The Internet has much to answer for, but one of its chiefest sins is its relentless stupifidication of the English language. And no, I did not just make up the word "stupifidication."1

UK pollsters YouGov have just completed a survey on the web's most-hated words, the abominations that threaten to turn English into a long series of "plzkthxbye" utterances. At the top of the list (and rightly so) is the word "folksonomy." It's followed by:

Blogosphere

Blog

Netiquette

Blook (don't ask)

Webinar

Vlog

Social Networking

Cookie

Wiki

Now, any survey of this type isn't designed to get at some sort of mythical objective truth about the Internet's effects on English; it's designed to come up with a handy top-ten list that journalists can use to pad out slow news days. As such, it's just a measure of people's pet peeves, so this seems as good a time as any to share a few of my own that didn't make the official list.

AJAXify . As in, "I'm just going to AJAXify the web site and then we'll be all Web 2.0 and stuff." "To AJAX" is not an English verb. Please don't use it as one.

. As in, "I'm just going to AJAXify the web site and then we'll be all Web 2.0 and stuff." "To AJAX" is not an English verb. Please don't use it as one. Web 3.0 . Web 2.0 wasn't bad enough, huh? Shove a finger into that soft spot at the back base of your ear and you'll know how I feel about this one.

. Web 2.0 wasn't bad enough, huh? Shove a finger into that soft spot at the back base of your ear and you'll know how I feel about this one. Podcast . Our own Peter Bright has a well-known man crush on Steve Jobs but can't abide the term "podcast" when used to describe any recorded audio placed online in any format. He has... strong feelings about this.

. Our own Peter Bright has a well-known man crush on Steve Jobs but can't abide the term "podcast" when used to describe any recorded audio placed online in any format. He has... strong feelings about this. Crowdsourcing . Typing tags on other people's photos? I want in. Wait. No I don't.

. Typing tags on other people's photos? I want in. Wait. No I don't. Flash mobs. Hipsters show up in public parks at the same time using only text messages and web sites; NO PAPER SIGNS NEEDED. This is not, it has to be said, a huge breakthrough.

So there you have it: my non-objective collection of irritants. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go blog about a webinar.

1Okay, I did. Score another blow for the Internet-based assault on English!