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11/27/2004: "Doctors on the Internet"

Have you noticed that many people are beginning to call themselves "doctor" on the Internet? I've noticed many copywriters and other gurus now doing that. I've no idea what sort of doctor they are or profess to be. I do, however, know why they're doing it. I do not applaud this idea as it is so 20th Century and out-of-date.

But during the 70s and 80s lots of books on how to be successful told us that if we could use a title of any sort, it made us sound more credible, more important. So some of these gurus got some sort of doctorate, which is easy to do with the Internet.

The use of the title is of some interest to me. The AP Style Book, the grammar bible to all of us raised in journalism, says, "Use Dr. in first reference as a formal title before the name of an individual who holds a doctor of dental surgery, doctor of medicine, doctor of osteopathy, or doctor of podiatric medicine degree: Dr. Jonas Salk.

The form Dr., or Drs., in a plural construction, applies to all first-reference uses before a name, including direct quotations.

If appropriate in the context, Dr. also may be used on first reference before the names of individuals who hold other types of doctoral degrees. However, because the public frequently identifies Dr. only with physicians, care should be taken to assure that the individual’s specialty is stated in first or second reference. The only exception would be a story in which the context left no doubt that the person was a dentist, psychologist, chemist, historian, etc.

In some instances it also is necessary to specify that an individual identified as Dr. is a physician. One frequent case is a story reporting on joint research by physicians, biologists, etc.

Do not use Dr. before the names of individuals who hold only honorary doctorates.

Do not continue the use of Dr. in subsequent references."

So you see, these folks don't say what sort of doctor they are. They just use the title and leave us to assume whatever we want. And that's just plain wrong. If they insist on using it, they should say what kind of doctor they are . . . if for no other reason than it is proper grammar.

But beyond the grammar problems, I think using a title simply to make oneself sound important or unique or expert is atrocious. It sounds so phoney. I have a friend who holds a Ph.D and teaches in a college. She does not insist nor does she want to be called a doctor. If a person is important or sure of his position, he does not need to use a title for credibility.

As more people use the title, it will mean less. That's how it is you know. The trick to marketing yourself is to do things differently. Hey, it's not cool to be called a doctor anymore. Get over it folks. It's the 21st century. A college dropout is the richest person in America for god's sake.