tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-250885532008-07-16T16:56:50.973-07:00Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-11511847844893358622008-06-27T12:43:00.000-07:002008-06-27T12:45:58.837-07:00

Facebook wants users to specify if they are male or female so the site won't have to write "their" for everything on users' profiles, according to a New York Times article.

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-72586434615493947002008-04-30T00:20:00.000-07:002008-04-30T00:22:55.101-07:00

... if it weren't so true. (But it is still funny.) Read this brief piece from The Onion.

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-74129792415366728792008-04-24T00:26:00.000-07:002008-04-24T10:22:07.932-07:00

For many reasons, but mostly because of a query about how a college-level class about copy editing could be structured, I have been thinking about how copy editing can be taught. From this pondering, I have decided to start an infrequent series of posts that explore the basics of copy editing. I have learned over time that the first thing a person who is interested in being a copy editor should

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-74961201290136161312008-03-04T02:33:00.000-08:002008-03-04T02:41:35.032-08:00

OK, so today is National Grammar Day, brought to you by The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. You can swing by the site and print out your card to flash at people when you find them using bad grammar. (However, prepare for some mean looks and possible physical confrontation from strangers.) But in all seriousness, isn't it sad that there is a National Grammar Day? Shouldn't every day be

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-76041855397815522372008-02-28T12:21:00.000-08:002008-02-28T12:32:13.534-08:00

The newspaper at which I work had an interview with Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. One part of this question-and-answer interview, however, was edited for space. This part had to do with using Wikipedia as a reference. Here is the question and answer: Q: What are your thoughts on whether researchers should cite Wikipedia pages in their papers? A: In general, an encyclopedia is not the

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-47401546540058041482008-02-25T11:49:00.000-08:002008-02-25T12:00:05.929-08:00

A comment was left on a previous post, and it got me thinking about typos. Many people may remember a brief flutter of activity in the Barry Bonds steroid scandal that erupted over a typo. But now there is even more because of one small error. Barry Bonds seized on a pair of typos, complaining in court papers Thursday that the government's mistakes could compromise his chances for a fair

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-65615860613727503332008-02-20T00:47:00.000-08:002008-02-20T00:53:35.426-08:00

I like semicolons. I like writers who know how to use them properly (and I don't mean for a winking emoticon). So you can imagine my joy when I saw this New York Times article. You can read some other people's thoughts about the article here, but, for me, this is almost as good as it gets. Now, if I could only get the people at the airport to change the name of the lot from Long Term Parking

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-5975460503843216362008-02-20T00:29:00.000-08:002008-02-20T00:45:02.936-08:00

Ceremonies are always great events, right? The city is breaking ground on a new development, or the library is opening a new branch. All local papers cover these types of events, and many write the phrases ribbon-cutting ceremony and groundbreaking ceremony. This is redundant. From the Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition (the dictionary preferred by The Associated Press):

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-71977105862818020702008-02-20T00:11:00.001-08:002008-02-20T00:28:54.570-08:00

David Sullivan, whom I know through ACES, recently started That's the Press, Baby. In his own words: My aim is, as those of you who know me know, to speak on behalf of the printed newspaper, but not just out of slavish tradition or nostalgic warmth. But to find a way for the newspaper to find a renewed and viable place in a world in which, if everything is available instantly and immediately,

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-37920993632997869932008-02-14T02:14:00.000-08:002008-02-14T02:33:28.095-08:00

For some reason, I always tend to use ensure when writing about guarantees and insure when writing about monetary backing. The Associated Press Stylebook says it should be this way. Use ensure to mean guarantee: Steps were taken to ensure accuracy.Use insure for references to insurance: The policy insures his life. But this Web site points out that it is not so clear. This is also backed up here

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-83327027781936961012008-01-31T12:00:00.000-08:002008-01-31T12:11:02.243-08:00

The American Journalism Review has this article about Wikipedia being used by people in the newspaper industry. My response is that Wikipedia should never be used as a source in a an article for an news medium. That being said, I do believe that Wikipedia is a useful tool to find some basic information about subjects you may not be too familiar with. I even have linked to Wikipedia topics from

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-4559496823339535942008-01-31T02:08:00.000-08:002008-01-31T02:19:51.358-08:00

Head over to Common Sense Journalism and read this post and this post. Then, head over to John McIntyre's You Don't Say and read this post. When you think you have digested that information, head over to Testy Copy Editors and read this thread. There are a lot of good points in all of the postings and on the thread. There is also a lot to think about as to what the role of copy editors is now,

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-19554050075781527562008-01-31T01:26:00.000-08:002008-02-01T01:49:25.267-08:00

A lot has been thrown around about Super Tuesday (sometimes this year called Super-Duper Tuesday or Tsunami Tuesday), but just how big is it? Well, from The Washington Post: Democrats will hold contests in 22 states and one territory, with 1,681 delegates at stake. On that day alone, 52 percent of all pledged delegates will be awarded, compared with the 4 percent that will have been allocated in

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-2248986185795179052008-01-14T01:15:00.000-08:002008-01-14T01:23:48.525-08:00

I have neglected this blog. With holiday celebrations, vacation and a new position at work, I have been too busy to post. But I will be back with a new post within a week. Until then, take time to complete the new poll.

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-61923017590955513982007-10-29T02:32:00.000-07:002007-10-29T02:33:47.263-07:00

Stop by and vote on your favorite stylebook. Stay tuned for results from the last poll about Web site (or should it be website?)

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-77538202017283903952007-10-12T03:15:00.001-07:002007-10-12T03:47:46.850-07:00

A New York Times article describes how the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary eliminated about 16,000 hyphens for its sixth edition. The Times quotes the dictionary editor, Angus Stevenson, as saying: "People are not confident about using hyphens anymore. They're not really sure what they're used for." Some of the examples are strange (ice cream). Others make sense (cell-phone). It does seem

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-47708236512097717632007-10-09T03:38:00.000-07:002007-10-09T03:48:56.433-07:00

I have to admit that I have not subscribed to the Copy Editor newsletter for a few years now, but a post by Bill Walsh on his blog reminded me that I should start subscribing again. The post, however, is not really about the newsletter -- just the name. I do agree that many words should still be two words, but many seem to be fast-tracked to the spaceless and hyphenless forms. (See the poll on

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-75021740005120274582007-10-09T03:31:00.000-07:002007-10-09T03:35:42.712-07:00

I decided to try something new, so I am going to add a poll each week that will focus on style and language questions that do not have a clear-cut answer. (It will be underneath the "About Me" in the side rail.) So, swing by to take the poll and see what how other readers vote.

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-51487290752394948032007-10-09T03:22:00.000-07:002007-10-09T03:25:51.490-07:00

Webster's Reluctantly Adds 'Melty' To English Lexicon.onion_embed {background: rgb(256, 256, 256) !important;border: 4px solid rgb(65, 160, 65);border-width: 4px 0 1px 0;margin: 10px 30px !important;padding: 5px;overflow: hidden !important;zoom: 1;}.onion_embed img {border: 0 !important;}.onion_embed a {display: inline;}.onion_embed a.img {float: left !important;margin: 0 5px 0 0 !important;width

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-26808186023739449132007-09-22T11:21:00.000-07:002007-09-22T11:29:40.327-07:00

The Associated Press ran a story about a blog that tracks gratuitous usage of quotation marks. I believe that most writers and editors know how to use quotation marks, but this blog would be really good for sign makers.

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-82903647634197235862007-09-05T13:55:00.000-07:002007-09-05T14:03:13.719-07:00

Last week I was editing a sports story when I saw this paragraph: An awful sound, something like a broken plastic bat hitting a Whiffle ball, echoed throughout RFK Stadium when Rajai Davis made contact against starter Tim Redding in the second inning.I am all for capitalizing proper nouns, but Whiffle ball, as the story has it, is not the name of the perforated plastic ball. The trademarked name

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-37932817467150147032007-08-18T10:33:00.000-07:002007-08-18T10:44:11.314-07:00

An article in Slate talks about the low correction rates in newspapers. I know we are all human and everyone makes mistakes. Even The New Yorker had this sentence in a story about Barry Bonds' record home run: Bonds’s record dinger, in the fifth inning of a night game against the Washington Nationals at Petco Park, in San Francisco[...] (To clarify, Petco Park is in San Diego; AT&T Park is in

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-82703085987969270782007-08-03T11:22:00.000-07:002007-08-03T12:28:15.173-07:00

Using the word trifecta to mean three things seems a poor substitute for triad. Also, since trifecta has its roots in the word perfecta, I tend to associate it with positive wins rather than anything negative. To round out the top three, I like to see the word triumvir or triumvirate when dealing with a group of three that holds power. The search page on The New York Times' Web site gives good,

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-61686223206907903522007-07-18T02:30:00.000-07:002007-07-18T02:36:20.936-07:00

I cleaned up the design of the blog some and added a few more links. While I was adding the links, I came across this story in The New York Times about Mediabistro being sold. I just hope it doesn't change any of the good things at the site (or the fun mixers they throw).

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25088553.post-62415368910466566212007-07-16T02:32:00.000-07:002007-07-18T00:53:36.206-07:00

A native is someone who is born in a locale, so a native-born is... The word native derives from the Latin word verb nasci, which means to be born. So if native means born in a place, what is the need for native-born? "Garner's Modern American Usage" says this of the phrase native-born citizen: This phrase, though it has been fairly common since the 19th century, reeks of redundancy.The phrase

Mike Billingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16298524804147140332noreply@blogger.com