Relying on Spell and Grammar Checker – Computer-based word-processing programs have built-in spell and grammar checkers that should be run prior to sending out any final copy of a document. Don’t rely on them to find every error. Remember if you have spelled the word correctly but used it incorrectly it’s not counted as an error.

Homophones – words that sound alike but are spelled differently:
two is a number, too means also, and to is included.

Malapropism – using the completely incorrect word that often sounds similar to the one you should be using:

loose/lose, then/than, were/where, ones/once, cites/sites, form/from

2. Its for it’s – The first is a possessive (belonging to something), the second is a contraction of “it is.” The best way to tell them apart, say “it is” out loud and if it sounds funny, it probably is.

Its market share is falling. (May be referring to a company’s market share.)

It’s a difficult assignment. (It is a difficult assignment.)

3. Me and I and Him – Botching up pronouns is among the more common grammatical mistakes. The easiest way to check for correctness is to substitute a name for I, me or him, or dropping one of the pronouns.

Wrong: Him and me went to lunch. (Test by dropping either him or me. Does the sentence read correctly?)

Right: He and I went to lunch.

Wrong: Please send the list to Paul and I. (Drop Paul and read the sentence.)

Right: Please send the list to Paul and me.

4. Verb Usage –

Subject and verb agreement. Some subjects sound like they are plural when in fact they are singular (singular entity).

Management suggests we move into new markets. (Management is an entity.)

The managers suggest we move into new markets. (Managers are a group.)

Singular subject remains singular even if other nouns are connected to it by with, as well as, in addition to, except, together with, and no less than.

John, in addition to Dee, is involved in the training.

A less stiff way of saying the same thing: John and Dee are involved in the training.

Compound subject with and usually takes a plural verb.

The city and the municipality are creating new restrictions.

Verb tenses. Avoid missing past and present tenses; keep the relationship between verbs logical and consistent.

Wrong: I work in the design studio and created the new campaigns.

Right: I worked in the design studio and created the new campaigns.

5. Slang, Jargon and Vulgarities – Although slang and jargon have their places, the use of these words can often cause confusion. Don’t assume someone else understands your agencies acronyms or everyday jargon. Spell acronyms out in full on their first use and avoid “tech speak” in favor of plain terms. There is no place in the workforce for vulgar language.

6. Matching List Sets – When listing items, either in sentence format or by ordered lists (bullets) make sure they agree.

Wrong: The King of Grammar approved verbs, nouns, and punished those who misused them.

Right: The King of Grammar approved verbs and nouns, and punished those who misused them.

Ordered Lists:

Ordered a customized style guide

50 dictionaries

Seventy books

Arranged for consultation and training

What is wrong with the list above is that item one states ordered, item two is a number and item three states arranged. The fix: item two should also state ordered. The number text for the list should also agree, either written as 50 and 70 or typed as fifty and seventy. Lists must agree in formatting. If you list items without a period at the end of each sentence then all items in the list must not be a complete sentence. If even one item in the list is a complete sentence then all items must have a period at the end of the item line.

7. Run-on sentences are two sentences end to end, often with a comma in between. Commas do not join sentences. To join two sentences you must have a word such as “and., but, or, yet, or because.”

Right: We received your order. We will ship the items this afternoon.

Right: We received your order, and we will ship the items this afternoon.

Wrong: We received your order, we will ship the items this afternoon.

If in doubt, use two separate sentences as in item a. above.

8. Wordiness – Remember, you are not being paid by the word. Keep your sentences short and to the point. Do not ramble or over describe. Keep “fluff” words out of descriptions. Fluff words are “rarely, very, always, never” and phrases such as “the fact that” can be eliminated from your text.

9. Sexist Language – Many might argue that man refers to the species homo sapiens (including both male and female) it also refers to the human male, non-sexist language should be used in technical writing. Avoid the use of he and she, man and men, and similar exclusive terms unless you are specifically referring to a female or male.

10. Use Active Voice.

Active Voice – Use active voice in all your writing. It will make your text easier to read and more interesting.

Passive: The reason he left the room was that his health was impaired.

Active: Failing health compelled him to leave the room.

Okay, I can hear the groans already. Don’t panic it’s really easier than you think… and you don’t have to use a different password for everything, just change a character for safety.

You should not use the same password to login for everything. If someone breaks into a site, they would then have your password for everything, websites, banking, all personal stuff… not good.

How to Create a Secure Password

So how do you create a secure password?  Easy.  Just follow these directions:

Use the name of a favorite actor, actress, author, etc., or a favorite phrase.

John Wayne  -  The password might look like this:  J04nWayn3#@!

See Spot Run – The password might look like this:  5ee5p0tRun###

What you want to do is replace certain letters in the name or phrase with numbers or symbols (and don’t use an family member or pet name that people can easily associate with you).

Letters and Numbers

Number  – Can easily replace these letters.

1 – L  l or I i

2 – Q q

3 – E e

4 – H h or N n

5 – S s

6 – B b

7 – T t or  L l (think of it as upside down)

8 – B b  or  S s

9 – G g

0 – O o

I know that today when writing the common decision is to use one space after a period.   However, when reading on the web, it’s better to use two because it makes it so much easier on the eyes to discern where one sentence let’s off and the next begins.

The choice of course, is yours to make.  However, consider this.   You want your readers to come back, and often.  If you do these little things, that they may not even realize, that help save eye strain, they appreciate you can come back to read more.

Fonts

San Serif fonts such as Arial, and Verdana, are easier to read on a computer screen.  The easiest is Verdana.   It looks like Arial – a nice, clean, straight font, but it has more space between the letters.  The problem with the Arial font is the letters are too close together and when you use an “r n” combination it looks like an “m.”  This also plays havoc on scanners, which are not very smart and can’t actually read words.

Serif fonts are great for Headers and Subheaders – if you just have to have them on your website.  But, leave them out of the text zone (reading area) and stick to Verdana, your readers will thank you.

Examples

The above samples were all done in 14pt font size.  As you can see, there is also a difference it the size of the actual characters using a fixed font size which is usually set in the page template for the website.

With cyber thieves targeting everyone at this time of year people are reluctant to buy via the Internet.  They will browse a store’s site, print or list items they want to buy, then travel and fight the crowds, and wait in long lines.

I don’t know about you, but I have better things to do with those precious hours then fight traffic, people and lines.   I buy online and save time.

Follow these three steps and you will find your online purchasing safer and more secure.   Although nothing is fail-safe, these tips have worked for me for the past 10 years and I continue to teach this information to Baltimore County employees who purchase online.

Step 1 – Make sure your computer is 128-Bit Encrypted.

1. Open the browser of your choice.  Make sure you can view the Tool Bar.
   Choose your Browser for tips on viewing or opening the Tool Bars.
   Internet Explorer,  Firefox,  Google Chrome,  Safari.
   .
2. Select the option to view information about your browser.

Internet Explorer
•  Select Help in the Menu Bar.
•  Then, select About Internet Explorer.
•  You should see 128 Bit Encryption.

Firefox
•  Select Tools.
•  Select Options.
•  Select the Advanced Tab.
•  Select the Security Tab.

Google Chrome
When you are on a secure page (https displays in browser URL) click on the green LOCK in the upper LEFT corner of the address bar.  Your will see the Encryption displayed.

Safari
All versions of Safari use 128 bit Encryption.

Step 2.  Making Sure the Shopping Site is 128-Bit Encrypted.

You need to check for security only on the pages where you are actually entering your credit card information.  It is safe to enter your personal information on website (name, address, phone, etc.) if you are comfortable with that site on pages that are not secure.

Clues to a Secure Website

1. Security LOCK symbol will appear near next to the address bar (or in order browsers in the lower-right corner of the screen).  For some pages you will need to click on the symbol to view the security information.
   .
   
2. The address will contain httpS:// before the website address.  The “S” indicates that the section of the website you are in is secure.  Only enter your credit card information on a page like this.
   .
3. Site Security License may be displayed on the page showing you the company from which the website purchased it’s SSL.
   .
   BEWARE – these can easily be “dummied” to look real.
   

Step 3 – Check the Site’s Certification

Internet Explorer

1. Right-Click in the “white” space on the website page.   Do not click in a data entry box.
   .
2. Select Properties from the list.  This will open the data pop-up page to let you know the site’s level of encryption, or that the site is encrypted.
   .
3. Click on the Certificates button in the lower right corner.  This will open a second pop-up window indicating the SSL certificate information.  On some sites you may have to click the LOCK symbol in the address bar to view the certificate information.
   .
   
4. If the security license information is out of date, DO NOT BUY from the site.   As long as the security date information is the same as today’s current date it is safe to buy.
   .
5. Click the PRINT SCREEN button in the top row of the Booster Keypad (middle keypad) on your keyboard.
   .
   
6. Open Microsoft Word and paste the screen shot onto a blank page.
   .
   
7. Save the page information in case you need it later for proving you checked security on the site.

This section of the Bizness Concepts site is for those of you who want to do your own thing or just want to learn more.  I’ve been wanting to add this to my website for a long time.  Hopefully you will find it fun, useful and informative.

My goal is to give away the “secrets” to computing that can make you life easier or help you do your own thing.  There is great satisfaction in being able to do something yourself, and doing it right makes it even better.

I (Deanna Lilly) have a background as a technical writer.   Having written over 200 training manuals for various Microsoft core programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access) as well as agency specific programs for use by Baltimore County (and other companies) employees have a wealth of knowledge to share.

“If you want to do your own thing, that’s great.   Just remember to consider
your reading audience before yourself.   You want to make it a pleasant experience to be on your website.”

Keep Them Coming Back

Make your site informative so visitors come back for more. Too little information is just as bad as too much.  Do you stay on a site that doesn’t offer any real information?

Make your information credible.  Quote your sources.  Anyone can say anything on the web.  Credibility is a valuable asset to your site.

I hope you find these tips useful.

— Deanna Lilly