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TLA's in beekeeping context aren't generally hard to work out if one has half a brain. Before I was banned from the LBKA ( there goes another TLA) the responses I got from some of the users appeared to not have a brain as they were coming up with all sorts of nonsense which had no reference to beekeeping.
 
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Three letter acronyms (TLA's) and other jargon are quite common in all sorts of different clubs and organisations, they add a certain air of exclusivity, a level of 'I'm an expert' and you're an acolyte or a beginner, come with me on the journey and you too will gain the knowledge.

Also they give you a level of exclusivity over those that don't want to gain the knowledge like the general public. The only problem is the old saying 'a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous'. For instance a MOP (member of the public) not knowing the difference between a swarm and a nest.
 
Three letter acronyms (TLA's) and other jargon are quite common in all sorts of different clubs and organisations, they add a certain air of exclusivity, a level of 'I'm an expert' and you're an acolyte or a beginner, come with me on the journey and you too will gain the knowledge.

Also they give you a level of exclusivity over those that don't want to gain the knowledge like the general public. The only problem is the old saying 'a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous'. For instance a MOP (member of the public) not knowing the difference between a swarm and a nest.
I think ignorance might really be bliss. I had to look up what TLA meant to start with. Now I know I don't think I even care, the use of acronyms and also jargon has always been one of my 'pet hates'; it's always left me thinking that the writer intends to convey something only to those who are 'in the know'.
 
SLTP's and a BSG before dinner were my favourite acronyms on the boats,
Sunday Lunchtime Pints during an easy patrol and a British Standard Gallon of Bass in the Dolphin in Plymouth Barbican or either the Seven Stars or the Chainlocker at Falmouth.
way back in the days when we worked hard and played hard.
 
I have noted many occasions on which users of this forum have used abbreviations such as this. Is this a "British thing"?
All through my working life I have learned that abbreviations in an article should never be used unless the particular phrase had previously been mentioned in that article.
I don’t know if it a British thing but I can say the British armed forces and civil service are atrocious for it. If you read any civilian job opportunity offered and can make out all the acronyms referred to in the job description you are probably the only person qualified to do the job.

I was also taught that one should use the full wording / title followed by any acronym in brackets befor using the actinium. This was insisted upon when writing reports for councillors / board members etc or any document that might be read by public or people outside the business/ organisation.

Three letter acronyms (TLA's) and other jargon are quite common in all sorts of different clubs and organisations, they add a certain air of exclusivity, a level of 'I'm an expert' and you're an acolyte or a beginner

Pembroke is correct but there are many 4/ 5 letter acronyms that once you know them it’s hard not to feel Clever by repeating them . Keep it simple stupid (kiss) & proper preparation prevents poor performance ( the 5 ps) add another if you like.

Text talk has probably done more to destroy English grammar than any other single factor lol . And forums like this have certainly removed the formality once used when communicating through the written word with someone you didn’t know or were not familiar.

However getting any of the CDs or SDEs on here never mind those who are obviously on the spectrum or indeed have CRS not to mention ADS and possibly cds to change is like trying to count the stars and possibly like their invaluable experience makes the forum a better place for it.\]
 
Exactly

I have noticed worrying signs creeping into this forum of an inability to use Google Search before asking very basic questions

I do google most things and find that when googling anything bee related it is responses and answers from this forum that are generally at the top of the list.
However invariably there are a number of alternative answers to chose from and some are surprisingly contradictory, or don’t quite fit the circumstance. I am then left with asking on the forum in the hope that a consensus may have been formed on any given subject since the question was last asked.
 
I do google most things and find that when googling anything bee related it is responses and answers from this forum that are generally at the top of the list.
However invariably there are a number of alternative answers to chose from and some are surprisingly contradictory, or don’t quite fit the circumstance. I am then left with asking on the forum in the hope that a consensus may have been formed on any given subject since the question was last asked.
Mark, what do you build, by the way?
 
Currently I’m developing tomorrow’s hangover,

My day job is building houses or more accurately. I now work locally for a volume house builder and try to ensure the individuals and contractors doing the work on site are doing it right, whilst maintaining my employers CTQ targets.
In my free time I try develop my little people into rounded human beings and in my spare time I talk to my bees or you lot.

Why do you ask?
 
Qsk, cq cq dx this is 163 bravo Mike 01 calling and standing by :giggle:.
I still have qsl cards somewhere.
Thanks for making me remember my later teens when I started to drive.:)
Can you qrz the thread any way this is boring.
 
Well Understanding Bees will certainly have more of an understanding of acronyms than dead bees now ;)
Your reply, Dani, “Well Understanding Bees will certainly have more of an understanding of acronyms than dead bees now”, made me smile. It has indeed been an eye-opener for me to experience the meandering path that the comments on this thread have taken. First of all, I appreciate the comments on the likely answer to my original question.

When it comes to the matter of acronyms being used in publications or documents, authors need to recognise the level of knowledge and understanding of their target audience. There are very many abbreviations or acronyms which have found their way into our everyday lives, and which are indispensable. Just think of AM and PM when it comes to reporting the time of day, or GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) which is referenced on a world-wide basis.

We use words – we need them – to communicate. With the advancement of technology there has been the need to find the most appropriate word, or perhaps to invent a word, to describe the subject under discussion. It is also part of human nature to try to find an easier or better way to achieve our goals. We abbreviate commonly used words so that they become part of the language – for example we talk about “phone calls” rather than “telephone calls”.

But sometimes there are needs for abbreviations to become part of the language. For example everyone knows what TV is, and sometimes we even use the unabbreviated form “television”. In this discussion thread, somebody referred to “scuba” diving, when perhaps they should really have called it SCUBA diving, where SCUBA is an acronym for “Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus”. Many documents might become very tedious if acronyms were forbidden, if we consider examples such as the following:
RADAR – Radio Detection And Ranging,
LASER – Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation,
LED – Light Emitting Diode.

So what factors should determine the use of acronyms? The preceding examples are acronyms which have become part of our language. They are understood by virtually everyone. These acronyms have become words in their own right, and sometimes without being capitalized.

Whenever acronyms are used in technical documents, or in discussions of niche subjects, writers have an obligation to explain exactly what they are talking about when they use acronyms. It is perfectly understandable that Ham Radio operators might use a plethora of abbreviations. During my working life as a computer programmer and systems analyst my environment was like an “alphabet soup” of acronyms, which sometimes required carefully determining which of two quite different values was being referred to. Please pardon this brief digression, which IBM database users might enjoy. We had SSA, and SSB; PSA and PSB; and a whole lot more, where the A’s and B’s did not provide minor distinctions. It would be like using the abbreviation “CH”, when sometimes I meant “Chalk” and sometimes I meant “Cheese”.

When it comes to beekeeping there are many concepts which we need to learn about. This forum has provided very helpful assistance on many occasions, but this has not always been the case. On the one hand, somebody said that we should use Google to find the answer; but how many times have there been disparaging, disrespectful or demeaning comments made by some members of this forum about things which have been found on the Internet?

I for one would like my contributions to this forum to be helpful and informative. I have appreciated those answers to my questions which were helpful rather than the opposite. There may be a place for well understood acronyms to be used in our discussion threads. However, if these discussions are to prove helpful to beginners there should be a willingness by contributors to give clear, concise, easily understood advice. Acronyms should be avoided unless they have been suitably explained in the same discussion.
 
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I’m quite astonished at some of the comments on this thread. If you want to be a beekeeper there are a lot of basics that need to be learnt and diseases is pretty crucial. Not to know what CBPV or DWV is smacks of ignorance or laziness (ie not bothering to google it before you ask the question). It’s not used to show off or in arrogance, it’s standard language in our ‘trade’ and just a PITA (pain in the arse) to keep typing the entire thing out when any beekeeper should really know what it means. Newbies included.
 
Agree all the tla's are a version of short hand to save writing out the longer word, it isn't particularly hard to cypher in the context of the subject at hand being discussed about. If one is talking about feeding or insulation above or below the CB, then a CB is easy it's not a radio term as some twonk implied on the LBKA group chat. And like wise if one is one is talking disease or brood issues CB is again quite simple to cypher.
As you say Moobee it isn't about being clever, smug or better but simply simplicity in typing a message.
 
As a journalist, I'd say it's about judging your audience as to whether to use an acronym or abbreviation. As has been mentioned, BBC, TV, SCUBA, LASER, and RADAR are all so common and widely understood that the last three (which are acronyms: abbreviations that can be pronounced) are rarely capitalised.

To the original point, most beekeepers could be expected to know what CBPV is as it's in fairly common usage. CB - is that chilled brood? Not sure I've ever seen that abbreviation before but I was able to make what I hope is a fairly educated guess as to what is meant because of its context.

What isn't countenancable is the use of language of any sort designed to make the writer look clever. It never works. And I have to say, I don't often see it here...

Tin hat on!
 

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