The editors have spoken. Phil Corbett, standards editor at The New York Times, distributed a memo among its staff stating that said “Tweet” can no longer be used as a verb. Because “tweet” has not yet been formally introduced into the English language via a printed dictionary or encyclopedia, The New York Times staff must uphold the sanctity of the written word and completely ignore colloquial pop culture speech.
Corbett states, “Except for special effect, we try to avoid colloquialisms, neologisms and jargon. And “tweet” — as a noun or a verb, referring to messages on Twitter — is all three. Yet it has appeared 18 times in articles in the past month, in a range of sections.”
Acceptable alternatives to this now taboo term include “use Twitter, post to or on Twitter, write on Twitter, a Twitter message, or a Twitter update.”
laurenbegley
