Common Brand Names - To Cap or Not to Cap

[Mary Ann Taylor]

So, I don't know whether this is a concern for other reporters, or if I'm just being way too nit-picky.
But brand names that have become too commonplace as to refer to other off-brands as well, should we cap those or not?
Examples:
UGGs or just uggs
Kleenex or kleenex
Band-aid or band-aid
I'm inclined to only cap when referring to the actual company, but would appreciate others opinions.
Also, if you have any other examples that would be cool too for building my dictionary :)

[Wendi Thourson]

Quyen, Thank you for your post on "Web site" as two words with "W" capped. I've been using "Website" in my written material here at Stenograph.

[Brenda Rogers]

That's interesting. I only hear coastline. I've never even heard -- or read -- coastland or coastside! I wouldn't have even looked them up, just made them two words. Different areas of the country have their own terms, like Michigan's "door wall." That one threw me for a loop, and a Michiganian was dismayed to discover it wasn't in the dictionary.

[Quyen]

Here's my e-mail to them:

"Coastland" and "coastline" are one
word. "Coastside" is not currently in M-W. Shouldn't it
be in the dictionary and also spelled as one word, like
"countryside" and "countrywide"?

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Here's the response:

"Coastside" is considerably less common than "coastland" and "coastline." It
is also what we would consider to be a self-explanatory compound. That is,
it has a definition that can be derived from the definitions for "coast"
("seashore") and "side" ("an area next to something"). Because there is such
an incredibly large number of compounds that can be formed in the English
language, we generally only cover those which are very common or which have
taken on a definition that goes beyond any self-explanatory definition that
could be deduced from the words forming the compound.

Thank you for your correspondence. I hope that this response has adequately
addressed any questions you may have had about the absence of "coastside"
from our dictionaries.

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Now, I have to say that I disagree with the commonality of "coastland" and "coastline" vs. "coastside." In my experience, I more often hear "coastside" than either of the other two words. I also don't agree that they should only cover the more common words, because isn't that why we consult the dictionary to begin with, for clarification on words that aren't so obvious or common? *sigh* But I'm not about to tell MW how they should edit their dictionary. :D

[Brenda Rogers]

I still do e-mail -- in transcripts. Not in chat or casual emails, though. :)

Pretty cool that they replied. What was the word?

[Quyen]

Oh, and there's another example: e-mail and email. :)

[Quyen]

Brenda, you want to know what a total freak I am about this stuff? I even sent MW an e-mail telling them that a certain word is not in their dictionary and that it should be. I couldn't believe they took the time and sent me a thorough response/explanation! Lol! I wasn't really expecting one, just giving them my five cents -- they could keep the change.

I guess MW and I are the perfect match; I'm so anal about this stuff you couldn't even push a pin up my butt. :P

[Brenda Rogers]

Quyen, I totally understand! MW is longer to come around to newer spellings, and it's been only in the past year or so, since I realized just how slow it is in keeping up to date, that I've started breaking away from it -- in some instances. I still pick and choose, but MW is my first go-to. If I can find another authority for *my* preference, I go with it.

[Quyen]

Lol @ "new woman." You go, girl! ;)

I've been torn about Web site and website for a long time, and although I like the "look" of website, I just ... can't ... tear ... myself ... away ... from MW! :)

[Brenda Rogers]

I agree that tests require special attention. In transcripts, I don't cap them. I've also moved from Web site to website, which most people are familiar and comfortable with. I feel like a new woman! :D

[Quyen]

The Court Reporters Board of California grades its tests against the Merriam Webster, and in MW Laundromat, Dumpster and Realtor are capped. So, while it's true that most people likely are not aware that these words are trademarks, it would be considered an error to not cap them.

With company names, I will go to their Web site, if they have one, to see how they have it, and I will write it that way. So, eBay, even if it is at the beginning of a sentence.