Blog
06.02
AAMOF, OMG! AP just dropped some 411 to make PR folks LOL
Recently, our friends at the Associated Press Stylebook created quite a kerfuffle in the Twitterverse. That was the crime scene where @APStylebook announced the term "Web site" was being changed to "website."
Most likely, this was done to curtail the many errors younger writers make because they are so accustomed to text lingo and thinking in 140 characters or less. Nevertheless, there it was. It became such a ballyhoo that the national story even trended on Twitter.
For those Christians, forgive the analogy, but that ubiquitous stylebook is the bible of writing standards - namely to us PR types and copywriters. So, when this change was announced, hearts palpitated and brakes came to a screeching halt.
Social media is more than a trend; it's a stark alert that the 21st century has arrived. AP has now implemented 41 other changes to their hallowed pages, all dealing with social media including: "smartphone", "metadata", "click-through", "widget" and yes, there's an "app" for that too.
I'm one of the not-so-spring-chickens at HCK2, so I try hard to stay up-to-date on this new-fangled language. AP just did more seasoned flacks like me a huge solid.
In other news, I need to do a lot of research on what my kids will be saying once equipped with a cell phone. Pray for me.
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