WhiteSmoke Opens Technical Operations in San Francisco to Meet US Demand

US Represents Largest Market for WhiteSmoke's Turbocharged Grammar Checker, Text Enrichment and Spellchecker

SAN FRANCISCO, March 19 /PRNewswire/ -- WhiteSmoke, the leading software company developing innovative solutions for correcting and enhancing English writing, today announced that Americans are most likely to use its award-winning English writing software. 85% of its 700,000 downloads to date stem from the US. This rising demand has led WhiteSmoke to open new technical operations in San Francisco to better meet US demand for its all-in-one writing software which includes an advanced grammar checker, text enrichment and a spellchecker.

WhiteSmoke puts its recent increase in user numbers down to its highly successful Easter promotion, which has driven downloads of the unique software to over 700,000 at www.whitesmoke.com. Although the company offers both US and UK English versions and has an international customer base, it seems that more Americans want to improve written English across all age groups and occupations.

"We have users in their teens at college, through to company owners," says Hilla Ovil-Brenner, co-founder and CEO of WhiteSmoke. "One customer has used WhiteSmoke to create interesting and correct copy for his website, saving him the time and money needed to employ a professional copywriter. Another dyslexic user has written her first novella using WhiteSmoke. However, by far the largest category of users are Americans who write business communications." Not surprisingly, over 60% of typical business correspondence is sent with errors, according to recent WhiteSmoke research.

"I feel bad" or "I feel badly"

Hilla Ovil-Brenner turned her attention to developing a grammar checker that picks up where others fall down. WhiteSmoke, for example, checks words in context, warning those who write "I feel badly" that it should be "I feel bad." It also senses the need for periods and question marks and notices missing words -- which account for the majority of email errors.

Ms. Ovil-Brenner explains, "WhiteSmoke 2008 uses algorithms, based on its patented Natural Language Processing technology. Our technology performs advanced context-based English grammar, spelling and punctuation checking. An active thesaurus takes the initiative to enrich the writer's text with suggested synonyms, adverbs and adjectives. For definitions, just point and click on a word and the dictionary definition pops up."

In addition to email, blogs and social media are going mainstream to boost demand. By the end of 2007, there were 112 million blogs according to blog search engine Technorati. "The mainstreaming of blogs, social media and IM -- especially in corporate settings -- are driving demand for an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) versions of our technology," continues Ms. Ovil-Brenner.

Ms. Ovil-Brenner adds, "When online journalists and bloggers advance solutions to global warming, comment on the War in Iraq, or share their knowledge on a technical problem, they know they will lose credibility if spelling and grammar are sloppy."

On the social media side, Facebook now offers a lite version of WhiteSmoke on its site and WhiteSmoke's spellchecker and grammar engine are being incorporated into applications such as iGoogle. In addition, Q-Group, an online English learning system, includes WhiteSmoke's OEM product in its courses for those planning to study or work in the US or Great Britain.

"...riding on a shoeshine and a smile..."

"The era of Wily Loman, 'riding on a shoeshine and a smile,' is long dead," Ms. Ovil-Brenner observes. "Today the demand for sales and customer service people to write well is burgeoning. What's more, small business owners have to produce more documents and presentations without help from professionals or administrative assistants. A further WhiteSmoke study showed that every office worker in a medium size company creates or reads a total of 200 emails per day."

Ms. Ovil-Brenner adds, "the proof is in the inquiries and feedback from ordinary businesspeople who use WhiteSmoke to help them write PowerPoint Presentations, websites, operating manuals, and employee evaluations." WhiteSmoke includes scores of templates for just about every business situation, as well as versions geared to legal and creative writing too.

The lesson: "Find a useful product that everyone takes for granted. Improve it and the world will beat a path to your door."

About WhiteSmoke

WhiteSmoke Inc. is a world leader in English grammar and writing software solutions. WhiteSmoke software corrects grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and provides text enrichment via innovative patented technologies. These technologies are the product of years of research into natural language processing, tapping into the complexities of the English language.

WhiteSmoke writing software comes in a range of versions to suit any writing style, from everyday home use through to field-specific business communications.