Even SciFi doesn’t like the term "sci-fi"
by Rob - March 16th, 2009.Filed under: Uncategorized.
Old-timers in the science-fiction field hate the term “sci-fi,” considering it derogatory; they insist the preferred abbreviation is “SF.”
Me, I gave up the fight when the US cable network devoted to the genre chose to call itself SciFi. (And, in fact, the hardcover of my Rollback was branded with the SciFi logo on the lower-right of the front cover, and labeled “A Sci Fi Essential Book” as part of a cross-promotion between the channel and Tor.)
But now it turns out SciFi Channel has decided it doesn’t like the term SciFi, either — in part because they haven’t succeeded in trademarking it. And so — I kid you not — they are changing the name of the channel, the website, and the magazine to Syfy.
Many years ago, in the heydey of the Great Domain Name Gold Rush, I believe Martin Harry Greenberg got one million dollars for the domain name “SciFi.com” when he sold it to the channel’s owners.
Hey, if anyone wants SFwriter.com for a million bucks, let me know, and I’ll rebrand as EsEfwriter.com …
The New York Times has the scoop.
(And tip o’ the hat to my friend Kirstin Morrell for drawing this to my attention.)
The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site