When I’m not where I want to be, which is behind my home computer, I’m where I have to be, which is behind a work computer. An Army work computer.

Please Note:  I’m not IN the Army; I just work for the Army. The reactions to that statement vary, but the most interesting was in one of my online classes.  I have to post a bio at the beginning of every class. It’s the same bio every time (duh! Work smarter and all that…), but this one particular class a student posted a reply to my bio, “Thank you for your service to our country”.

Awwwwww….

That was so sweet and instead of milking that situation for all it was worth, I replied, “Oh no, thank you, but no. I am not in the Army, I just work for the Army”, she replied that I helped the soldiers one way or another so it didn’t matter.  Now that’s stretching it, but who am I to argue? Bring on the praise if you makes you feel any better.

The reason why I mention all this is because the Army functions on Acronyms.  Which can always be entertaining.  For example…the following is a real and true statement…”The PM’s and PMS’s are responsible to update their ACRB’s, IDP’s, ULO’s, and keep up with P2, RMS, CEFMS, while managing all LCC’s, CLCC’s, FWI’s, and MIPR’s.”   See…wasn’t that fun?!

When in a world that revolves around acronyms and text messages that have all sorts of abbreviations, sometimes it is tempting to compose emails in the same manner.  Stop it!  This is when abbreviations and acronyms, go wrong. Very, very wrong.

Abbreviations that should not be used:

Red Hat Society hosted PMS – Pretty Marvelous Sale. (I don’t believe the Red Hat Society members can even remember what real PMS was…but just my opinion)

Fulton Unity Christian Knights…well, you get that one. Gooooo…FU…uhmm, KNIGHTS!

Wedding invites are telling you to STD! – Save the Date.  Not chlamydia.

Some emailed words that should never be abbreviated:

Analysts or Analyzed is not ANAL. Well, that’s kinda debatable.

Assistant is not ASS.  Again…I guess it could be depending on the person.

 

Here are some great photo examples of when not to abbreviate or turn into an acronym:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the proper list…please see poster below. I’m pretty sure it was written by a teenager, so we can trust it