Web logs and Web sites

Jason Kottke reiterates his prior posting about the use of the term weblog. As we all know, the word blog is short for weblog. In the rarified world of newspaper copy editing (with only a hint of sarcasm), words like weblog become Web log. Kottke grieves over Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, specifically page B1. In a headline the WSJ used Web log, as is their standard usage. But to most people of the technical persuasion this looks like poopy poo. There are two points to be made: 1) the WSJ tends to be excessive in their house styles—IBM is I.B.M., for example. Perhaps it offers clarity and perhaps, I think the New Yorker would agree on this, it offers distinctiveness. 2) The terms weblog and blog aren’t terribly descriptive and will probably be forever terms of jargon and not achieve universal usage.

Ah, you thought I was done? No, there is surprise point three: 3) Kottke’s obsession with Web log caused him to miss an even more grievous sin in the headline of the article right next to the Web log article. The headline reads “Mr. Edwards Intends To Sell the Web Site That Gave Him Fame.” The article itself is hilarious—it tells the tale of a man in Indianapolis named Kerry Edwards who owns the domain kerryedwards.com. Needless to say Kerry & Edwards are a now famous combination. But Mr. Edwards of Indianapolis is trying to sell his domain of three years for a cool $150,000. Think someone will take him up on it?

Sorry, I digressed. The point being made here is that Web Site is a common term that is understood even by people who don’t surf the internet. It is jargon that has achieved universal usage. My grandparents, who are in their 80’s, know what I’m talking about at least abstractly when I mention websites. Hence there is no need to separate the ‘web’ from the ‘site.’ In addition there is no need to capitalize the word “Web” either. What the WSJ and most newspapers call a Web site would be best rendered as a website. This has been my personal style for at least five years, and while I don’t imagine the WSJ will change it’s stylebook, I’d like to see popular usage drop the capital and the space.

Whew. Let’s not even talk about email…er, e-mail? I completely agree with Donald Knuth’s usage. And I’d like to think that Dr. Knuth and I have something in common: we both know what we’re talking about.