Excuse me.

Pardon me.

*tap* *tap* (Is this thing on?)

Hey! Listen up! Yeah, you in the back, you too!

Good. Now that I have everyone’s attention, there’s a very important issue that needs to be discussed.

Space.

Take a look at the first listing for space over at Dictionary.com. It’s based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, and it lists 24 definitions for the word “space.”

None of them applies to the use of the word in the following way:

“How long have you been an expert in the SEO space?”

Or:

“We’re looking to launch a new initiative in the social networking space.”

People, people, listen. Yes, especially you there in the back!

There’s no escaping it: When you use “space” in that way you sound like a dork. A schmuck. A fool. An idiot. A nitwit. A jackass. A dolt. An imbecile. And a pretentious one to boot.

Is this getting through? You in the back, can you hear all this?

Okay, I take back what I said about Dictionary.com: Using “space” in that way is directly applicable to definition 4b: “the illusion of depth on a two-dimensional surface.”

Because when you use “space” that way, you’re trying to deliver the illusion that you have more intellectial depth than you do, that you’re some sort of expert that you’re not, that you have three-dimensional experience when, in fact, you’re a two-dimensional thinker.

So just stop it, okay?

No, really. Stop it. Right now.

Thanks. Sorry for the interruption.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 7:14 am and is filed under Rants 'n' Such, This 'n' That.