The Best Web 2.0 Tools for Writers

Need help with your writing? Thanks to a growing list of (mostly) free Web 2.0 tools, writers can create documents, get their grammar checked, enrich their research, and share story ideas and inspiration with other writers.

Create, write and edit your documents online, saving your hard drive in the process and permitting you to open your documents from any computer in any location. Among the most popular of these sites are Zoho Write and Google Docs. Both offer users a way to create, write and edit documents, with task bars that mimic MS Word. You can also use Zoho and Google Docs to track editing changes by user and date, and share documents with a group of colleagues.

Check word choice on Definr, a neat website that easily defines words for you. All you do is type in the word, and within seconds, Definr gives you the definition. This is handy whenever you're stumped by words you frequently misuse. Double-check your grammar, particularly on long freelance articles, by signing up with Gramlee, the only site here that charges a fee for its services. This is a copyediting assistance site that can improve your writing and check your grammar.

Supplement your research with your friends at dozens of Web 2.0 sites, including Scholarpedia, which includes encyclopedic entries contributed by members. Other sites that provide this help include Wikipedia, About.com, Squidoo and Lumifi. Some of these sites provide you with more elaborate research tools than others, so check them carefully.

If you're a blogger, enhance your posts with the help of sites like Zemanta, a free service that "reads" each post and in your blog sidebar, then suggests photos and other related links that can enrich your content. You choose what you want and presto - the photo is placed in your post, complete with photo credit, and related links you want will appear at the bottom of your post.

Get assistance in clipping words, photos and entire screenshots from other websites, to illustrate your blog posts, by using sites like ClipClip, Clip2Net and Kwout. These sites give you easy-to-install plug-ins that can save information you want to use in the future, or while you're writing.

For a little inspiration and some constructive criticism, join the online writers' communities at sites like Helium, Associated Content, HubPages, Wridea and 1000keyboards. Some sites, like 1000keyboards, is for short story readers and writers. Helium, Hubpages, eHow and Associated Content share ad revenue and/or sponsor cash prizes by holding periodic writing contests.