Comments on: Do you capitalize Internet?

By: Mark

Mark — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:18:40 +0000

So, where does this stand today? More than two years after the original post. I was required to capitalize Internet throughout all 4 years of college, and continue to do so. I dislike it when the word email is capitalized or hyphenated, however I have been programmed to require Internet be capitalized.

By: Hal

Hal — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:18:34 +0000

Yes, I capitalize PM.

No, I never used periods as in “P.M.”

I usually observe a space between numbers & letters, as in “8:30 PM.”

Situationally, I may use lower case – for example, on a calendar I may write “830a” as an abbreviation for 8:30 AM.

All questions welcome.
About language, that is :)

By: Alicia

Alicia — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:11:21 +0000

You capitalize the ‘PM’ for 7:00 PM, correct?

By: Hal

Hal — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:24:36 +0000

I don’t usually capitalize “web.”

I do, however, capitalize it in a usage such as “Web 2.0″ or “World Wide Web.” These seem less like generic terms so they get the proper name treatment.

By: Barb Blond

Barb Blond — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:15:11 +0000

What about the word Web? Do you capitalize the W? It is a shortened proper noun for the World Wide Web. I have read style manuals that say to capitalize it, and then even on their sites, use web instead of Web. I only care because I do formal writing.

By: Robert

Robert — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 02:41:54 +0000

Should we capitalize “mail”?
Noooooooooo. Then, why email?

Do we capitalize “post office”? Noooooooooooooo.
Then why internet.

By: spell-checer supreme

spell-checer supreme — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 04:48:31 +0000

Tuff crowd!

By: Barbara

Barbara — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 05:11:01 +0000

While you are at it, please change weigh-in to weigh in. The hyphen makes it a noun. Think pick-up (or pickup) vs. pick up.

By: secretagent47

secretagent47 — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 04:31:22 +0000

We all need proofreaders behind us. Ms. Chandler typed “gets ‘of’ its high horse,” instead of “gets ‘off’ its high horse.”

By: hal990

hal990 — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 20:55:07 +0000

Mea culpa. Well-deserved reputation as a horrible proof reader. See previous post about frustrations with MS Word Dictionary.

By: Dee Ann Chandler

Dee Ann Chandler — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 20:41:47 +0000

OK, I’m all for abaondoning the capital “I” - anything so I don’t have to shift while keyboarding. But I admit I am rather taken aback that someone posting to a copywriting forum apparently forgot the rule about It and the possessive - no apostrophe. The Internet gets of its high horse and admits its commonness. Let’s do what we can to set an example of how to use the English language and not carry on bad habits or misinformation. Thanks.

By: hal990

hal990 — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:52:26 +0000

Interesting comments - the capitalization conundrum is pretty widespread with web words, apparently. Got a post coming up later this week about hyphenation.

The fun never stops.

But, yes, absolutely, lowercase everything that seems like a common noun, I think.

By: David G.

David G. — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:45:04 +0000

Also, consider “email.” Capitalizing the letter “e” is never done except by technology troglodytes (and it looks wierd woo).

Do you have the same advice regarding the “Web” (”web”)? How about when writing the bulky phrase “World Wide Web?”

When does a commonly-available, non-branded technology noun pass from capitalization to pedestrian lower-case?

When writing copy with tech words, I also check current usage in business media, like WSJ, NYT, Forbes, as well as broadly-read tech media like C|NET and CIO, or for a leading look, Wired and Network World.