[kypfer]

Am I the only one who gets frustrated when I try to read a posting, only having to go away and try to figure out exactly what is being asked or discussed because I'm unfamiliar with the "three-letter-acronyms" (TLA's) or other abbreviations that litter many messages with no explanation of what is being referred to?


I appreciate that a lot of "text-speak" has merged into modern language (lol) and in a 140-character environment or on a 2400-baud connection they may be desirable, but in the ultra-mega-bandwidths of the modern internet couldn't we stick to at least one occurrence of a fully expanded text definition with the TLA in brackets (as above) if one anticipates using the same phrase on several occasions in the post?

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Last edited by BigMackCam; 07-11-2019 at 01:41 PM. Reason: Removed the second TLA in title to comply with forum rules ;)

[Another dyemention]

Some of them are annoying. Just use google to find out the ones you aren’t sure of.

[dbs]

Why don’t you just use google instead of being a grump? Why should everyone that uses TLA stop because you don’t like it? I bet you give restaurants a bad review if they don’t turn the AC (air conditioning) down just for you. Just use google man. Or madam. HAND (have a nice day)

Hi

Maybe but not everyone here is a millenial..so acronyms are a pain.

[GUB]

I don't think these forums are too bad for cryptic TLAs. That is apart from the fairly standardised ones that are well understood. DR, DoF ,SR, IQ , FPS - etc
But maybe a glossary somewhere would be good.

[Adam]

Am I the only one who gets frustrated when I try to read a posting, only having to go away and try to figure out exactly what is being asked or discussed because I'm unfamiliar with the "three-letter-acronyms" (TLA's) or other abbreviations that litter many messages with no explanation of what is being referred to?


I appreciate that a lot of "text-speak" has merged into modern language (lol) and in a 140-character environment or on a 2400-baud connection they may be desirable, but in the ultra-mega-bandwidths of the modern internet couldn't we stick to at least one occurrence of a fully expanded text definition with the TLA in brackets (as above) if one anticipates using the same phrase on several occasions in the post?

This article may help:
Photography Terms Cheat Sheet - Articles and Tips | PentaxForums.com

[BigMackCam]

Moderating note: I've removed the second TLA in the original title. Thankfully, this was a TLA rather than the actual words, but best to keep things clean in a family-friendly forum

Out of curiosity, what are some of the TLA's that have confounded you?

It's not just these forums, but internet forums and electronic communications in general where some elements of abbreviation have become common. @GUB has mentioned some well-known photography-related acronyms that are not only frequently seen here, but are in common-place use between photographers these days. And it varies by manufacturer... You'll see the term "IS" used on Canon forums instead of "SR", but you'll find some folks use them interchangeably.

We've never encouraged the use of acronyms or cryptic terminology here. It's just an evolution of photographer speak. I do think we sometimes assume everyone knows what we're talking about, but then for those that don't, it's part of the learning process. Earning their stripes, if you will

[dbs]

Just had a browse through the list Adam posted not a TLA anywhere...So what does it mean ? Too Lose Afterwards or.....what.
HAND thats a new one to me aswell

[Lowell Goudge]

I don't think these forums are too bad for cryptic TLAs. That is apart from the fairly standardised ones that are well understood. DR, DoF ,SR, IQ , FPS - etc
But maybe a glossary somewhere would be good.

Ok add to that ISO, TTL, and keep on going with the alphabet soup of acronyms that we use today, but let’s not forget, 3 letter acronyms have been around a long time, just look at corporate logos, IBM , TWA etc.the issue isn’t new. It has been a fact of life for at least As long as capitalism has been around, if not back to people using only their initials in monograms.

[boriscleto]

I thought a TLA was a top level aggregator...

Allacronyms.com tells me there are 218 meaning of LBA...Lens Buying Addiction is way down the list...

[shadowjester]

Or a Transactional Licensing Agreement. God, I was seriously confused for a while.

[GUB]

Ok add to that ISO

I think you will find that Iso is a word not an acronym. Actually acronym is a difficult word to spell - is there an acronym for it?

[tvdtvdtvd]

I had to google 'TLA'. Definitely never seen that one used in a TPS report.

[stevebrot]

I think you will find that Iso is a word not an acronym.

Abbreviation derived, at least in part from various initials (ISA, IOS, OIN) along with the Greek word "isos" ("equals") with the "isos" aspect being stated retrospectively after the name was accepted. The full name in English remains International Organization for Standardization with the earlier version being the rather lengthy International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (abbr ISA).

"ISO" is also a trademark.


Steve

[SSGGeezer]

I though TLA was Temporary Living Arrangement!

As a military retiree, I have been guilty of the use of many TLAs but try to avoid them since they are almost as annoying as people in presentations who make playing Buzz-word Bingo way too easy to play!

[monochrome]

I think you will find that Iso is a word not an acronym. Actually acronym is a difficult word to spell - is there an acronym for it?

ISO is a TLA

Wikipedia history of film sensitivity standards. Here are the sensitivity acronyms most commonly used on PF.

• DIN = Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. (DIN; in English, the German Institute for Standardization)
• ASA = American Standards Association
• ISO = International Organization for Standardization

Edit: ETX