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RE: State names - use abbreviations or spell out?

for

From: Don Hinshaw
Date: Apr 26, 2005 9:54PM

Jukka K. Korpela wrote:

>
> Besides, for about 6 billion people or so, "VA" is not a common
> abbreviation, or means something quite different from "Virginia".
> Thus, use the name, except in contexts where it is conventional to use
> "VA", such as in US postal addresses. (When I see such an address
> and need to use it, I will just copy it verbatim, and I need not know what
> "VA" means - it's just part of a code-like notation.)
>
>
>
I may not have been clear about the context of my question: it is indeed a postal address. But what about the user who doesn't /see/ "VA", but hears it...it might not be clear at all what that meant, no?
It seems to me then that the word should be spelled out for maximum clarity. I thought there might be a universally understood convention, but I realize now that is somewhat silly.

Thanks for everyone's thoughts...it helped me to think about it clearly.

--
Don Hinshaw
Hinshaw Design Group
http://www.hinshawdesign.com