Mike Goodspeed wrote:
First, how do we pronounce it? "There's a fsssk meeting tonight at 6:30." "We're having a fssssk InstallFest this weekend!". Acronyms are supposed to be catchy and easy to remember. Most people won't be able to pronounce it. It's no SMaCS, TWiCS, CRU, or even BSU, CGA, or TSU. It lacks, um, vowels.
As I said in response to Peter, the club could be called Free Software Club for short...which is a prefectly good and scope-of-the-organization-capturing name.
Second, FSCK is a gigantic "in-joke". Even if we have little chance of bringing in people who are "in the know", doesn't this joke seem a little elitist? We aren't going to bring in new members by preaching to the ultra-geek crowd. That's what I really love about InstallFest. Normal people interested in Linux!
Since soooooooo many "normal" people understood what TSLUG meant even if they saw what the acronym stood for. The expanded "Free Software Club in Kirksville" stands a way better chance of bringing in Joe User than "Truman State Linux Users Group" which may not even sound like a computer-related club to a large large large number of people.
Third, despite the possible head turns at sidewalk chalk time, let's call a spade a spade -- people are going to read this as fuck. Is that something you want yourself associated with at an academic level? Dr. Beck? Dr. Bindner? Can you see your name on a poster next to a word 30% of the people will at-first-glance perceive to be a curse word? Not me.
IIRC, head turning is _exactly_ what you want...most organizations go through a big hassle of making fancy graphics and colors and whatnot to draw attention to their poster. Most people would , as you say, instantly have to take a second look at the poster...and thus would look at it for longer than the casual glance. This means people might actually read it and might actually become interested in whatever that sign was advertising.
Last, and my main sticky point. When I start applying for jobs from lame MSCEs and way-too-high-level MBAs who don't know grep from their own grip, how am I supposed to explain that the Free Sofw- eh, Linux group I put on my resume was named fssssk? "Oh, wow. It kind of looks like ANOTHER word." "Uh, yeah. It's kind of an inside joke. It stands for Free Software Club in Kirksville, but it is also the name of the Linux file-system check tool. Yeah, I know."
As with all other local groups, you would never put just the acronym on your resume' since no one could be expected to know what they are. Sure, you can put just "ACM" or just "IEEE" since those are nationally-based and well-known organizations (within our field). As for the local ones, I personally think having "Free Software Club in Kirksville" on your resume' looks at least as good as if not better than "Truman State Linux Users Group."
I'd rather we picked something a little more professional. We've got some great minds, and I'm sure we can find something just as creative and yet appropriate.
I would normally agree, but I actually do legitimately feel that the name could be used as both a professional front in its expanded form and as a catchy slogan and whatnot as the acronym.
No offense, Ross.
None taken of course...
Or maybe I've just had a bad day.
Welcome to a new semester. :-/
-- ----------------------------------------------- Ross Day
ITS Web Integration VP, Truman ACM/IEEE
660.785.5218 660.785.4414
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