I’m getting fed up with the AP Stylebook. I thought it was dumb to write “Web site,” but I did it anyway, feeling like I was in the minority. In fact, publications such as Time and Sports Illustrated used “website” instead.
Then the folks behind the AP Stylebook finally relented in 2010 and changed it to “website.” This week, they announced they were converting “e-mail” to “email.”
This reminds me of the late 1990s when the Oxford-English Dictionary added the word “trekker” to describe “Star Trek” fans, even though for years they were known as “trekkies.” Why just make up a new word? In the case of the AP, why force people to write “Web site” and “e-mail” when everyone had previously used “website” and “email”????
The Oxford-English Dictionary eventually dropped “trekker” and added “trekkies.” And now we see the AP Stylebook coming to its senses. Next time, just get it correct the first time.