Grammarly is far too intrusive
So I downloaded Grammarly today, and within one hour I had decided that it was worth going premium. I wish I could say I haven't regretted it.
I feel like I have an English professor watching over my shoulder, picking up on every single bad habit I make. It spots the over-use of the same word, incorrect use of colons, politically incorrect terms, "basic" words such as "very little", there are a thousand reasons why anyone serious about blogging should consider going premium.
There are a few mistakes that Grammarly makes, such as perpetually suggesting to change "its" to "it's", and then back again, and also suggesting the removal of a word which makes the sentence nonsensical, and then suggesting the word be re-inserted; however, these instances are quite rare.
As a spelling and grammar checker, I could not recommend Grammarly enough.
HOWEVER
It is far too intrusive for my liking, and I am specifically talking about the use of Grammarly within WordPress.
I am really annoyed, and I will be putting a ticket in to try to resolve the issues that I am having; otherwise I may be asking for a refund (which I have seven days to do).
- The first thing that I noticed is that as soon as I opened up the Grammarly editor, ALL Amazon affiliate banner and product links would be removed. So before editing an article containing Amazon links (and so far I have noticed it only with Amazon), I have to copy and paste the script into Word, to then reinsert it after I have finished editing. Very frustrating and time-consuming
- The second thing that has annoyed me is the fact that every time I open up the Grammarly editor, it will automatically deselect the "open in new tab" box for all of my pictures and links. It is a complete pain in the backside to have to re-select the box for ALL links and pics, EVERY time I open the Grammarly editor (which can be opened quite easily by mistake).
I am not happy.
It is a fantastic piece of software, and I would be shouting about it left right and center, had it not been for these flaws. Unless there is a way to fix the issues (and I have messed around with the limited available settings), I may be testing out Jetpack or Ginger instead :(
I shall keep you guys posted if I find a fix to the problems.
-edit- 1st Sept
Oh, one other thing I forgot to add, I downloaded the Grammarly Windows app, which was not working at all. It would crash within second of launching the installation .exe. I put a ticket in, and got a response within an hour, which was good, however they're unsure of what the problem is and will get back to me. The Microsoft Office app installed without a hitch.
*Update* 2nd Sept
This has now been resolved
-edit- 2nd Sept
I've just tried installing Firefox to see if it's a browser problem. Both problems as mentioned above are present in Firefox, so the browser is not the issue.
-edit- 2nd Sept
I have found an EXCELLENT work around for the "open in new tab" problem:
https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/the-fran/blog/tiny...
This makes it so that ALL external links open in new tab by default. The biggest problem with that is the fact that I use pretty links, and these are recognised as internal links, so to make the code work I would need to lose my pretty links.
Dilemma after dilemma.
The other option is to install the "MDC Target Blank" plugin, but obviously more plugins = slower website. I have tried the plugin though, and it does work! Between using the code in Fran's blog, and using the MDC plugin, I'm quite happy that I won't have the annoying "new tab" problem any more :)
Thoughts?
-edit- 3nd Sept
I've written a 2000+ word review of Grammarly on my website:
http://tomakemoneyathome.com/grammarly-review-is-i...
-edit- 6th Sept
Yesterday I have received a follow up email, assuring me that Grammarly are still looking into the problems I have been experiencing, and today I received an email asking for a before-and-after example of the HTML of my Amazon links, for them to assess.
One thing (among many) that cannot be faulted about Grammarly - their customer support is excellent!
Recent Comments
51
I've just installed Firefox, and the problem with the Amazon links is still present, as is the "open in new tab" links
I assume e.e. Cummings didn't have English as the second language...for me a tool like this great! :-) maybe you don't need it? Then don't use it :-)
I haven't studied the English language since school, and while my English is quite good, it lacks a certain expertise that Grammarly picks up. AND, seeing as I am selling my writing skills and trying to earn a living from it, I'll take the help I can get.
I just wish I didn't have the problems as mentioned!
I haven't used the plagiarism check yet. I will be going through every single one of my posts again to fix them after Grammarly deselected all of the boxes, so I'll use the plagiarism check then.
One thing I do like about Grammarly premium is the fact that I can choose my "type" of document. Set it to "article/blog", and it makes suggestions that the "basic" settings would not. i.e. I am as opposed to I'm, or you are as opposed to you're. I would not think to make those alterations, and they do make my piece read more professionally.
"Maybe they'll the other problems."
LOL! It looks like you need Grammarly mate :)
From Grammarly:
"Your sentence seems to be missing a verb after the modal auxiliary verb 'll. Consider adding a main verb."
:P
Hi, Josh!
I am using Grammarly Premium more than half a year and exactly you mentioned this software helps me very much. As English is not my mother tongue and to fit more or less in a readable information I am happy with Grammarly.
Regarding your issues.
The first one I never noticed and all my Amazon links are in place.
For the second, big thank you. I recheck some of my posts I noticed, as you wrote, that „open new tab“ box has been unticked.
But, I made an experiment and make some Grammarly and amazon link changes, save, check independently on another PC. Until now latest changes are OK, links opening in the new tab and so on.
Let's see later. I will definitely give you to know.
Hmmmmm. VERY interesting to know. I'm going to try editing in Wordpress via Internet Explorer as opposed to Chrome to see if that helps at all.
I LOVE the features of Grammarly, and had it not been for the problems as mentioned I would have nothing but praises to sing. TRhe premium membership really is impressive
Curious, what internet browser are you using?
One thing to point out, notice how I have misspelt the word the (spelt TRhe)? Grammarly has not picked up on that. It isn't perfect yet, and it does make a few errors here and there.
I have not had any issue with the amazon ads either...need to check the open in new tab thingy later... as a English a second language writer grammarly is GREAT...I don't even consider to upgrade it btw ;-)
Hm. That's 2 people now that haven't had a problem with the Amazon links. Now I'm curious.......
Perhaps it's only a problem with the premium membership???
-edit- no, as Andrei pointed out, he uses the Premium version, so that can't be it.
BTW, seriously consider going premium, it offers WAY more support
I'll play more around with it later...kids need to get to school first :-) if I find any issues I will let them know... I have a bit of software testing training from my education...so I happen to like to fool around with stuff like this :-)
Hello again!
As promised I played around WP post and Grammarly. The second problem is actual. After Grammarly check in WP post editor, all Amazon links „open new tab“ box are unticked. Actually, it is damn annoying. So only way at the moment is after Grammarly process manually tick new tab boxes. Wouuuuu!!!!!!
Thanks for having a play around.
So yeah, everyone is experiencing the same problem with the open in new tab issue. It is damn frustrating, indeed. Every small edit within the Grammarly editor means having to go through EVERY single link again.
But the Amazon thing is even worse. You say that your Amazon links are intact? So it's just me then. How annoying....
Links remain intact, but I noticed that not only Amazon links are opening in the same tab but also other links. I am about to make a ticket to Grammarly.
Contact Grammarly support. Promised 24 hours response.Let's see.
I got a quick response from Grammarly support team girl. She asked me to make a step by step video of the problem. I made and sent a link. What next?
They have an incredibly fast response time. i got a response today within 30 mins. I wasn't asked to send them a vid though.
A temporary fix is to install the "MDC Target Blank" plugin, worked like a charm!
I know that plugins slow down the site, but so far I only have 4 plugins, so I'm not overkilling it (yet)
In regards to "What next?", all we can do is sit tight I suppose!
One other thing - notifications don't seem to be working properly for me. I haven't been notified of activity on this blog for the last 24 hours
Great, I'll check out this plugin later Today. Not any responses from the Grammarly team yet. Sat, Sun I guess.
Thanks again for the plugin. Now even sidebar links opening in new tab.
It removes your Amazon links and deselects all your image new tab settings? Thanks for the head's up - I was considering them and now I'm not.
Here's what I don' get ...
Grammarly claims a pretty large membership and no-one has complained about this before you? ... I find that rather unlikely so for some reason of their own they haven't fixed these?
It has been, mentioned before in this community; however, I'm not sure if it's bee brought to Grammarly's attention. They have responded to my ticket, and they are looking into it, although it won't be a quick fix they say! Be careful with Grammarly
Having to redo ALL one's "Open in new tab" settings even just once is extremely inconvenient. As for removing affiliate links? That's a biggie. That's smacking the heart of your business.
I don't believe NO-ONE has ever complained about this to them directly. (Most) People don't pay $30 per month for a service and then not whine when it screws them.
They've been going since 2009 - that's 6-7 years of people not minding ... and paying to "not mind." Huh-uh. Notta chance.
You make an excellent point, CateR, but how many people that use Grammarly use it with WordPress, and how many of those people are using Amazon affiliate links? Agreed that people must have reported this in the past, so it's a bit weird that I couldn't find anything on Google on the matter.
Luckily for me, WP backs up all previous versions, so I was able to grab my HTML code to re-insert the Amazon links without having to find the products on Amazon again.
Another annoying thing is that Grammarly for Windows does not seem to be compatible with ASCII text editors. A lot of the strategy guides I make for video games have are written in ASCII format, so I was really hoping for Grammarly's help with that. No-go, it seems.
From their FAQs
"Who uses Grammarly?
Millions of writers worldwide trust Grammarly’s products..."
Better question might be:-
How many who use them haven't noticed this happens? :-)
...Odd not being compatible with ASCII....
I inquired about the incompatibility with ASCII text editors, and Grammarly ONLY supports MS Office and internet browsers. The windows app doesn't enable Grammarly throughout windows; it just allows you to use the Grammarly editor without using your web browser.
Thanks for this insight. Will be interested in what you find out from support. I sure don't want to go backwards.
Sharon
Absolutely. I really enjoy the features of Grammarly, and I would definitely not want to give it up!!
My pleasure. I've just put a ticket in, so I'll wait to see what they have to say tomorrow. Their support team is incredibly prompt, so hopefully they'll have an answer for me when I wake up tomorrow!
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Very thorough review, Josh.
I've learned something very important from you.
Thanks.
Paul.
Not a problem. I plan to write e detailed review for my website at some point today
Sounds like a great idea.
Finished:
http://tomakemoneyathome.com/grammarly-review-is-it-worth-it
Excellent Review, Josh.
You are a natural. The Site looks really good too.
I was going to leave a comment on the review and your site but I am almost at the 'Give and Take' section of our course here and will take advantage of any credits in order to get some comments for myself when my site is ready.
Again, extremely impressive review on your site. Thank you.
Paul.
Thanks, Paul, great to get some good feedback. It's inspiring!
I get what you're saying about the comments thing, however, I have a slightly different attitude. If I find a site through the site comments that I find to be engaging, then I will sometimes leave a couple of free comments, just to show support. I'll also look at the response to some of the comments I've left, and sometimes leave an additional comment in response.
This then gains a level of interaction with the author of the site, and they can then sometimes feel compelled to explore my site.
Each to their own I suppose.