TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
(a) Broadband Network Analyzer is certainly not a very distinctive
name and I think anyone would have a tough time claiming it as
a trademark, and (b) it's a woefully long name; I'd suggest
using "BNA" extensively in your documentation.
True "Broadband Network Analyzer" is not a very distinctive name, but
then, neither is "BNA." Unless your product is consistently, and
throughout all printed/electronic media, referred to by its
abbreviation, a user who uses a User's Manual as a reference
manual (i.e., most users) will not necessarily see the spot where
you defined BNA. This would earn the user a trip to the glossary - an
extra step.
Another word or two about using abbreviations:
When you abbreviate, it's more likely that you run into trademark
problems. Even if the name of your product has cleared Legal,
abbreviations are common to many different combinations of words, and
may, therefore, already be registered (e.g., Bank of North America,
Benevolent Nursing Association, and Be Nice to Animals, Inc.
would also be BNA). So, be sure that your abbreviations have also been
searched before including them in documentation.
--Seth Greenberg
seth -at- marketing -dot- nice -dot- com
Tel Aviv
