Bad Words

It has been said that “there are no bad words, only bad thoughts and deeds” but of course, there are words that get annoying. Particularly on the Internet, where memes can take off so quickly, using words that you might never actually be asked to say out loud! Because today is Friday, I’d like to share a couple words and phrases that personally drive me nuts:

Email Blast

It’s a convenient point of reference, but I prefer the more refined “email campaign” to the thought of blasting anything at my clients. Who wants to be blasted? I’m okay with being marketed to, or updated, or newsletter-ed. But not blasted.

I picture a web designer dressed up like a fireman, holding a giant hose, pointed at a shivering huddled mass of consumers at the end of a dead-end alley, hosing them down with a spray of marketing messages. This is not the impression I want to convey.

Hotlink

This one really brings me back to the nineties… yet people still say it. What makes that link hot? Why would you want to put your mouse on something that was hot anyway? Wouldn’t the mouse get hurt?

Surf the Web

You can browse. You use a browser. You can visit. You can click and double-click, link, search, and research. But how does any of this resemble surfing? Do any animals in the wild actually surf on a web of some kind? Where did this term come from, anyway?

Information Superhighway

What kind of metaphor is this? Is “cyberspace” too frightening for Middle America or something? I prefer to think of the Internet as more of a huge garden or commons or, hey, how about we just call it The Internet? Yeah.

Blogosphere

I’ve gotten over blog. I’ve gotten over blogger. They no longer sound like words reserved for cloaked teenage boys in basements playing Dungeons and Dragons. But blogosphere… just hurts.

Schwag

Okay, when exactly did this word stop meaning “Term used to describe low grade marijuana” and start meaning “Any free or extra goods, usually given to employees or workers?” And is Silicon Valley therefore becoming a schwagosphere?

Raymond Brigleb

Creative Director, dreamer, partner, father, musician, photographer. Has been known to ride the rails. Pulls one heck of a shot.