http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/ Engadget Comments for Editorial: The Engadget style guide reaches a MILESTONE http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 7:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
They've hurt the Engadget staff's brains first. With all of that stupendous and demanding thinking, and with such clever and commendable results, I doubt there's any left.]]>Nov 30th 2009 7:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 10:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
This borders on self-satirization. In the least, it's irony. I love you Engadget, but it's just irritating that you're implementing a "serious" style guide (serious because you're making your policy public), and then stick this completely, dare I say, unprofessional, rule that discriminates arbitrarily between brands.

In the least, I would think y'all would just make a P.R. move and keep your rules consistent (read: fair). The "engadget are apple fanboys" klaxons will always keep barking, but you're going to miff even the moderates of the crowd. ]]>Dec 1st 2009 12:23AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
Perhaps if they spent a few more $$$ on improving their products, and a few less $$$ hiring newly minted marketing droids, there would be less need to have the product name StandOutInACrowd, as the product would speak for itself.
]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
Don't you mean DROIDS ?]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/I think it may be necessary to do both. You have heard the saying about a great product and a poor sales team. It would be great if a great product was all a took, but that just isn't the case. Ex: the whopper beats the big mac in every blind taste test, the big mac will always outsell the whopper.......Or is it BigMaC?]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
I agree that capitalization is used to make it stand out in standard marketing, but in an article I really don't see how it makes a difference. Engadget could write an article about an iPhone but spell it "iphone" and you'd still know what it was. Likewise, DROID and Droid doesn't make a difference. The only issue you would run into is if you took a product named after a common English word and used zero capitalization in a completely ambiguous statement or paragraph. To put it in perspective, think about having a verbal conversation with someone; you understand what product they're referencing simply by context, not by having them tell you what letters in the product name are actually capitalized.]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
Ah, but sales != marketing. A good salesman could sell you a hamburger if it was call 'Steaming Sh*t on a Bun'.

However, you may be on to something. Given the prevalence of big-box retailers, and the lack of knowledgeable sales people in these stores, the product companies may have no choice but to lure you with a catchy name, as the non-existent sales person is not going to get the job done.

]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
There is no reason why a word like DROID or MILESTONE needs to be capitalized except to say "hey! look at meeeee!" It's ridiculous. It's one thing to give deference to a product name, another to realize that we're all speaking freakin' English here. You don't write in all caps. I mean, we on the internet all got over our shouting habits with the death of the Vic-20 (oh, sorry, the VIC-20), and the fall of AOL (Aol?).

Also, what about product names without caps, like the nook? Now *that's* confusing if you actually write it the way they want you to. "Hey, Tom, the other day I bought a nook." What? You bought a little enclosed area somewhere?

I think Engadget inadvertently hit on the cardinal rule of any language, which is the "this is stupid" rule. Certainly English has plenty of dumb things about it, though they're all unintentional side effects of being a mish-mash of various other languages. That doesn't excuse *intentionally* writing dumb things. You don't need to intentionally write MILESTONE in all caps just because somebody tells you to - it's stupid, and it's incorrect.

I applaud Engadget for having some common sense.]]>Nov 30th 2009 11:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 7:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
He's still having trouble with those apostrophes.]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
In the new utopia, there will be no apostrophe]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Hopefully the New Utopia will be filled with people who can understand apostrophes like most ten year old school children.]]>Nov 30th 2009 6:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/What's that whooshing sound?

Oh, right: A joke that went over their heads.]]>Dec 1st 2009 9:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/WTF? Or should I say, Wtf?
]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/And how do you end parenthetical statements with emoticons?]]>Nov 30th 2009 7:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
That's known as the iPhone rule (or iPod rule). It's an exception carved out for branding guidelines for Apple products. Whatever Apple calls something Engadget will use the same name.

They threw in BlackBerry as an example just to make it appear like this wasn't really about the iPhone or iPod. ]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 5:46PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/I will say I was secretly hoping this article would lead to The Inquirer's proper spelling of the iPhone ala Iphone, but alas no go.]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:59PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
I see that you have removed the ability to uprank/downrank yourself which significantly limits your ability to be taken seriously here]]>Nov 30th 2009 6:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 6:16PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/+1
(since I can't uprank you)]]>Nov 30th 2009 6:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Your funny.
WinMo 6.5 is a sound a dependable mobile OS.]]>Nov 30th 2009 6:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/Nov 30th 2009 7:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
"I see you've commented on your enjoyment of WinMo 6.5 in the past, which significantly limits your ability to be taken seriously here."

What're you, six?

*Waits for ban*]]>Nov 30th 2009 7:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
Except that WinMo is a contraction of two capitalized words.
Thus WinMo is correct, Winmo would not be.

Even if iPhone were a combination of I and phone, iPhone is still bad English.
The fact that millions of other people use the words "ain't" and "supposably", doesn't make someone who does any less wrong. ]]>Nov 30th 2009 7:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/I know a guy who uses "supposably" all the time. I want to ring his neck pretty much constantly.]]>Nov 30th 2009 7:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
Not sure I understand. My opinion is not valid because I like WinMo 6.5 or you can't take me seriously because I did not follow Engadget's style guide recommendations for Windows Mobile?

In any event, my comment was in agreement with byanelli. The third rule seems very odd. Why can an iPhone be called an iPhone but a ASUSTek is now Asustek? Why not use the name provided by the manufacturer? If there is ambiguity on the part of the manufacturer then sure, revert to your new style rules. Otherwise let companies brand their products as they see fit.

I can't even imagine the crap storm that would fly if you did to the iPhone (iphone or Iphone or IPHONE) what you are doing to ASUS. Point 3 is all about your subjective opinion about what "looks" right. Why is ASUSTek any funkier than iPhone? I'll grant you that noobs may not be familiar with ASUS but that hardly seems like a justification for diluting their brand. ]]>Nov 30th 2009 8:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
Totez McGoatz. You pretty much eliminate the efficacy of any of the other rules with rule #3 there.

It's right because I said so... fantastic... remind me not to vote for any engadget editors should they ever decide to run for office.]]>Nov 30th 2009 8:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
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The answer to all of your questions is there in rule #3: "This is stupid".]]>Dec 1st 2009 4:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
No, that's Dr. Lazarus.]]>Dec 1st 2009 4:40AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
You mean you want to "wring" his neck....

Live by the sword, die by the sword, my man.]]>Dec 1st 2009 12:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
Toodle-oo]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/30/editorial-the-engadget-style-guide-reaches-a-milestone/
Trust me, we thought about this longer than you would think is necessary and / or healthy.]]>Nov 30th 2009 5:23PM