I think a few people could use this.

[ohmyjapan16]

Good web pages require proper spelling, grammar, punctuation and syntax to convey a message that is coherent and meaningful. Today's world of personal computers offers many programs which have excellent utilities and tools to help us out when we don't know the rules of the English language or when we are too busy to administer them on our own. Common mistakes are everywhere, and they convey a negative image of the author, especially if being read by well educated people and even more especially if what is being read is intended to elicit business for the author.

Some spell checkers do just that single function, while others also check grammar. The two work hand in hand. If grammar is not checked then one could properly spell a word but misuse it because it is a homonym, a word which sounds the same or similar, but is spelled differently and has a different meaning. For instance, the words "they're", "there" and "their" sound almost identical the way many people say them, but their meanings are as different as night and day. The same can be said if "illicit" and "elicit". And, there are many other examples where the use of the wrong word can cast a shadow over the author.

"They're" is a contraction for the words "they are", such as "They're going on a vacation next week." "There" is used to designate a location, such as "The book you are trying to find is over there." "Their" is a possessive pronoun designating ownership, as in "Their property was damaged by the storm last night."

"Illicit" mean illegal, while "elicit" mean to derive something from somebody, such as "He elicited a response by asking a pointed question that was sure to provoke his adversaries". The words sound very similar, but their meanings are very different. Know the difference and use the proper word to get your point across clearly.

Punctuation is also critical. If a sentence is not complete then it should not end with a period, and if a sentence is a compound sentence then it should use commas, colons, semi-colons and/or hyphens to separate parts of the sentence which need to be set apart for clarity. Most chat boards are fraught with examples of poor use of the language and it makes us wonder how some people even got on the web because they had to be able to spell their user names and passwords to log on (or maybe they just had somebody key those for them, then save then so they can use a macro to input them when requested.)

Personally, I try to proofread AND use spelling/grammar checkers before sending most e-mails or publishing web pages, and if I am doing a page for a client I go out of my way to make sure it is perfect before my client sees it, because even if he or she does not recognize errors surely one or more of their clients or site visitors will, in which case it reflects badly on them because it is their web site and on me because my name appears as the creator.

Never assume that others know what you mean. When you assume you make an A SS out of U and ME ((buttocks)-u-me). Check your work carefully, and it never hurts to get an objective, disinterested party to also check it. But, for the sake of intelligent communication use good English language structure in what you publish because it gets your message across so much better. And, one other key point, Do NoT WrItE LiKe ThIs! You may think it is cute, but it is not! In fact, it is quite annoying and often hard to read.

Communication depends upon clearly understood words, phrases and sentences. Use the tools available to you to make your web publishing read intelligently and confer upon you an air of educated sophistication that brings people back again. The name of the game is getting your point across so that others can understand what you mean. Proper spelling, grammar and punctuation are the devices available to help you do just that.

[Ruddertail]

Do you have any links to free spell checkers that could be used on a browser window? I'd use one if I had one, but I don't.

[ohmyjapan16]

Heh, Ruddertail, you're fine. P3oPl3 taht tlk leik tihs R who tis izz ment 4.

[Ruddertail]

True, but some people just don't spell well, and a spell checker could help.

[ohmyjapan16]

Yea, that doesn't bother me at all as long as they give it a try. I don't know of any browser spell-checkers... I would just use word or something for the longer posts.

[The Beatles]

SpellBound - Firefox, Mozilla.
IESpell - Internet Explorer

Both are free.

[Corban]

I would recommend using Google Toolbar 3 Beta. Its a very nice, easy way to check your spelling using the 1337 Google spell checkers.

[windhound]

tis only for windows IE though
hopefully most people around here use firefox.. 'cause IE is the scum of internet browsers.. and firefox is free..
my wine has a workin version of IE, but thats only for emergency use and double checking consistant formatting with webpages...

most google tools are ~ decent though..

for the most part spag around here isnt that bad... to spell check everything is too much...