Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

It's about emails, but I like this article[0] about how topics are covered in the military (where I imagine clear communication is important). "Military professionals lead their emails with a short, staccato statement known as the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front). It declares the purpose of the email and action required.". I find this helpful..

[0] https://hbr.org/2016/11/how-to-write-email-with-military-pre...



The BLUF is exactly analogous to what the internet hivemind calls the tl;dr (too long; didn't read). I almost always see the tl;dr as the last line of a long post, when really, it makes a lot more sense to lead with it.


Seconded. I always put TL;DR at the beginning if it's meant as an actual summary. I sometimes put a TL;DR at the end, when it's meant as a humorous summary.


It stands for "too long; didn't read." The operative word here is "didn't".

"If you started out trying to read this, but then realized it was too long and just skipped to the end, here is what you missed."


I have never understood why people put the TL;DR (I assume civ equivalent to BLUF) at the end. I don't want it at the end, I want it at the beginning!




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: