h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have my own personal solution:
I just NEVER say http:// or www when I tell people about an adress. Most people I know usually figure it out by themselves.

Neighbour - hey, it's the same planet, isn't it?

Well as long as we're talking to inDUHviduals occasionally we might as well go for broke and waste as much time as possible. What's the alternative...actually working? I think not. So, I present to you..."hyper-text-transfer-protocol-colon-slash-slash-world-wide-web-dot-aitch-two-jee-two-dot-company." But good God, they probably wouldn't even get it then. Sometimes, actually, I get so aggravated that even working seems preferable, so to abbreviate (no pun intended) the agony I'll just say "aitch-two-jee-two-dot-com." Or in fact just "do an internet search, I'm sure it'll show up." Yeah. That's intrinsically best.

The problem, as I see it, with not bothering to say the "www" in regular URL:s is that if you do it regularly, the people you regularly tell URL:s gets used to it, and then, when you're going to give them an URL that doesn't have the "www" at the beginning, they type the "www" in anyways, and get an "Error 404: URL not found" message.
Happened to me a couple of times.

True, Kimoto, we all live under the same stars. Neighbour it is, then.

LinS

Most people I know try again if an error 404 occurs after they have added WWW themselves. Then they try without it.
But then, most of'em are nerds and geeks. Mind you, I'm not. I'm just another neighbour!

Geeks and nerds may try without the www if they get a 404, but not everyone on the net is a geek or a nerd. I work with a bunch of people that are neither geeks nor nerds, and when I give them an URL, I have to specifically tell them not to use the www, or they won't find the URL in a million years.
And that's workers at IBM. Go figure, eh?

Hey, my PC is not an IBM!

Ummm... Did I say your PC was an IBM?
If I somehow unconsciously accused your PC of being an IBM PC, I am truly sorry.
All I was trying to say that my coworkers work at IBM, and they still can't find an URL.
Once again, Kimoto, if I have implied that your beloved PC is an IBM machine, then I am truly sorry. It won't happen again.

It's okay to offend my PC - I do it myself all the time. I dunno what came first, me offending it or it offending me? It does, you know.
But as long as you don't offend me - and that's not an easy thing to do.

Running the risk of reviving a topic that probably was finished enough to deserve to go to the eternal topic fields:

Some Danes (Yes! There are more than one! Even at H2G2) have taken to saying 3W (no phonetic writing tonight - it's just too late for that). It's very short and tongue-friendly -- though it still *is* an abbreviation of sorts, I'll concede.

I actually think that TowelMaster & 'Nonnie had a point about 127,6 postings further up talking about this being a forum that just cannot avoid getting back on topic. Maybe it's the H2G2 equivalent of The Flying Dutchman?

Man, this is scary. There are no other forums on H2G2 that gets back on track after drifting away from the topic.
This is scary. I think we'll have to call in an exorcist or something to get rid of the ghosts.

3W seems to be a good option, though. But do they say "tre dobbelve" (3W) or "tre ve" (3V)?
Who came up with the idea of finding an abbreviation that takes longer to say that what the abbreviated phrase does?
That's just nuts.

No other forums that return to topic? Um, there are, but they take some seeking out! LOL
shazzPRME

"tre dobbelt-ve" actually (now that it's morning I'll venture into a bit of phonetics...)

That's actually quite good. With a bit of artistic licence, a quite adequate abbreviation of WWW can be made which actually takes a sensible time to say.

'TreDobblevey'
'tre-DOB-ul-veey'

Well done Santragenius.

*basking in the glory, then hastily remember what his mom always said*

Thanks! I actually picked it up from a radio station that used to say it for a while whenever they spoke of URLs. So, the honour should go to some unknown wireless Dane

First time I heard it, I actually went around saying it for about 5 minutes, making the rest of my family wonder if I had finally cracked

But, yep, it is very sayable (now, is that a new word?)

Dubby-Tubby, the Rasta tellytubby; the black one with the magic ghetto blaster.

Re My Dubby-Tubby comment, sorry for being so slow, I just got here!

I just mentioned "twirddleU" to my boss and got a very sideways look! Not much chance of non-geeks going for that one if his reaction is any indication.

Personally I would go with the people who ignore the WWW and go for aitch-two-gee-two-dot-com

I've just realised that makes three posts on the trot (oops! make that four!). I think I'd better shut up and leave the thread by the nearest exit.

Don't worry -- it seems that no matter what you do to (or even in ) this thread, it automagically morphs itself back in shape & onto the true, straight narrow path of whatever it was it started out with some 40-odd weeks ago....

I must admit that I have regressed into twirdleew...