31 replies to this topic

[Phil Smith]

Thread topics are always edited to remove caps from what appears to be all words except proper nouns and the first word of the title. I titled this thread, "For The Upper Case Challenged". The correct way according the website linked below is, "For the Upper Case Challenged". They change "The" to "the".

 

https://capitalizemytitle.com/

 

Soon Greg or a mod will edit my title to "For the upper case challenged." It will be converted from a title to a sentence.

 

What the hell is going on around here!?!? 

[Cheater]

Phil,

 

Because I edit print publications, I adhere to the current AP Style editing guidelines, simply because that is what I am required to do when editing for mainstream publications.

 

AP Style for the last few decades has recommended what they term 'down-capping,' i.e. following the formal rules for capitalization. Proper nouns, names, etc., only.

 

Titles are different than text, but for me, subject lines are not titles. Subject lines are 'hooks,' used to entice a reader to click enter the thread. Being in a segment of the music biz, I suspect you know how important the 'hook' is to the music industry these days.

 

As an editor, the most important issue is consistency. There are multiple ways to edit (and there's no 'right' way), but the most important aspect is to be consistent, to do things the same way all the time. Slotblog has a 'stylesheet,' as is the case for almost any professional publication and I follow it as much as I can.

 

Sure, it's as anal as all hell for me to treat Slotboog as if it were a print publication, but that's what I do. I feel strongly that it is an aspect of this place that diiferentiates it from the vast majority of the chaotic web. And there is voluminous research that shows that when there are two identical publications, one edited consistently and to recognized standards and one not, readers will almost always regards the well-edited publication as being 'better' than the one that is not, even though they almost never can say why they feel that way. It's pretty much a subconscious thing, although you should realize that modern editing principles are largely tied to a higher level of readability.

 

That's what's going on around here...

[Cheater]

LOL... and there's no a single proper noun or name in your subject line...

[don.siegel]

Ah, one of my favorite subjets, thanks for raising this Dallas. 

 

I was also raised on the US system of capitalizing all major words in a title, but once I started working in France, I became more used to the European method of only capitalizing first words - and it began to seem right. Just looked at my international edition of The New York Times, and it seems they don't capitalize their titles any more! 

 

However, Greg is right, in that the most important thing is to pick a style and stick to it. That's what we're always trying to drum into our clients, when there are a couple "correct" ways of doing things: pick either one, but be consistent. 

 

My big battle here has been trying to get clients to indent paragraphs on their print publications... Guess what? I lost the battle! About 10 years ago, when my biggest client launched a new corporate magazine, I explained that this was pretty much mandatory in US publications, and they said, OK, fine. Then a few years ago, when they revamped the thing, I tried again, but the answer was, "No, we use a standard 'platform' for layout now, and it won't fit!"

 

Progress, eh? 

 

Anyway, Greg and I have been sharing stories on the layout front for years, sorry for the instrusion... 

 

Don  

 

PS: But... I don't agree with Greg about the subject line: it's a title! 

[Zippity]

I was taught proper English at school.

 

Trying to read some American English articles, with all the CAPITALISATION, is a real PITA. 

[Phil Smith]

Ok, ya'll convinced me! Now someone needs to tell these morons to get with the Times! (Times capped on purpose.)

 

https://www.nytimes.com/

 

[Phil Smith]

LOL... and there's no a single proper noun or name in your subject line...

 

Right. I didn't mention that in regard to my title.

 

Thread topics are always edited to remove caps from what appears to be all words except proper nouns and the first word of the title.

 

I must not be the only dyslexic in the room.

[don.siegel]

Thanks for that link, Dallas - guess they do it different on the international edition! 

 

Don 

[Phil Smith]

don.siegel, now that I think about it, you're more uppercase challenged than even Greg is.

 

I knew Greg is, but I didn't know you were also an editor.

 

OK, I'll fess up. I found I found examples of lower case titles:

 

https://www.latimes.com/

 

https://www.bostonglobe.com/

 

I searched Facebook groups. The group titles are all over the place. Some even had all caps, such as WELDING TIPS AND TRICKS. No consistency like this forum. With sloppy editing like that, that Facebook thing will never catch on!

[don.siegel]

For what it's worth, I was a proofreader in the States for a year and a half, and I've been a technical translator in France for the last 35+ years, and we do a lot of corporate newsletters, magazines, and annual reports... 

 

I also copy edited Philippe's first and second books - you'll have to take my word on the second one! 

 

Don 

[Cheater]

Don, I'm just trying to figure out how you underbid me to edit PdL's magnum opus.

 

I told him I was willing to do it for free. Did you have to pay him? LOL...

[Ramcatlarry]

As a poster and holder of a Masters Degree in Mass Communication, I like to recall the words of a certain Northwestern University Professor:  "SAY what you mean, and MEAN what you say..."

 

Capitalization is a way to inflect meaning in your words than editors forget has meaning.

[Cheater]

Larry,

 

AP Style currently says not to use ALL CAPS or bold for emphasis. To emphasize, use italic.

 

BTW the Wikipedia entry on All Caps is an interesting read.

 

All Caps at Wikipedia

[Phil Hackett]

I learned titling from movie theatre marquees!

[MattD]

What second book? Ha! Ha!

[Cheater]

PdL tells me his part is done and that the book is in the final production phase.

[Greg Erskine]

As an editor, the most important issue is consistency. There are multiple ways to edit (and there's no 'right' way), but the most important aspect is to be consistent, to do things the same way all the time.

 
LOL. I thought I was the only one. Rule #1 consistency.
 
I can't stand extra spaces at the end of sentences or paragraphs, even though HTML strips them off and you see them.
 
Can you explain the following punctuation, a comma before the single quote as in 'hook,'.
 
Regards,
 
Greg

[Cheater]

Greg,
 
AP Style indicates that periods and commas go inside the closing quote at the end of a sentence. But not exclamation or question marks.
 
Thus, 'hook.' But not 'hook'?

As an aside, there are a number of 'style manuals,' the two best known being AP Style and the Chicago Manual of Style. AP Style is the one the majority of American publications follow.

[Ramcatlarry]

My keyboard does not have an 'italics' key, only caps.

[idare2bdul]

I think this might be the first use of the English language where proper was used in a sentence about slot racing.

[Cheater]

My keyboard does not have an 'italics' key, only caps.

I'll bet your Linotype machine does italics... LOL.

Larry, you're just a monospaced relic in a proportional future...

The posting screen at Slotblog makes using italics, bold, strike-thru, etc., very easy, as I suspect you know.

[Ramcatlarry]

I try to avoid learning too much new technology...

 

"The posting screen at Slotblog makes using italics, bold, strike-thru, etc., very easy, as I suspect you know."

 

No, I have a hard time using the 'quote' link.

[Bill from NH]

Phil, here's what I think is your perfect solution. Type in all lower case. If what you type is going to be changed and reformatted anyway, give them something to have at it.

[Cheater]

There are some members who already post that way, Bill...

[Phil Smith]

Bill, I do write how I write with no effort to fit the forum preferences. It use to really bug me when it would get edited. My words, leave them alone! Warts and all. But I'm use to it now. Still don't like it but I accept it.

 

Greg, these are forum posts on a forum about a subject that is dying. Most post will be read by some but not all of the forum members at the they're posted. Few will ever be read again. In ten years maybe none of them will ever be read again. The way Facebook is killing forums all over the web this forum may not exist in 10 years. Or less. Editing posts sure seems like a lot of work for little to no reason. You're a smart guy with plenty of options. Isn't your time better spent doing something else?