Greetings, readers! Welcome to the April 2010 issue of ZooNews, from professional website design company Zoonini Web Services.

Most of us probably missed it, but a tremendous milestone took place this month. On April 16, the venerable Associated Press Stylebook, arbiter of spelling variations and acceptable turns of phrase for many US and Canadian English-language publications, finally relented and updated their spelling of "Web site" to "website."

The change comes after years of impassioned pleas like these:

Please please PLEASE update "Web site" to "website" so we don't look like a bunch of dinosaurs when writing about it.

I and our readers would like to see Web site spelled like most humans on this planet. A change to website is long overdue. By not acknowledging this, AP is simply on the wrong side of history.

Change "Web site" to "website" -- I think the cultural usage of the word has outpaced AP Style, and in this case, I'd like to see it change to fit the technology.

– From AP New Media and Social Media Suggestions

When I worked for 3+ years at a US-based online directory that abided by the AP Stylebook, we were required to use "Web site" for consistency. I found it challenging to unlearn this habit after I left the company in early 2003, even though "Web site" was feeling more and more archaic. Over the course of the last year especially, I started to feel particularly stodgy, since it seemed "Web site" was becoming as unhip as a tie-dyed T-shirt at a trendy urban bar. Finally giving in to popular use, for the last couple of months I've been starting to use "website" on Twitter, in ZooNews and elsewhere, and was intrigued when the AP Stylebook finally followed suit.

As someone who can occasionally get stuck in a rut of doing something the same way, it was nice to be reminded that if an organization as set in its ways as the Associated Press can change, so can I.

What out-of-date practices is it time for YOU to consider updating?

The top question I get asked by newcomers to the increasingly popular Twitter micro-blogging service is, "What does it mean when I see a word preceded by the number sign, like #gohabsgo?"

Well, wonder no more! It's called a hashtag – the # symbol is called a hash mark in programming lingo – and it can serve a couple of purposes. Searching for a hashtag in Twitter search or a third-party service like Tweetdeck allows you to find all other tweets using the same hashtag. This makes it handy for those talking about the particular subject or attending the same event to see what each other is saying.

For example, when I was at WordCamp Toronto last month, I used the conference's #wcto2010 hashtag to follow the "back channel" discussion on Twitter both during and following the event. It allowed me to get immediate feedback about my WordPress for Newbies presentation, and enabled the organizers to get instant reactions to everything from the quality of the lunch food to the entertainment value of the keynote speaker.

Hashtags are sometimes used to propagate Internet memes, like #pleasetellmewhy. These are often seen in Twitter's Trending Topics area, which compiles the most popular terms at any given moment.

Another type of hashtag is one I like to call the ironic hashtag, or the hashtag-for-comedic-effect. This is a completely made-up hashtag that no one else is likely to use. Overused they can become annoying, but in small doses they can elicit a chuckle. #amIrightoramIright?

Got a technology term you'd like demystified in ZooNews? Send it to questions@zoonini.com.

This month we launched another new site for Toronto-based coach and author Michael Bungay Stanier, consolidating all his products in one online store. Christened The Box of Crayons Shop, the site runs on WordPress, which allows our client to add, edit, or remove products at any time.

Unlike most of our WordPress sites that we create from scratch, for this project we used a base theme intended for e-commerce sites that had certain features already built in. This allowed us to focus more time on customizing the design and functionality, rather than reinventing the wheel. We took advantage of WordPress's tags and categories so customers can quickly see products of the same type – such as books or screensavers – or carrying the same brand, from Great Work to The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun. A section for Freebies lets visitors sample the selection of goodies Michael makes available at no charge.

Are you a Twitter newbie or contemplating dipping your toe in the world of Twitter? Or maybe you've been on Twitter for a while but still don't feel like you're benefiting from it. Did you know that, in tandem with partner Charlotte Riley, I offer an intensive, on-demand, one-hour workshop to help you get the most out of using Twitter for business. We tailor the session to your specific industry and offer concrete suggestions and resources to help guide you through the often confusing and sometimes intimidating Twitterverse. Interested? Just contact me for details.

P.S. Using Twitter's "lists" feature, I recently compiled all known Zoonini clients with Twitter accounts. If I missed you, please let me know!

À la prochaine,

kp
aka Kathryn Presner