May 24, 2007
Letter E’s protest Web 2.0 Sites
“Unfair to Vowels” read one sign. “We’re not all silent!” read another. Silicon valley saw its first protest against websites conducted exclusively by a letter of the Roman alphabet.
Several letter E’s, who claim they’re out of work but a new fad in naming companies, have banded together to demand fair treatment and proper spelling.
“It’s a great time to be a G,” said one disgruntled vowel. “But let me tell the G’s of the world something. We were your friends, and now you’re digging our graves.”
Sites like Flickr lead the trend of dropping the letter e from a company name, making it easier to find a domain name.
“Twitter didn’t seem to have any problem finding a domain name that could put some of us to work,” said the E.
The letter E, often referred to as the most common letter in the English language has long had a close relationship with technology. Many standards are set by IEEE, which employs the most E’s of any sector of technology.
But the landscape has changed with the onset of Web 2.0 companies looking for a hip name.
“There’s a special place in hell for these sites right next Georges Perec,” said one particularly vocal E. In the meantime, the vowels will continue to petition silicon valley business to put E before everything.