Q. In running text, is it necessary to include a website’s domain extension? “The video on YouTube.com showed a cat,” for example, looks incredibly stilted. The publication I’m working on is scholarly—but not intended specifically for grandmothers. Can I get rid of the “.com” if it’s clear that a website is being referred to?
A. Hey, there are grandmas who could tell you that you should be careful about shortening your references, because not all sites end in .com. If the exact site (like YouTube) can be located reliably in an online search, fine, but if you’re referring to a more commonly used name like Best Foods, there could be any number of websites with the same name that end in .net, .org, .biz, or other extension.