Title? What title?

"Log onto our Web site at www...." Log on.... Gee, doesn't that mean enter a user name and maybe a password too? But I keep hearing people on TV say to "log onto" their Web site. What's wrong with saying to "go" to their Web site or "navigate" or "visit." I've accepted the term "Web address," since it does tend to identify at least a resource uniquely enough to use it, but using the term "log on" with a Web site?

I'll admit, many Web sites these days encourage registration, especially where messages get posted. Tracking where offensive messages come from is (presumably) useful for avoiding further messages from such people, and having to enter a valid e-mail address tends to discourage at least the casual offender and encourages some degree of accountability. But does (e.g.) a news program really want to require people to enter a user name and password to get to their content? There are many Web users who avoid providing their e-mail address because they don't want more junk e-mail. It makes perfect sense to offer some content without requiring registration. And "log on" just sounds so clueless when talking about visiting a Web site. Log on? Okay, do I need an account?

Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe that's that right way to talk. So the next time I go camping and roast marshallows, I'll "microwave them" over the fire. After all, cooking is cooking. And it should be a popular saying in advertisements to "brake on over to our store," since using the brakes is an important part of driving a car. Maybe dentists should claim to regularly perform major surgery as part of cleaning your teeth, just to avoid confusion with other types of cleaning such as an automatic car wash. Time to bitmap today's entry.