Illustrious pedants - please advise, is it continually update or continuously update...

[handlemecarefully]

in this context:

"...and produce professional looking websites which are user friendly and simple to maintain / continually update"

or doesn't it matter?

[fryalot]

continuously updated

I think.

[Desiderata]

It does matter because the words have two different meanings. I just wish I could remember what they were!

I'm someone will enlighten us both in the time it takes me to look it up, though.

[WendyWeber]

Just had to google this as I can never get it right!

Continuous means uninterrupted. continual means repeatedly. So I think you want continually.

[WendyWeber]

That would be me, Desi

[fryalot]

I stand corrected

(well, actually, I am sitting down if we're going to be pedantic about it)

[handlemecarefully]

Ah thanks!

[fortyplus]

I think 'continually' implies forever on a regular basis. 'Continuously' implies that someone is watching over it updating it constantly. So... if there isn't someone watching over it 24 hours a day I'd use 'continually' if I had to choose between the two (though I prefer 'constantly').

[fortyplus]

OOh look - xp with WW and I was right!

[theyoungvisiter]

I think they imply slightly different things but are both correct.

But I think I would just say "simply to maintain and update" which is simpler and perhaps slightly more elegant...?

[handlemecarefully]

Actually I think I prefer constantly too

[WendyWeber]

Or you could just use regularly instead, hmc?

[handlemecarefully]

Yes that is more succinct YoungV

[Desiderata]

[WendyWeber]

...unless they're going to be doing it every 5 minutes...

[WendyWeber]

...isn't pedantry fascinating and lovely...

[handlemecarefully]

Sorry to appear rude but have to pick ds up from Pre-School now....

thanks for the input!

[stuffitllama]

don't use either word
young is right

but i thought it was visitor

[WendyWeber]

It is, but the book isn't! (Was written by a 9-yr-old)

[theyoungvisiter]

but "continuous" could be correct, depending on the context.

For eg Amazon is continuously updated because they have constant feeds about sales etc.

If you are talking about users manually altering information every so often then "continually" is probably more correct.

But since either could be correct I'd just leave it as "simple to maintain and update"

[WendyWeber]

The Young Visiters

[fortyplus]

'regularly' might be once every year, though - depends how you interpret it

[Twiglett]

nothing to add, the pedant crew got their first

[theyoungvisiter]

gosh sorry - loads of cross posting there!

Yes, my name is a book title! Don't worry, I can spell (mostly!). Perhaps I should have a disclaimer before I post on a pedantry thread...

[stuffitllama]

Wendy thank you
I believed you without the link
I'm highly credulous
but not very well read plainly

[WendyWeber]

Well, 40, IMESHO, regularly means "as often as you want" - which seems exactly right in this context

(I think hmc has buggered off to reword now while the rest of us talk amongst ourselves)

twig, you are a bad woman