Initials at the End
J. C. R. Davis
with variations of initials (e.g. TMD:jcrd or TMD/jcrd). Sometimes I've
just seen one set of initials though (e.g. :jcrd or /jcrd, or even :JCRD or
/JCRD). Can someone provide the rules of using these ... what are they
called anyway? (Links are helpful as well.) Thanks a lot.
--JCRD
Me Again
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/stanleyc/obe130/obe130notes.html
<quote>
Reference Information: Reference initials: If you compose and dictate
the letter,
but someone else prepares the printed copy, both
individuals' initials should appear at the bottom of
the letter.
The composer's initials are in all capitals with no
punctuation followed by a slash or colon
Then the preparer's initials in small letters.
Reference Information: Reference initials: If you do everything,
You do not need to include reference initials.
No reference initials means the signer has full
responsibility for the letter.
Very common with wordprocessors.
</quote>
jc
Reinhold (Rey) Aman
[snip]
> When the boss types his or her own letter, you might see"TMD/tmd." My
> own preference is "NJK/me."
Short for "Naomi (Jewess) Kahn/MeMe."
===========================
Visit Dr. Aman's Gallery of Net Geeks
===========================
Obese MeMe "The Whale" Kahn:
http://www.sonic.net/maledicta/meme-kahn.jpg
Young MeMe Kahn. Now, 50 years later, she looks worse:
http://www.sonic.net/maledicta/meme-young.jpg
MeMe Kahn now. Her scary, hideous face can't be shown: <--NEW!
http://www.sonic.net/maledicta/meme-now.jpg
MeMe Kahn's mad attack dog, Mongoloid "Junior":
http://www.sonic.net/maledicta/junior.jpg
"Polar," the Sex-crazed Social Activist:
http://www.sonic.net/maledicta/polar.jpg
The Stupid, Boooring & Thieving "Red Queen":
http://www.sonic.net/maledicta/red-queen.jpg
--
Dr. Reinhold (Rey) Aman
Editor & Publisher, MALEDICTA
Santa Rosa, CA 95402, USA
http://www.sonic.net/maledicta/
Unna
>
> When writing letters for someone else, a secretary usually ends the letter
> with variations of initials (e.g. TMD:jcrd or TMD/jcrd). Sometimes I've
> just seen one set of initials though (e.g. :jcrd or /jcrd, or even :JCRD or
> /JCRD). Can someone provide the rules of using these ... what are they
> called anyway? (Links are helpful as well.) Thanks a lot.
The standard form form is XX:yy where
XX are the initials of the composer and yy are the initials of the
typist.
We called them "chops" or "chop mark", which I believe comes from the
Chinese and/or Indian initial stamps that would be used to sign
"official" correspondence. These were/are called chop blocks, and
usually had an ornate initial carved in them. I don't know if this is
an "official" name, or even in common use.
With the advent of having a computer on nearly everyone's desktop, most
letters are typed by the composer, obviating the need for "chops".
Especially since I can type nearly twice as fast as my office "typist",
I whimsically put UC:uc for my chop mark.
Unna
J. C. R. Davis
Can someone provide the rules for "chop marks" such as "/jd" or ":jd" or
"/JD" and ":JD"? Would these initials be the composer's or the typist's?
Which capitalization is correct? (Am I being clear enough?)
-- JCRD
(Thanks for the info, Unna!)
Philip Newton
Did you see "Me Again"'s post <366A1F3D...@rahul.net>
from 05 Dec 1998 22:04:02 PST? That included a quote from
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/stanleyc/obe130/obe130notes.html
which seemed to clarify the issue. (The quote is from about
halfway through the page, which is some text on Business
Communications, apparently lecture notes from a class by a Dr.
Craig E. Stanley of California State University, Sacramento.)
Briefly: Composer in caps, then slash or colon, then preparer
(typist) in lowercase. Also says that if one person does everything,
you do not need the reference initials, and that this is "very
common with word processors".
HTH
Cheers,
Philip.
Rex Knepp
>
> Briefly: Composer in caps, then slash or colon, then preparer
> (typist) in lowercase. Also says that if one person does everything,
> you do not need the reference initials, and that this is "very
> common with word processors".
I used to type my own, and note at the bottom "RK/mtf," where "mtf"
stands for "my two fingers."
ba-dump-bump.
-30-
rex
--
Masochist: "Beat me!"
Sadist: "No."
Bob Methelis
wrote:
>Philip Newton wrote:
>I used to type my own, and note at the bottom "RK/mtf," where "mtf"
>stands for "my two fingers."
>
>ba-dump-bump.
I prefer RJM:vbt (very bad typist)
double ba-dump-bump
Bob Methelis
Bob-in-NJ on IRC
J. C. R. Davis
>J. C. R. Davis wrote:
>>
>> Can someone provide the rules for "chop marks" such as "/jd" or ":jd" or
>> "/JD" and ":JD"? Would these initials be the composer's or the typist's?
>> Which capitalization is correct? (Am I being clear enough?)
>
>Did you see "Me Again"'s post <366A1F3D...@rahul.net>
>from 05 Dec 1998 22:04:02 PST? That included a quote from
>http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/stanleyc/obe130/obe130notes.html
>which seemed to clarify the issue. (The quote is from about
>halfway through the page, which is some text on Business
>Communications, apparently lecture notes from a class by a Dr.
>Craig E. Stanley of California State University, Sacramento.)
>
>(typist) in lowercase. Also says that if one person does everything,
>you do not need the reference initials, and that this is "very
>common with word processors".
>
>
>Cheers,
>Philip
Thank you much for the information. I did see that post, but (as far as I
saw) it didn't answer the question of reference initials simply composed of
a slash or colon and lowercase initials (e.g. :jcrd or /jcrd). I suppose
though that this was just incorrect.
I have another one, though. [collective groan] I just saw letter that had
DKC:pb/AWM. The letter was from DKC. Has anyone ever seen something like
this?
--JCRD
Philip Newton
>
> Philip Newton wrote in message <366E6775...@datenrevision.de>...
> >J. C. R. Davis wrote:
> >>
> >> Can someone provide the rules for "chop marks" such as "/jd" or ":jd" or
> >> "/JD" and ":JD"? Would these initials be the composer's or the typist's?
> >> Which capitalization is correct? (Am I being clear enough?)
> >
> >Did you see "Me Again"'s post <366A1F3D...@rahul.net>
> >from 05 Dec 1998 22:04:02 PST? That included a quote from
> >http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/stanleyc/obe130/obe130notes.html
> >which seemed to clarify the issue. (The quote is from about
> >halfway through the page, which is some text on Business
> >Communications, apparently lecture notes from a class by a Dr.
> >Craig E. Stanley of California State University, Sacramento.)
> >
> >Briefly: Composer in caps, then slash or colon, then preparer
> >(typist) in lowercase. Also says that if one person does everything,
> >you do not need the reference initials, and that this is "very
> >common with word processors".
>
> saw) it didn't answer the question of reference initials simply composed of
> a slash or colon and lowercase initials (e.g. :jcrd or /jcrd). I suppose
> though that this was just incorrect.
Oh -- sorry. I failed to understand that you were asking about chops
with nothing before the slash or colon. I suppose they're incorrect,
too. (What would they mean -- somebody typed something which nobody
said?)
Cheers,
Philip
Rex Knepp
>
> I have another one, though. [collective groan] I just saw letter that had
> DKC:pb/AWM. The letter was from DKC. Has anyone ever seen something like
> this?
Dictated by Donna Kerns Callahan : transcribed (or shorthand) by Paul
Billings / typed by Agnes Waltham Millington
Haven't seen one like that since word processors did away with
the steno and typing pools. It's not unlikely, though, that
some companies still keep around transcribers who type up a set of
rough notes from taped dictation and then send it to the "finish"
typists (not to be confused with the "finnish" typists).
Oh, and before you ask: a signature followed by a slash and
a set of initials indicates that the signature is not really
that of the named person, it was written by the initialing
party. In some offices, "executive assistants" have signatory
power up to a given dollar amount or on specific topics, but
sign the executive's name to make the document carry more
"weight."
-30-
rex
--
You know you're broke when long distance companies no longer
call you to switch services.
J. C. R. Davis
question to ask. Don't worry, it's a small one: Should a secretary use any
reference initials/chop marks it he or she just formats and prints the
letter on letterhead?
Thanks for any help again (and for hopefully the last time)!
JCRD
Truly Donovan
<jond...@spamfilter.bcm.tmc.edu> wrote:
>Great information! This helped me a lot. I, however, seem to have one more
>question to ask. Don't worry, it's a small one: Should a secretary use any
>reference initials/chop marks it he or she just formats and prints the
>letter on letterhead?
Probably. The purpose (if there can be said to be one) is to indicate
that, despite the sole signature at the bottom of the page, more than
one pair of hands was involved in the preparation of this missive.
It's a form of CYAing (cover your ass, verbed and gerunded) for the
signer of the letter, because it allows the signer to shrug and say,
"It wasn't that way when I gave it to Sally; she must have done it and
I didn't notice it when I signed it." So if Sally had an opportunity
to stick a "go f**k yourself" (Sally is a nicely-reared young
lady--hence the asterisks) in the middle of the second paragraph,
Sally must own up to the possibility of being the author of same.
One can always ask the preparer of the missive what their preference
might be under the circumstances.
The practice probably had some relevance in the days when Sally
actually was considered responsible for serving the coffee and
cleaning up the fulminations of the illiterate boss than whom she was
ten times smarter.
I once had a highly skilled secretary who corrected everybody's stuff
but mine -- she was so in awe of my language powers that she assumed I
never made any mistakes. Besides being an otherwise splendid
secretary, she had studied Latin and so never mangled any of the Latin
phrases I would occasionally scatter through a memo addressed to
someone who I knew would understand it. (The reason a lowly
first-level manager like I was had such a marvel of a secretary was
that she was fresh out of Katie Gibbs and no one else had discovered
her yet.)
I never could cure any of the secretaries I had of wanting to bring me
coffee, so I used to make a point of bringing them coffee at least as
often as they brought it to me.
We all wound up drinking a lot more coffee than we wanted.
--
Truly Donovan
reply to truly at lunemere dot com
andrea...@gmail.com
> "J. C. R. Davis" wrote:
> >
> > with variations of initials (e.g. TMD:jcrd or TMD/jcrd). Sometimes I've
> > just seen one set of initials though (e.g. :jcrd or /jcrd, or even :JCRD or
> > /JCRD). Can someone provide the rules of using these ... what are they
> > called anyway? (Links are helpful as well.) Thanks a lot.
>
>
> <quote>
>
> Reference Information: Reference initials: If you compose and dictate
> the letter,
>
> but someone else prepares the printed copy, both
>
> The composer's initials are in all capitals with no
> punctuation followed by a slash or colon
>
> Then the preparer's initials in small letters.
>
> Reference Information: Reference initials: If you do everything,
>
> You do not need to include reference initials.
>
> No reference initials means the signer has full
> responsibility for the letter.
>
> Very common with wordprocessors.
>
> </quote>
>
> jc
Tony Cooper
wrote:
initials and "js" being the initials of the person who typed the
letter.
If the boss signs it, the letter is from her regardless of who
composed or typed it.
--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
Jerry Friedman
put your initials on it at all. However, if you're a secretary or
admin. assistant, then since you did the typing, it seems fair to put
the boss's intials in caps followed by yours in lower-case. If you're
not, I think the idea is that the boss wrote the letter and you shouldn't
counteract that.
--
JF:jf
Peter Moylan
> On Saturday, December 5, 1998 at 2:00:00 AM UTC-6, Me Again wrote:
>> "J. C. R. Davis" wrote:
>>>
>>> When writing letters for someone else, a secretary usually ends the letter
>>> with variations of initials (e.g. TMD:jcrd or TMD/jcrd). Sometimes I've
>>> just seen one set of initials though (e.g. :jcrd or /jcrd, or even :JCRD or
>>> /JCRD). Can someone provide the rules of using these ... what are they
>>> called anyway? (Links are helpful as well.) Thanks a lot.
--
Peter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
BugHunter
> > On Saturday, December 5, 1998 at 2:00:00 AM UTC-6, Me Again wrote:
> >> "J. C. R. Davis" wrote:
> >>>
> >>> When writing letters for someone else, a secretary usually ends the letter
> >>> with variations of initials (e.g. TMD:jcrd or TMD/jcrd). Sometimes I've
> >>> just seen one set of initials though (e.g. :jcrd or /jcrd, or even :JCRD or
> >>> /JCRD). Can someone provide the rules of using these ... what are they
> >>> called anyway? (Links are helpful as well.) Thanks a lot.
>
> What is it about the replies in 1998 that you did not understand?
--
\ / http://nieuwsgroepen.tk
------------///-----------------------------
/ \ Bye, BugHunter
Tony Cooper
other than form letters in the last decade or so. Back when
secretaries typed letters dictated by bosses, the initial custom was
very prevalent. If nothing else, it gave the boss an "out" for an
incorrect statement because he could claim the typist misheard what he
dictated.
I'm not sure what the current custom is, but a business can set their
own custom. If the poster is asking, then I assume the custom is that
initials should be used.
Why the poster doesn't just ask the boss, or a more experienced person
in that business, it beyond me.
I also remember receiving letters with "Dictated but not read" at the
bottom.
Sam Plusnet
--
Sam Plusnet