eBooks? ebooks? e-books?
eReaders, ereaders, or e-readers? eCommerce, ecommerce, or e-commerce?
A few papers into this semester, I realized I was bouncing around the from option to option, adding my own fuel to the “little e” fire. It was becoming a problem, particularly since I have an online presence and post most of my work. I started off using “eReader,” since that’s what seemed to be the most prevalent. It’s easy on the eyes and draws attention to the e, so I can see why most people use it (including BN.com).
But here’s my issue: capitalizing the second letter isn’t part of our natural vernacular. It is a branding pattern started by Apple for their “i products.” When is the last time you saw someone write “eMail”? Or “e-mail”? Those formats are just so passé. We’ve started doing it with ereaders because the Apple branding has become so ingrained into our consciousness. It’s fine for their products, but we need to remember that it’s branding, not necessarily the best use for everyday language.
So I did a comparative review, and the results were both inconsistent and fascinating:
Amazon: Uses “eBook.” However, this is only in places like the browser header and SEO descriptions. They are, instead, marketing their products as “Kindle editions” and “wireless reading device.” This is status quo at this point, and BN.com is trying to do something similar. Interesting, though, that they jumped on the Apple bandwagon.
New York Times: Uses “e-book.” I suspect this is the technical correct grammatical use, but really? Who dashes anything anymore? I refuse to use a dash, won’t even consider it – even if the NYT says so.
BN.com: Uses “eBook.” And much like Amazon, we are moving towards digital branding, naming everything as a different edition/version of the Nook.
Engadget and TechCrunch: Use “eBook” and “e-book.” Despite their prominence in the tech industry, neither can seem to make up its mind, which might be due to their use of freelance writers. (This seemed to be the case with most online publications.) But still, it points out that there is no standard.
Surprisingly, I had a hard time finding anyone using “ebook.” But remember back when email first started, and we all used to do the same thing? We’d dash and capitalize and generally make a hot mess of it, until it became so ingrained in our culture that we made it a regular word.
And that is why I am throwing down for “ebook”: though I don’t have a huge issue with ripping off Apple’s branded capitalization model, I do believe that these “e things” are products with their own lives and identities, and shouldn’t just be a version of the non-digital product. So ebook it is.
