Whither professionalism in our profession?

The reason that 37Signals post might really be considered unprofessional is not because there is swear in the title, but because it being there makes the comment rude. To some people, that title conveys anger rather than the humor that was intended. Anger is generally not professional, in that it interferes with productivity.

But saying it was "unprofessional" carries a whole lot of semantic baggage that probably isn't appropriate. It calls to mind an impractical ideal of workplace behavior that encourages complete suppression of all natural human emotion. Certain aspects of professionalism are good, but unfortunately "unprofessional" often turns into a blanket (often hypocritical) label for "anything I don't like."

I recommend any time you find yourself wanting to use the word "unprofessional," see if there isn't something less abstract that would work instead. (In this case "rude" might be more appropriate.)