Jings, how about NORWICH?