WhiteSmoke
Bottom line: Exercise caution
Review: WhiteSmoke divides opinion more than any other "grammar correction software" we've reviewed. If you Google "Whitesmoke review", then you'll see that some people say they love WhiteSmoke while others say they hate it. We can't assess all the claims and counterclaims, but we can share, as factually and as objectively as
possible, our experience with the software and let you decide whether WhiteSmoke 2009 is for you.
On the positive side, WhiteSmoke 2009 looks great.
Its graphical user interface looks clean and professional. We found the software very easy to use. It
processes text quickly, though the software returned an error when it processed one of our larger documents (100 pages).
Some blogs criticise WhiteSmoke's customer service. But, for us, WhiteSmoke replied to our emails within a day. WhiteSmoke responded promptly not only when we asked for a review copy but also when we enquired anonymously about earlier editions of the software.
WhiteSmoke works with more applications than other software we've tried; it will work on almost any text-based program, including emails, web forms, and Word documents.
But several aspects of WhiteSmoke 2009 worried us. For example:
- We liked very few of WhiteSmoke's editorial suggestions.
- Many of WhiteSmoke's suggestions were about changing short words like "But" to longer words like "However".
- We didn't realise until after we downloaded and installed the software that we must stay connected to the Internet to use WhiteSmoke 2009.
Other criticisms could be made. For example, WhiteSmoke markets itself too aggressively for our liking — by requiring us to supply our email address upfront and by sending us promotional emails around once a week.
One could also point out flaws in WhiteSmoke's own use of English, such as typos and poor grammar in some of its advertisements and web material. Apart from anything else, these writing flaws undermined WhiteSmoke's credibility in our eyes.
Our biggest concern is WhiteSmoke's "text enrichment" feature. WhiteSmoke lets you "enrich" text by making plain sentences "more sophisticated" — for example, by adding adverbs and adjectives and replacing short words with long words. Unlike the other software we've reviewed, WhiteSmoke's "enrichment" feature reverses the principles of plain English. If you're not careful, then WhiteSmoke may actually weaken your writing.
Whatever WhiteSmoke's strengths, and despite WhiteSmoke's apparent popularity, the software disappoints us from a plain language perspective.
WhiteSmoke's makers say they have listened to their customers' feedback and have responded with a better product in WhiteSmoke 2009. To the makers' credit, we have seen improvements in WhiteSmoke 2009 from earlier editions.
We hope WhiteSmoke will continue to improve, by providing better editorial advice and by focusing now more on substance than form.
The price for WhiteSmoke ranges from $79.95 to $249.95 depending on the version you buy.
How to trial:
WhiteSmoke provides an "online demo". They also provide a 30-day refund. But you should read the fine print. You may also want to check WhiteSmoke's email policy before registering your details. You can read WhiteSmoke's User Guide here.