An odd trend has popped up lately: companies foregoing a traditional name and shortening themselves to an acronym or even a single letter.

For example, National Public Radio had been calling themselves NPR on the air for years, and are now, for branding purposes, NPR. They followed others like Kentucky Fried Chicken (now simply KFC) and British Petroleum (BP, for better or worse).

The newest organization to change names has ironically gone from an acronym to a single letter. The YMCA, which was founded in the UK as the Young Men Christian's Association, is now simply "The Y." And for the first time, the famous Village People song, "YMCA," is officially outdated. On that note, did anybody really know what YMCA stood for off the top of their head? Be honest.

For some, the rebranding to a smaller company name doesn't change the public perception. Xe, the private security company formerly known as Blackwater, is still controversial for its involvement to date in the Iraq War.

If your company is already well-known by an acronym, like AT&T or SAIC, then this may not be such a big deal.

What do you think? Is it a good idea or bad idea to change a company's name from words to letters? Submit your comments now!