[thelist] Acronym and abbr tags

Austin Harris austin at dotmail.co.uk
Fri Jan 26 14:39:07 CST 2007


This example gets a bit more specific though, the page in question is a "results" page after filling several pages of forms in relation to getting an insurance quote. (Therefore they couldn't just land on this page.) Previous pages have used the "full version" and then the abbreviation, (with an "on page" explanation).

I guess I should have written all of this out at the start ;)

As for the writing bit, I am but a mere front end developer...

My choice is to go for putting the acronym tag on each instance rather than have it written out time after time. IMHO it is clearer and easier to follow that way.

Austin

----- "Steven Streight" <steven.streight at gmail.com> wrote:
> I would not go by any style book or print precedent, at least not
> exclusively. I know that RSS, PHP, LOL, BTW, and other acronyms are 
> widely
> used and known, but it always already depends on the audience.
> 
> You need, to be or to hire, a good web writer to solve this. I imagine
> that
> you could have a footnote system or some other means of handling the
> acronyms, since I agree that spelling out the full words all the time
> could
> cause layout problems and interfere with hurried, impatient
> information
> foraging by users.
> 
> Just realize that each page of the site has to have some decoding of
> the
> acronyms, since you never know what page a user will land on. Assume
> that
> each page must be fully self-explanatory. Users should not have to
> search
> for the one page that defines the acronyms or other esoteric terms.
> 
> "You are not the user", is my mantra.
> 
> On 1/26/07, Joel D Canfield <joel at streamliine.com> wrote:
> >
> > > i can think of one which has ~three times~ as many syllables
> > > when spoken as
> > > the expression it stands for
> >
> > and is, as far as I know, entirely obsolete; or would be, if all
> wwweb
> > servers were properly configured
> >
> > the point that the acronym question has been addressed in print for
> a
> > couple hundred years is well taken, but the web isn't print, even
> when
> > it comes to style. or maybe, *especially* when it comes to style.
> >
> > books don't have the multidimensional ability to refer to the full
> text
> > of an acronym every single time it's used without cluttering a
> reader's
> > vision. nor do they offer the ability to let the user choose
> whether
> > they want acronyms expanded always, never, or on first use. the web
> lets
> > you do that, should you so choose. that way, you don't have to
> decide on
> > behalf of the user which is best.
> >
> > joel
> > --
> >
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> >
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Steven Streight aka Vaspers the Grate
> Web Usability. Blog Revolution. Online Marketing.
> 
> EMAIL steven [dot] streight [at] gmail [dot] com
> 
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> 
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> -- 
> 
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> 
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