What is Digg?105 Comments
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+63"I just A9.com'd it"
Worst product placement, ever. (The OC) - yonbeastie, on 10/12/2007, -8/+58I wonder if 'pwned' made it into Webster's yet. *checks* Nope.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -7/+51Google's been around only since 1998. The slang Okay had to be around for hundreds of years before it got a mention in the dictionary. Do they honestly believe that people will be using the word "google" in 25, 50, 100 years time? Or do they want to just sell more dictionaries now, with fad words.
- BritishGolgo13, on 10/12/2007, -2/+38You were a kid called Frindle?
- synwolf, on 10/12/2007, -5/+37We're 18 now.
pwned - mrASSMAN, on 10/12/2007, -3/+34"I never used to say, "Let me go yahoo that"."
Sounds like something a guy would say when a hot ass girl walks by.. - Hoffer, on 10/12/2007, -5/+36I use google as a verb all the time. I never used to say, "Let me go yahoo that".
- scheper, on 10/12/2007, -4/+24"Then again, I've seriously considered "*****.com" and pointing it to Google.."
You do realize it already exists? - angryredplanet, on 10/12/2007, -1/+19@antareus
Language is cultural as much as it is communicative - rderveloy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+20"Google's been around only since 1998. The slang Okay had to be around for hundreds of years before it got a mention in the dictionary. Do they honestly believe that people will be using the word "google" in 25, 50, 100 years time? Or do they want to just sell more dictionaries now, with fad words."
Having the term google appear in the dictionary is a testament to Google's popularity and it's impact on our culture. Yahoo has been around longer than Google, and they don't have their name as a verb in the dictionary.
Google's grassroots background as coming from what was, essentially, a grad school project running on servers held together with Velcro, was and still is s a key part of its appeal as it grew and grew until it was able to rustle the feathers of well established tech industry giants such as Microsoft and Yahoo.
The efficiency, speed, simplicity, stability, and indeed elegance of Google's search engine and desktop software allowed the company to wage a David vs. Goliath battle against industry leaders while still allowing the company to maintain its young and playful mentality.
The story of Google is a quintessential example of the American dream and the "I'm feeling lucky" mentality. It shows how someone can come from nowhere, change the world, and still keep true to their identity. Google gives people hope. Weather you realize it or not, that reason, above all, is why Google has resonated with the American people and, indeed, the world.
That's why google is verb in the dictionary. It also doesn't hurt that Google is easy to spell and it's pretty catchy. - joshlrogers, on 10/12/2007, -5/+21I completely agree....when I tell someone to go google something I mean to go search on Google. If Google goes away for whatever possible reason the word would be obsolete. It was really quite moronic of them to put that word in there.
- scheper, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19Not necessarily.
Hoover was a brand of vacuum cleaner. Not too many people use Hoovers nowadays, but the verb hoovering is still used a lot. The same goes for a few other brandnames, too. - tnerb, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15acutally if you RTFA, Oxford added it with the captial G last month.
- KilgoreCarp, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14I believe pwned was suggested in jest... relax.
- rderveloy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+13Well, now you're using incorrect grammar.
Unlike the word God, a proper noun, the term google is a *verb* and, therefore, should not be capitalized unless it's the first word of a sentence.
The term google means to use Google's search engine to find something on the internet. It isn't a generic term for just searching the internet.
"Google" = proper noun referring to Google Inc.
"google" = verb referring to the use of Google Inc.'s online search engine.
Saying something like, "I would like you to Google our phone number and see what comes up," is wrong as it's using a proper-noun as a verb. It would like me saying, " I want you to Chris our phone number and see what comes up." Although spelled the same way, 'Google' is not the same as 'google' and you cannot use them interchangeably. - kurth, on 10/12/2007, -6/+18Like the capitalization the word God?
- shosterman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Have you seen how pissed Adobe gets when you use their products as a Verb?
http://www.adobe.com/misc/trade.html#photoshop
"Trademarks must never be used as slang terms." - tnerb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Near the bottom of the article.."mouse potato," slang for someone "who spends a great deal of time using a computer."
WTF?? Has anyone here honestly heard or used the term "mouse potato"? - dpk87, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14On an interesting note. "kleenex" is in the dictionary. Anyone know how long the Kleenex brand of tissues was around before it was accepted as a noun referring to tissues?
I believe accepting the term 'google' no different than having 'kleenex' in the dictionary. Anyone's thoughts? - MoeB, on 10/12/2007, -6/+16pff! who uses webster's dictionary. It's all about Oxford english dictionary.
- joeyjojo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+12Yes, people buy the latest dictionary just to be hip to all the latest fad words.
- Massif, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11I honestly haven't bought a dictionary since high school. When I need to find the spelling of a word I just google it...damnit!
- 4ooFdvr, on 10/12/2007, -5/+14Not necessarily, "a rule of thumb" is still used all the time in English but we no longer have laws that say you can beat your wife with a stick as long as it is no thicker than your thumb.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I think the problem is that we don't really have a single word for searching the internet, so we adopted google for it
I don't think it's some evil plan by Google, although I'm sure they love it - proghead, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7the trademark exists as long as the word is always associated by definition to one search engine - "Google"
- mlvassallo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7"Have you seen how pissed Adobe gets when you use their products as a Verb?
http://www.adobe.com/misc/trade.html#photoshop
"Trademarks must never be used as slang terms." "
Dude, that is just ***** Adobe. They burn puppies to create the energy for their electricity over there.
As far as using "google" as a verb, why not? Most of you can't even be appalled without typing "OMGWTF" so why freak out over the addition of a slang term to our lexicon? - Darc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7The point of the entry is the same as any dictionary entry has ever been -- to reference the currently existing language. Remember that even though dictionaries exist, there is no established perfect right/wrong way to speak or spell or what words to use. Remember how "colour" changed to "color" in our culture -- simply because people started spelling it that way? Recent changes are centre to center and theatre to theater. When I was in second grade, I got theatre wrong on a spelling test because I spelled it "er," which is now widley accepted. I'm still in my twenties -- that was not that long ago. Law concerning language has always been made up of the consensus of a people in a culture. That is what a dictionary is SUPPOSED to hold. Right now the consensus is that the term / word / trademark "Google" has an infinitive form - "to search using the Google search engine." That's how it's widely used.
It may be a fad, and it may not last that long. But the purpose of a dictionary isn't to establish a rule of language. The purpose of a dictionary is to communicate the meaning of words from the people's or cultures consensus understanding of a word in hopes of forming a common standard based on such consensus. If Google, Inc. is no longer around years from now, the word will be obsolete, yes. It may graduate to be synonymous with "search" or it may fade into oblivion never to be heard of again outside of our memory of it. But the dictionary makers aren't here to predict the future. They're here to inform concerning the present. Right now, our consensus is google as a verb.
You've been using the word in this slang form for months. If you accept it as an official word, why shouldn't Merriam-Webster? Maybe it will help with dictionary sales. But it also fits their purpose, and as such, I don't think this act should be judged in such a critical way. - mattus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Have you seen how pissed Adobe gets when you use their products as a Verb?
http://www.adobe.com/misc/trade.html#photoshop
"Trademarks must never be used as slang terms."
Haha. That's ridiculous. When was the last time you read 'Can anyone enhance this photograph of my mate using Adobe® Photoshop® software?' on a forum? That kind of attempt to protect trademarks is as out-of-touch as anything the RIAA have ever done. - tnerb, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6From the article..
"At least for now, Google has offered a measured reaction to its inclusion in the dictionary, saying it approved of the word's use in references to the Google service specifically, not search engines in general." - AnotherTechie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I'm waiting for RTFA and RTFM to be added as well...or maybe RTFD (RTF Dictionary).
- Lewisham, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5It's what is known as "generecide". If Google loses the term "google" to a genercism of searching the web, then there is nothing preventing other search engines using a phrase like "Google for things here". This can completely kill your trademark. You don't have to use the term in a trademark infringing way, its easy to skirt around once the word has become generic. This makes protecting the trademark very difficult, and substandard knock-offs can really hurt your brand.
Hoover and rollerblade were two companies that lost out big time to genericide. - Recluse, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9I can see why. It doesn't roll off the tongue as smoothly as google.
- SenatorPenguin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4"Or do they want to just sell more dictionaries now, with fad words."
When's the last time you bought a dictionary because of a WORD in it. - neko, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@fifrenzy: It's a UK thing. I remember when I was growing up, we'd always hoover the carpet.
Here in Australia though, it doesn't seem to have caught on. Same with Sellotape -- Sticky Tape, Tippex -- White Out - 4ooFdvr, on 10/12/2007, -5/+9Not to mention, google has a nice ring to it. Don't you think?
- danmed, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@Fifrenzy "I don't think I've ever heard someone say, "I need to hoover my carpet". What area of the country are you from? Or are you even from the US? I'm just curious"
In the UK ... people say it alot. the alternative is... vacuum. no one says vacuum.. or i suppose Dyson.. but "im gonna go dyson the front room" sounds very odd - tinkafoo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I just use the word "nerd" or "neckbeard" and leave it at that.
- neko, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3it is now.
- Quakes, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Now he's a woman called Frindlina.
- InternetUser, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5Google won't be happy, this is precisely what they wanted to avoid. Now (I *think*) they can't trademark the name "Google" (or something - someone correct me?).
- fifrenzy, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5@ scheper
"...but the verb hoovering is still used a lot"
I don't think I've ever heard someone say, "I need to hoover my carpet". What area of the country are you from? Or are you even from the US? I'm just curious. - Pokelicious, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I always use Google (sorry, google) to describe searching the web and I'm not American. Also whoever said that the word has comeabout as a verb because there is no other one word that describes it, is very insightful.
- stou, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Remember when Yahoo tried to make their thing into a verb... but it just never caught on (thankfuly)... they had the "Do you Yahoo" comercials.
Also google is an international verb too... if you don't speak the langauge you can still say "google" and they say "AH Google" - EmmSee, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I hope 'pwned' never makes it in.
- paulmike3, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4to Google or not to Google... that rings a bell.....
- amigiac, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6Yeah American English doesn't count. =^)
- takehiro12, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Whether it lasts or not, 'google' is a synonym for search, just like Kleenex is for tissue, Xerox for copy, etc. Whose to say we won't still be using the word long after it's obsolete.
- tizz66, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I'd be surprised if Google will like this, because when a product name enters into mainstream language, it becomes far more difficult to protect trademarks.
- GuitaristTom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2bury this one
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