
| With new technology comes new jargon, and often it takes years before
we can agree on the proper spelling and usage of words that seep into
our vocabulary from common usage. The proliferation of words that have
sprung up since the development of the Internet is a prime example of
this phenomenon. While for some words there are generally-agreed-upon
spellings and usages, there are others that are used with less
standardization and therefore vary from publication to publication.
Most stylebooks and dictionaries agree that the words "Internet" and "Web" (when referring to the World Wide Web) should always be capitalized because they are proper nouns. There is only one Internet and only one World Wide Web. However, not everyone agrees on other Internet terminology. According to the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook, "Web site" is always two words, but there are others who spell it as "Website," "website," or even "web site." While the AP stylebook dictates that there is no hyphen in the word "online," others spell the word as "on-line" whether used as an adjective or an adverb. Webster's Dictionary capitalizes the noun form of "E-mail" but uses the lowercase "e-mail" when using the word as a verb. The AP style is to use the lowercase "e-mail" for all instances. Still others spell the word "email" with no hyphen or even the capitalized "Email." The best strategy an organization or publication can adopt when dealing with Internet jargon is to choose one "house style" and be consistent with that style and follow the guidelines of a specific dictionary or stylebook. For now, until all dictionaries and stylebooks can agree on standardization, all of the spellings and usages are correct. In reality, there may never actually be a standardization of Internet jargon as the nature of the Internet invites a lack of standardization. Anyone with the know-how (or the money to pay someone with the know-how) can run a Web site and spell words any way he or she chooses without regard to editorial consistency. |