[Coral-List] define our abbreviations and acronyms

[Douglas Fenner]

   These days everyone slings around acronyms and abbreviations like crazy
(I have a list of 1700 of them in my computer to use like a score card to
try to figure them out).  Using them is obviously a cool thing to do and
shows you're "in the know", besides it saves a few key strokes on your
computer and saves some electrons in electronic publications.  Coral-list
goes out to over 9000 people around the world, most of whom are probably
outside the USA, and many of whom have English as a second language.  I, as
a native English speaker who works on coral reefs, often can't figure out
right away what some of the abbreviations and acronyms mean which are used
in coral-list postings.  We scientists are required in our published papers
to define our abbreviations and acronyms the first time they appear in our
papers.  Yet on coral-list, time and again I see acronyms used without
being defined anywhere in the post, let alone the first time they are
used.  I beg posters to please be considerate of your readers around the
world and define your abbreviations and acronyms.  Yes, you often post
links to web sites that if the user goes to the effort to read and try to
find the definition, they may be able to find it.  But please do your
readers the favor of defining your abbreviations and acronyms in your post,
preferably the first time you use them.    Thank you!
Cheers, Doug

-- 
Douglas Fenner
Ocean Associates, Inc. Contractor
NOAA Fisheries Service
Pacific Islands Regional Office
Honolulu
and:
Consultant
PO Box 7390
Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799  USA

New book "The Uninhabitable Earth"  First sentence: "It is much, much worse
than you think."
Read first (short) chapter open access:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/read-a-chapter-from-the-uninhabitable-earth-a-dire-warning-on-climate-change

Want a Green New Deal?  Here's a better one.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/want-a-green-new-deal-heres-a-better-one/2019/02/24/2d7e491c-36d2-11e9-af5b-b51b7ff322e9_story.html?utm_term=.a3fc8337cbf8

Nations falling short of emissions cuts set by Paris climate pact, analysis
finds
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/11/nations-falling-short-emissions-cuts-set-paris-climate-pact-analysis-finds?utm_campaign=news_daily_2018-11-28&et_rid=17045989&et_cid=2515903