Greg
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,800
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Post by Greg on Feb 10, 2011 1:10:08 GMT
Hello guys and gals.
I just wanted to bring something up that has been on my mind for a while. I've noticed that a lot of new folks are joining us here at SBG. With the influx of new members, they have a lot of questions that we as veterans know the answers to. However, sometimes the information we give comes with quite a few abbreviations.
HT, VA, DSA, CSS, CS, KC, WSS, COP, COB and the list goes on.
I remember my first time on the forums was filled with confusion when people would answer my questions with abbreviations that I did not know.
So if everyone will join me in an effort to spell out abbreviations the first time we mention them, ie. "Hanwei/Tinker" (H/T), instead of saying the commonly used serial number of a sword: VA303s, lets go ahead and say Valiant Armory Practical Arming Sword (VA303s). At the very least lets try and do this in the beginners forum, to help new members get a hold on the lingo.
Thanks,
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Post by Student of Sword on Feb 10, 2011 1:16:10 GMT
I also want to add to Greg already mentioned acronym, foreign terminology -- especially with Japanese sword. For example, instead of saying "tsuka," on the first time the word is used in a post, say "handle (tsuka)." Then after that, use the word tsuka for the rest of the post.
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Post by chrisperoni on Feb 10, 2011 1:27:22 GMT
I'm down. I think I do this already but I'll keep an extra close eye on myself
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Greg
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,800
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Post by Greg on Feb 10, 2011 1:30:13 GMT
Good call Student, heck, I've been hanging around here a year and still couldn't tell you all the parts to a katana.. then again, I don't hang around you crazy types all to much.  I remember putting a concious effort into it half a year ago, but then I caught myself helping some new members using SBG slang, I quickly corrected myself and thought I'd post this reminder. |
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Post by Midori Kawakami on Feb 10, 2011 1:37:43 GMT
Excellent idea! it is something that I attempt to do anyway, but I forget and get lazy at times. When I know it's a new member, I do try my best.
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SanMarc
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,193
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Post by SanMarc on Feb 10, 2011 7:26:10 GMT
Your no fun Greg!! I had to learn the hard way and am still in the dark when it comes to the likes of the AT1202 and so forth!?  ...................SanMarc. |
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Greg
Senior Forumite
Posts: 1,800
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Post by Greg on Feb 10, 2011 8:08:31 GMT
You and me both buddy! It took me FOREVER to figure out what this 1557 everyone was talking about. And now I don't even know what tho's numbers mean, but I at least know what it looks like now.
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Post by caferacer on Feb 10, 2011 8:33:14 GMT
you mean like 6550, 12ax7, SVT, JCM900, oops wrong forum!
let's see now... A833, 727, 440, 8 3/4, no thats not right !
oh I give up.....it happens everywhere, just part of the learning curve
you are correct though, it is a good idea to spell out what it is you are talking about once in a while, (I could not figure out what an EMSHS was)
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SanMarc
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,193
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Post by SanMarc on Feb 10, 2011 9:29:58 GMT
What!?........A What was that!?
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Post by MEversbergII on Feb 10, 2011 10:11:30 GMT
Early Medieval Single Handed Sword I know something for once. Yey. M. |
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Post by whitefeathers on Feb 10, 2011 13:13:38 GMT
yes I like this too. Ill try my best to generalize things too. and it will help non Euro sword people like me understand what the heck you people are talking about
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Alan Schiff
Registered
Manufacturers and Vendors
Posts: 469
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Post by Alan Schiff on Feb 10, 2011 18:33:50 GMT
I think this is a good idea as well, and I will make an effort to spell out the words early in a thread.
However, it doesn't help as much with older threads and not everyone will buy into doing this. Might I suggest we see about starting a sticky defining common acronyms? That way newcomers (and others) will have a place to look up what they mean if they come across one that they don't understand. There's something like that over at SwordForum (or at least there used to be), and it helped me immensely when I first started collecting.
Just a thought,
Alan
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Post by Tendrax on Feb 10, 2011 19:04:05 GMT
That's what I was thinking.
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Post by Elheru Aran on Feb 10, 2011 21:43:42 GMT
I have been thinking that we could use a sticky to contain a series of articles that explain basic sword stuff. Yes, this is already covered on the main site (SBG), but not everybody checks that out on a regular basis, and much of the stuff on SBG starts out here anyway.
Something like "Sword Care and Cleaning 101", because there's a lot of questions about "how do I clean my first sword" and whatever. Then "How to Cut Safely and With Fun", "Parts of the Sword/Katana"... etc. Put all of that into a sticky thread which only the admins can add to. Any more specific questions can then be directed to the appropriate forums-- for example, "I have an Hanwei xx, I want to do y to it, etc", post that in the right forum, but "I have a Hanwei xx, how do i clean it," then someone can go "Dude, check out the sticky here" rather than spend another thread talking about things that most of the current posters already know...
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Post by MEversbergII on Feb 10, 2011 23:42:34 GMT
If the forum software can be coded to parse K O and A into KOA, then perhaps it can do acronym tooltips like Dakkadakka's forum?
M.
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Post by Sir Tre on Feb 11, 2011 0:48:17 GMT
agreed... a lot of folks, like myself, had never experienced such things until joining a forum. it took time. and possibly these acronyms and abbreviations are not always universal. also it would be nice to put a thread in beginner forum that has a key to these that we use on SBG.
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Post by caferacer on Feb 12, 2011 2:55:53 GMT
exactly! if you were to develop an interest in vintage guitar amps, or classic mopar (Chrysler) muscle cars,
you would encounter the same problems on those forum's, as someone new to sword collecting does when they first find us and read GSOW, C.O.P. H/T, K,O,A, point is it is not uniquely our problem, it happens everywhere, that said it would make things a lot easier if every one occasionally, not all the time, just once in a while, took the time to spell things out,
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pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Feb 15, 2011 18:06:58 GMT
I served under a colonel once that didn’t want any order or report to be understood, verbal or written. I can still hear his voice. He wanted one that could not be misunderstood.
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...................SanMarc.
