[Clipart] Introduction to the Open Clip Art Library

[Jon Phillips]

On Thu, 2005-06-30 at 20:24 -0400, Jonadab the Unsightly One wrote:
> Nicu Buculei <nicu at apsro.com> writes:
> 
> > Yes, he had a big discussion and the arguments to not use an acronyms
> > were very compelling. But when witting an email so the list, is so
> > easy to use just 4 letters instead of the full name...
> >
> > As you said, when using Library the conjecture is important, because
> > it is a very common term ans is easy to confuse the reader.
> 
> I would say that in general, when dealing with the public, it would be
> best to spell the name out in full, for clarity (or else to use the
> FQDN, in situations where that will allow people to find us more
> easily; OO.o has chosen to make those things one and the same, which
> in some ways is clever, although I personally am not crazy about it).
> 
> However, in a paper, spelling it out in full repeatedly would become
> cumbersome, so what you do is spell it out in full the first time as
> you define it, and then refer to it in shorter forms subsequently.
> For instance, if instead of the Open Clip Art Library you were writing
> a paper about the Federated National Association for Disgruntled
> Postal Workers, the first mention would spell the name out in full and
> define it or describe (very briefly) what it is, but subsequently as
> you are elaborating and making various points you might refer to it as
> "the FNADPG" and/or simply as "the association".
> 
> And I don't mind seeing "OCAL" on the mailing list, simply because the
> people on the mailing list presumably know what it is already, or will
> figure it out quickly.  We subscribed to the list, after all.  Chat
> and private email are even more informal.

Yes, this is a good rule of thumb. I'm changing this in the paper. Open
Clip Art Library will be peppered throughout, but the first reference
says (OCAL) in parentheses.

Jon

-- 
Jon Phillips

USA PH 510.499.0894
jon at rejon.org
http://www.rejon.org

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