2009 has been coined a time of “change.” From the White House administration to the green movement, from technology to journalism and communications, change is a constant theme no matter what industry you’re in.

While new technology and online media are forcing a lot of the change in the field of public relations, the same is being done in the field of journalism. There is no denying that economic pressures are partly responsible for forcing some sort of change, but what isn’t always recognized is that these pressures can also stimulate innovation and reinvention.

What we have seen over the past few months is that some of the publications we regularly read have only taken a brief hiatus to reinvent the wheel, and come back with a new approach to getting the news out to the audience that has respected their editorial expertise for the past several years. Most recently, Network Computing has resurfaced with its first digital issue. RCR Wireless News is also on its way back, and set to re-launch come September 1, distributing its news online and via e-newsletters. Both of these are examples of publications that have reinvented the wheel in an otherwise difficult time.

So while “change” can have varying definitions depending on circumstances, in this case we see it as a welcome occurrence for these tech publications, and look forward to gathering our news from them once again.

I was thinking about how words change over time and how words are added to our lexicon. The problem with using new words or jargon is that they exclude understanding by people not in that particular field, region or perhaps demographic. We need to quell the temptation to use such words in press releases and presentations.

Not to insult “hockey moms”—one of the newest words in our vocabulary, for which I should be shunned for using, but ask yourself if your average hockey mom/Joe on the street would understand the term. These new words often lose meaning fast and becoming jokingly trite. (Remember those words we looked for in playing Word Bingo during meetings—those are the ones you should avoid). Some new words of which to be aware that I found on WordSpy.

transliteracy n. The ability to read and write using multiple media, including traditional print media, electronic devices, and online tools.

DWT abbr. Driving while texting; driving a car while reading or sending text messages; and

freemium adj. Relating to a business model that offers basic services free, but charges a premium for advanced or special features.

I am not totally against the use of jargon. Every industry needs its own language to describe terms and create a sense of community. My issue is with writing that contains so much jargon, idioms and gobbledygook that it is incomprehensible.

I add to my list of jargon acronyms—is ATM a banking device or a transport technology? Is a PO a purchase order or probation officer? We also need to avoid using words that have become so broad that they’re meaningless, namely “flexible,” “scalable,” “groundbreaking,” and “cutting-edge” and instead share what makes the element of this flexible, scalable product groundbreaking.

In other words, we need to choose our words carefully to convey what we want to say so that our message will be understood.