3 ms·

Good explanations. However having to ask indicates these phrases communicate poorly. (This obfuscation, as the article states, is intentional.) Instead of "gre

by mLuby 9y ago

Good explanations. However having to ask indicates these phrases communicate poorly. (This obfuscation, as the article states, is intentional.) Instead of "green field", for example, call the project "brand new" or "from scratch". There's no need to concoct additional synonyms in a language that already has so many. Further reading: - Orwell's "Politics and the English Language" - Musk's "Acronyms Seriously Suck"

ucaetano 9y ago
> However having to ask indicates these phrases communicate poorly. No, they actually speed up communication. Sure, to someone outside that area of work, it might seem like poor communication, but that's valid for any profession. > This obfuscation, as the article states, is intentional. Might be in some cases, but dismissing all of it as obfuscation is naive. > Instead of "green field", for example, call the project "brand new" or "from scratch". No, doesn't have the same meaning. Both "brand new" or "from scratch" might also refer to the design. Building a "brand new" datacenter "from scratch" doesn't have the same meaning as calling it "a green field project". Every profession has its own language. Just because you don't understand, doesn't mean it is obfuscation, or inefficient.
- sailfast 9y ago
  I agree that this language can be useful in a specific domain, but you should not underestimate the barriers this creates to actual communication, confusion because you think it means one thing and your colleague thinks it means another, and/or alienating those outside the team that uses it and understands it. This goes for any language, business or otherwise. This is a real problem, especially for customer facing teams that continue to speak their own language instead of the client's language, and it will destroy your relationships if you do it wrong. The article is about this language being used to convey expertise when it does not exist (understanding of the language does not imply understanding of the subject you're supposed to know, but may make you sound smart in a meeting). Obviously feel free to keep using the terms if they work for you, but do so while also knowing the impact of the words. TL;DR: Words matter, sounds like you are of the same opinion :) As long as we use them purposefully and understand the trade-offs, all good.

by mLuby 9y ago

ucaetano 9y ago

> However having to ask indicates these phrases communicate poorly. No, they actually speed up communication. Sure, to someone outside that area of work, it might seem like poor communication, but that's valid for any profession. > This obfuscation, as the article states, is intentional. Might be in some cases, but dismissing all of it as obfuscation is naive. > Instead of "green field", for example, call the project "brand new" or "from scratch". No, doesn't have the same meaning. Both "brand new" or "from scratch" might also refer to the design. Building a "brand new" datacenter "from scratch" doesn't have the same meaning as calling it "a green field project". Every profession has its own language. Just because you don't understand, doesn't mean it is obfuscation, or inefficient.

sailfast 9y ago
I agree that this language can be useful in a specific domain, but you should not underestimate the barriers this creates to actual communication, confusion because you think it means one thing and your colleague thinks it means another, and/or alienating those outside the team that uses it and understands it. This goes for any language, business or otherwise. This is a real problem, especially for customer facing teams that continue to speak their own language instead of the client's language, and it will destroy your relationships if you do it wrong. The article is about this language being used to convey expertise when it does not exist (understanding of the language does not imply understanding of the subject you're supposed to know, but may make you sound smart in a meeting). Obviously feel free to keep using the terms if they work for you, but do so while also knowing the impact of the words. TL;DR: Words matter, sounds like you are of the same opinion :) As long as we use them purposefully and understand the trade-offs, all good.