# Use of jargon when posting questions **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 17, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962 "2014-03-17T23:01:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/21 "2014-03-18T01:22:44Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Why? We have posts on knitting, supreme court opinions, whether Uwe Boll is a good director, whether an airplane can take off on a treadmill, how to set up a Windows boot drive on an Apple, whether masterbation requires confession according to the Catholic church, which brand of vodka is best, how to have a bra fitted, and anal bleaching - what makes a business discussion here inappropriate? What other topics are inappropriate here? Can you provide a list? > > When I can’t follow the jargon on a thread on legal opinions, or in one where the M.D.s are talking about hormonal disorders or where a bunch of knitters are talking about dropping stitches - I assume that I am not an expert on the topic…I either ask for clarification, stop following the thread, or do the best I can to follow along, but don’t offer opinions since obviously there are people with more expertise in the thread. Why when we have a thread about business topics is the jargon of business suddenly inappropriate? Simple: Because this is not a business forum or a business question. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/22 "2014-03-18T01:23:42Z")
> [@Silvorange](#): > > Well, I did try to figure it out, but wasn’t sure whether “direct report” would mean a person who reported to me, or the person to whom I reported. Reading the entire thread, I was under the impression a ‘direct report’ was the writer’s superior to whom he genuflected before proffering his report. ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/23 "2014-03-18T01:23:49Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Right- in that thread people asked, got a polite explanation and it should’ve ended there. Nothing wrong with googling an unfamiliar term or asking. and there is nothing wrong with writing the question appropriately in the first place! ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/24 "2014-03-18T01:26:38Z")
> [@Melchior](#): > > and there is nothing wrong with writing the question appropriately in the first place! The assertion that it was inappropriate was yours. Other people felt differently. Please do not confuse opinion with fact. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/25 "2014-03-18T01:27:26Z")
I get not understanding a term. I didn’t know what a C-level was either. (I don’t quite get the confusion about direct report; it seems obvious to me that there are two ways to go here and simply reading the rest of the OP should have eliminated one as a nonsensical proposition. Either that or I am unique in not being given the authority to discipline my bosses.) What I don’t understand is why a failure on your part that is easily rectified by googling or simply continuing to read the thread is someone else’s problem. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/26 "2014-03-18T01:29:28Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > It should be the board’s real slogan: “If I don’t know it, it doesn’t exist or isn’t important.” Who’s Radiohead? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/27 "2014-03-18T01:29:31Z")
> [@Melchior](#): > > Simple: Because this is not a business forum or a business question. What other subjects are off limits? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/28 "2014-03-18T01:32:56Z")
It’s simply because the answer to those threads required knowledge of the terminology, while the answer to the “direct report” thread did not. There are many people who could provide useful answers but not know the exact terms. This was even proven in the thread itself. If you don’t know about Bootcamp or LAMP, you just can’t answer the question being asked. I assume the same about the experimental design thread. Also, those were in GQ, which is often a more technical forum, while the other question was in IMHO, a more general audience forum. Posting in IMHO means you are asking laypeople for their opinions, not just asking the experts for information, as you are in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/29 "2014-03-18T01:37:06Z")
So what? What exactly is the consequence here? Someone who uses those term at work, which takes up 8-10 hours a day, five days a week wrote an OP and used those same terms. Terms he may use daily in casual conversation among friends and coworkers, so they flow naturally when speaking about work. Within a few posts any confusion was cleared up. What’s the big fricking deal? Is everyone so afraid of looking foolish they can’t handle a term that’s unfamiliar to them? ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/30 "2014-03-18T01:43:08Z")
I am oddly amused that there are now two topics, both of which are being hijacked over the inane twaddle of which words were used, which were not only clear in context, but also asked and answered. Some of you really need to get out more. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/31 "2014-03-18T01:44:34Z")
It never would have occurred to me that “direct report” was anything but an ordinary term well-understood by the vast majority of English-speaking Americans. Apparently, it’s not, but it’s quite possible the OP had no idea. > [@turtlescanfly](#): > > (I call bullshit on those that said they work in corporate environments and never heard those terms…you haven’t been paying attention). I’d actually never heard the term. Everybody’s experience is different. That said, I figured it out from context by post 5 and it was explained directly in post 9, so no biggie. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/32 "2014-03-18T01:45:27Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I get not understanding a term. I didn’t know what a C-level was either. (I don’t quite get the confusion about direct report; it seems obvious to me that there are two ways to go here and simply reading the rest of the OP should have eliminated one as a nonsensical proposition. Either that or I am unique in not being given the authority to discipline my bosses.) What I don’t understand is why a failure on your part that is easily rectified by googling or simply continuing to read the thread is someone else’s problem. Because, if you ask someone for their opinion, the expectation is that you will give them all the information they need to make that opinion. In fact, in general, it is expected that, when anyone communicates anything, you will be given all the information necessary to understand that communication. How often do you see people walking around with dictionaries so that they can understand their friends? The expectation is that the person talking will tailor their explanation to their intended audience, not that the audience will have reference material at the ready to decipher the needed information. I do agree with you that you did not need to know what either term meant to understand the post. But I also understand how repeated use of an unknown term can be offputting, and that post used “direct report” over and over (I think in an attempt to avoid using gendered pronouns). It increased the amount of effort needed to understand the post, above what is usually the case. And, again, it is expected that the person asking for advice or opinions will do everything they can to be understood. The OP failed at that expectation, and others were trying to help. It’s very clear that the OP thought that those terms were more common than they actually are. They did not anticipate anyone not understanding them. And, again, that’s because even the OP knows what is generally expected when asking people for their opinions. Are you sure you don’t know about this expectation? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/33 "2014-03-18T01:47:42Z")
Again, if you either do not understand direct report and c-level or lack the wherewithal or brainpower to look it up or simply keep reading, your opinion on the topic is unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/34 "2014-03-18T01:47:46Z")
> [@PatriotGrrrl](#): > > What other subjects are off limits? It was not the content of the question, but the way it was put. It was asked in such a way that was inappropriate _here_. Is that so hard to grasp? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/35 "2014-03-18T01:49:41Z")
This is all above my pay grade. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/36 "2014-03-18T01:49:47Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Because, if you ask someone for their opinion, the expectation is that you will give them all the information they need to make that opinion. That’s an unreasonable standard to hold anyone to in casual conversation. Plus, the OP probably thought that was exactly what he did do, and when it became clear that not everyone understood it got clarified. If people have to second guess what they say in case someone won’t understand some less than immediately obvious term, that would be a real shame. Let people talk- it’s a conversation with give and take. Who cares if you have to ask “I’m not familiar with that term. Can you explain it?” Big deal. You might learn something new. ---
**Author:** ![Melchior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Melchior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melchior)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/37 "2014-03-18T01:50:03Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Because, if you ask someone for their opinion, the expectation is that you will give them all the information they need to make that opinion. > > In fact, in general, it is expected that, when anyone communicates anything, you will be given all the information necessary to understand that communication. How often do you see people walking around with dictionaries so that they can understand their friends? The expectation is that the person talking will tailor their explanation to their intended audience, not that the audience will have reference material at the ready to decipher the needed information. > > I do agree with you that you did not need to know what either term meant to understand the post. But I also understand how repeated use of an unknown term can be offputting, and that post used “direct report” over and over (I think in an attempt to avoid using gendered pronouns). It increased the amount of effort needed to understand the post, above what is usually the case. > > And, again, it is expected that the person asking for advice or opinions will do everything they can to be understood. The OP failed at that expectation, and others were trying to help. It’s very clear that the OP thought that those terms were more common than they actually are. They did not anticipate anyone not understanding them. > > And, again, that’s because even the OP knows what is generally expected when asking people for their opinions. Are you sure you don’t know about this expectation? Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/38 "2014-03-18T01:52:04Z")
There’s a lot of stuff that Dopers talk about that I’m clueless about. This is why google is my friend. It helps me out in real life too. However, I am really glad that someone asked what “C-level” means. Because I am lazy and I don’t particularly enjoy opening up a new tab in my browser just so that I can better understand a thread I’m really not THAT interested in anyway. I really hate when people don’t tailor their language for their audience. I work with techies and science professionals who elicit eye-rolls from their coworkers (behind their backs) because they somehow never learned that simpler doesn’t mean “dumbed down”. Simpler just means you will be understood by everyone in the room, including your boss. Sometimes I get the feeling these folks don’t really want to be understood, because they think smart people are SUPPOSED to be hard to figure out. But then they seethe when someone who works hard to communicate effectively gets promoted over them. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/39 "2014-03-18T01:54:56Z")
Moved from IMHO to ATMB. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962/40 "2014-03-18T01:57:14Z")
> [@Melchior](#): > > It was not the content of the question, but the way it was put. It was asked in such a way that was inappropriate _here_. Is that so hard to grasp? It’s not so much that it’s hard to grasp, but that it’s wrong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-jargon-when-posting-questions/683962.md?page=3)