AP style still gets it wrong
June 29th, 2007So I got the newest edition of the AP Stylebook in the mail today, and AP still insists on capitalizing the word “Internet.” I sent them a suggestion several months ago that “Internet” should be lowercased, because it’s nothing more than a common noun. I also suggested that “e-mail” should not be hyphenated and should be one word: “email.”
Unfortunately, they didn’t implement my suggestions in the new version of the book. To protest, from now on I will refuse to capitalize the word “internet” on this blog (unless I’m quoting from a news story in which it is capitalized). I will also refer to electronic mail as “email,” instead of “e-mail.”
That’ll show ‘em.
Actually, in IT circles, internet and Internet are two different things. Capital “I” would be correct when referring tot he public Internet.
And the other?
I like suggestion #1 but not #2
What about (I)internets?
I also have heard that there are “two” kinds of Internet, but I never understood the difference. I like “email” better than “e-mail.”
Here is more on the Internet/internet issue.
j razz
Tim, I completely agree with you in Internet vs. internet. While it used to be a proper noun, culturally, it has been relegated to common noun. The AP style should be changed to reflect that fact.
However, I completely disagree with you on e-mail. When you take away the hyphen it becomes “em”mail, or “uh”-mail. If you are not going to call it electronic mail you should shortened to “e”and not just collapsed into one word. What other abbreviation do we do this with?
Joel, I see your point about email, or e-mail, or E-mail, or whatever the heck anyone wants to call it. I had been reconsidering that myself since I posted it. I’m not as dogmatic on that one as I am about the internet.
So, if you’re going to start randomly disregarding whichever AP style “rule” you disagree with, then why bother with it at all?
I try to stick to AP style as much as possible when doing work for the newspaper; I don’t care much about it when I’m writing in my blog or anywhere else.
Personally, “internet” looks strange to me, uncapitalized — unless, maybe, I’m getting an e-mail (yes, I prefer it hyphenated; that way, you write it more like you say it) from one of my friends who insists on writing almost exclusively in lower-case letters, which I suppose is a whole other topic altogether.
I’m not going to start randomly disregarding whichever AP style rule I disagree with. When I’m writing professionally, I’ll be the same AP stickler I always am.
When I’m writing on my blog, however, I’ll do whatever I want to. When AP style matches up with Tim Ellsworth style, I’ll use it. When it doesn’t, then phooey on AP style.
OK, so I’ve changed my mind and think e-mail probably makes the most sense, even though I don’t like typing that hyphen.
Tim, please turn on your Internet to see if you’ve received the e-mail I sent you. Thanks.
*Giggling over Tim’s late-night style debate*
: )
I was just thinking that, somewhere along the line, somebody told me that some of the AP style rules were designed to save space. Inexplicable capitalization and extraneous hyphens don’t seem to accomplish that. (I think I probably used the word “extraneous” incorrectly just then, but it’s Sunday evening and I’m tired and I really don’t care. And now I’m not altogether sure it’s actually a word!)
I would just like to state that I will continue to type NASCAR as nascar whenever I use it on this blog for no other reason than to show my disdain for it. Thank you.
Another AP guy converted to the hyphen! Yes!
Tim,
Here’s another web site that you might really enjoy. This guys wrote a style book that is just fantastic. You should pick up a copy.
www.theslot.com
-Joel
Marty, that’s really unfair to nascar fans. Do you know the percentage that can’t read it either way?
I am with you Martin; nascar is nascar, not NASCAR.
Just having the Internet/internet debate today. We decided to go with Internet too.