Leominster PR, a fictitious company that exists more as an aspiration than an application, appears to be treading water with its "SLebrity" campaign. It seems that Google hits for the word have jumped from my baseline measure of 2,730 to a spectacular 2,630!
Eagle-eyed pedants might want to point out that 2630 is 10 less that 2730, and I suppose, after reviewing the data and taking all things into consideration, a case could be made for saying that the number has gone down.
But mathematics has little to do with marketing, and the campaign for SLebrity ubiquity is not necessarily about the number.
A recent post on SL Revolution by paraliptic SLebrity Prad Prathivi, not only whined against the existence of the word but went on to use it FIVE times. Hurrah for pride!! The word then made its way into a number of comments - and shamelessly I contributed - which should add significantly to the Google's count.
The post is so recent that the minor hiccup in the current 2630 figure should be corrected fairly shortly. Hence my unflagging faith in the increased use of SLebrity during 2009.
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15 comments:
just to let you know, 2630 is 100 less that 2730, not 10, and might I add, paraliptic is not a word, you cannot change paralipsis that easily.
Also, I find it amusing that you should try and build your own SLebrity by picking on someone whom we all know and respect. Being polemical and being intelligent are two different things.
Hi Aurora
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and spotting the numerical error. I'll leave it in though because I hate revisionism.
As a point of information, contrary to your comment, you can indeed change paralipsis to paraliptic very easily - as I clearly did do. Adding the -ic suffix to a noun to change it to an adjective is a standard morphological tactic in the English language.
The New York Times writer and grammar guru, William Safire, once wrote of an error that someone made, "But in the father of our country's paraleiptic tradition, I will pass over this grammatical lapse in utter silence."
The use of the variant paraleiptic is interesting in that I chose the US variation and Safire chose the UK; I am English and he is American. Whether or not you find it interesting I don't know, but it is demonstrably a word. Feel free to e-mail Bill Safire if you doubt my bona vides on this one ;)
I'm glad you find my quest for SLebrity amusing because I find it hilarious. I am not polemical but cynical and satirical. SLebrity status is, of course, a construct with little substance, but as with real life celebrity, it affects people at some level or another, whether we like it or not. It's like the proverbial train wreck: we know we shouldn't look but we do anyway.
More specifically, I'm not so much wanting to promote my own SLebrity status (although I'll take it if offered) but the use of the word slebrity itself. Think of it as an experiment in marketing, where the product is a word and not a thing.
Don't judge me by one post. Don't judge me by two. I recall Prad's post mentioning that he doesn't want people to see him as a SLebrity but to get to know him as a person.
Perhaps you might consider offering me the same courtesy, especially since I, unlike Prad, am still a nobody ;)
Thanks again for commenting - I do appreciate it!
Firstly, did you need to waste your time to write so much?
Anyway, is this imaginary word is real, then why doesn't it appear on any dictionary site, wikipedia or any other references. It may be correct in terms of meaning, but not everything can be changed to fit a particular pattern. But whatever, was only bringing that up to emulate your pedanticism and pretentiousness.
Furthermore, I only commented because the way in which your wrote concering Prad seemed as if you were sarcastically mocking him. If you wasn't my apologies, but it was still an unessecary pin-point which could of been generalised.
On your, "don't judge me" post, it's pretty hard not to judge with your writing style, and isn't that exactly what you did to Prad?
Yes, there is no point in my posts or minute pin-pricking of your work, but it's fun and you write in such a way, that me saying this won't affect you, or your ego so I might as well carry on. :)
Hey Aurora!
Did I have to write so much? Well, in truth, there are times when I simply can't stop! It's an affliction, along with my pedantry, that I have trouble controlling.
And in the spirit of pedantry, I understand your point about the lack of evidence for paraliptic or paraleiptic using the web dictionaries. But just because it is a low frequency word doesn't mean it doesn't exist - it just means it is a low frequency word! My source is a tad old fashioned: I have the Second Edition Oxford English Dictionary (1986) by my desk (yeah, that's how pedantic I am but I do get paid real money for using it) and that contains some words that are not always easily found on the 'net.
So excuse the pedantry - think of it as an illness that responds occasionally to treatment by beer ;)
As for my mild (and surely mild is OK) tweaking of Prad's nose, I doubt he is, or was, too hurt, or even saw it as anything more than a satirical - rather than sarcastic - tap. I am not above sarcasm, mockery, irony, and paralipsis, but I've yet to really hurt anyone - Prad included. He's a big boy and should he contact me directly and tell me he was deeply offended, I'd be the first to allay his concerns. But after all, a blog is a public display of all our egos and when we post, we open ourselves to praise and mockery equally. I write for the Second Life Herald and so I know about being mocked ;)Still, the paycheck helps me through that!
Finally, I do, without doubt, have an ego problem, insofar as I (a) have one and (b) get it bruised often. But then again, I never fail to learn something from folks who respond to what I say - whether wise, wicked, or wrong - and I'll take the abuse they may offer because it always reminds me I am human after all.
/me munches on popcorn while reading
/me points out a couple of errors in Aurora's comments
you wrote: is this imaginary word is real
it should be: is this imaginary word real?
you wrote: If you wasn't my apologies ...
it should be: If you weren't my apologies ...
/me remembers "what doesn't kill you make you stronger"
/me munches on some more popcorn
/me throws a piece of popcorn at Seik and says, "Hey, play nice!"
/me also points out that though a minority of folks still value the use of the subjunctive mood, its chance of surviving is slim, and, if I was you, I'd not get to bothered by its disappearance!
/me finally exorcises the ghost of paralipsis by pointing out that it appears on page 192 of Volume XI (Ow-Poisant) of the 2nd edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Third column. Sigh!
/me splashes Siggy with Coke ...
I'm being nice
/me laughs and keeps munching
/me starts to realize that a trip to the movies with Seikatsu Koba would most likely be very messy.
/me then wonders whether dinner and a movie with Seikatsu Koba would be something akin to feeding time at the zoo... ;)
/me munches some more
For the most part I behave at the movies; I don't want to get thrown out. Now, allow me to point out that YOU threw popcorn at me, so I responded.
If you take me to dinner, then I don't need to eat popcorn at the movie :D .. . you'll be safe
/me munches
I don't feed the animals at the zoo, the signs say not to
/me munches and drinks her coke
I've not checked back for a while so have been busily reading your blog and laughing but, sadly, I have no popcorn. I think the last of the popcorn was seconded by some big Slebrity event to which we weren't invited. (Speaking of which, did you know there's a Star Trek event coming up where you'll actually be able to kiss a Slebrity?)
I love the Metaversally Speaking blog and Praddles writing style and thought your reference to be an amusing observation. Praddles is one of my favourite Slebrities. (Sorry if I offended anyone else by not making you my favourite Slebrity, but I don't know who you all are. Is there a definitive source similar to that Prok's list of the Feted Inner Core outlining exactly who is a Slebrity?)
I love my old fashioned reference books and refer to them regularly even though I have worked in web related roles for far too long. Despite the rumours, you can't believe everything you read online or get in an email. They don't however have a reference for Slebrity, so I guess they don't know the truth about everything either.
*tugs the blue haired girls hair gently and confiscates your drinks and popcorn for myself.*
Any use of the word Slebrity in this comment may have been intentional, or not.
I like the substitution of "bona vides" for "bona fides".
Ooh, I hadn't noticed the "slip of the pen" on "bona vides" - well spotted!
So as a phonological substitution, I clearly voiced the initial voiceless labiodental fricative...
AND yes, Valiant really did. What? Oh yeah. Here - Slebrity
Wow, cool! Naturally I gave it a thumbs up ;) Thanks for joining my pathetic little campaign, which is only made less pathetic by the fact that it is so trivial!
http://shoppingcartdisco.com/?p=2207 (Fame: Real and Second - a discussion on SLebrity)
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