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What blog writing software do you use?

Aug 03

Posted by D7 in Blogging8

Windows Live Writer Screenshot

You may be someone out there who blogs more than text messaging, or just can’t live with the lack of Internet connection for everyday’s blogging, or brings your laptop everywhere you go so that your self-hosted medium for news is always up to date. Nothing special, we all live in the age of user generated content.

But we all know that blogging through the weblog’s admin area is just like pain. What if after typing for 3 hours, the connection suddenly resets, or some freaky error appears while you are submitting the post? (That is I am saying about blogs that don’t have auto-save function) Everything may happen, and make you lose what you have just done within some seconds or just a click. Your inspiration, your passion, your idea for the writing, your hours, your batteries, and your “fingers’ muscles”… they’re all just suddenly gone!

Here comes the need for a blog writer, an application which lets you do the word processing, with WYSIWYG feature, but specialized for blog writing.

Free or Not free? Mac or Windows or Cross-platform? Here you go…

Free

Here are the top free blog writing softwares I have experienced:

1. Windows Live Writer (Windows)

Windows Live Writer Screenshot

Windows Live Writer is a desktop application that makes it easy to publish rich content to your blog.  Publish to most major blog services: including Windows Live Spaces, SharePoint, WordPress, Blogger and many others. Don’t have a blog yet? Writer will help you set one up! Easily insert photos and videos, maps, tags and lots of other content, all in a snap. Powerful editing features include tables, spell checker, and quick hyperlinks. Writer shows you what your blog entry will look like before you post it, using your blog’s templates and formatting.

This post was composed with Windows Live Writer, as you can see. What I liked best at it is that it allows me to compose right on the template my blog looks like.

2. Zoundry Raven (Windows)

 Zoundry Raven Screenshot

Zoundry Raven is an advanced WYSIWYG full featured editor that makes posting to blogs easier and faster. It’s as easy to use as a word processor, plus included simple tools to add links, tags, photos, music and video files, and more. Save time writing and managing your posts - offline or online.

What really interests me is that when you install Raven,  you can choose to install Raven2Go instead - the portable version of Raven on your USB drive. This is really useful, settings and local-saved posts can be synced between Raven & Raven2Go.

 Zoundry Raven Screenshot

3. ScribeFire (Cross-platform)

ScribeFire Screenshot

ScribeFire, an extension of Firefox, enables users to easily drag and drop formatted text from the Web into their blog(s), post entries, take notes, and optimize their ad inventory, directly through the Firefox browser.

4. w.bloggar (Windows)

w.bloggar Screenshot

A freeware option with a long feature list.

5. Quamana (Windows & Mac)

Quamana Screenshot

Qumana features include easy text formatting and image insertion, simple Technorati tagging, and advertising insertion with Q Ads.

6. Thingamablog (Cross-platform)

Thingamablog Screenshot

Thingamablog is a cross-platform, standalone blogging application that makes authoring and publishing your weblogs almost effortless. Unlike most blogging solutions, Thingamablog does NOT require a third-party blogging host, a cgi/php enabled web host, or a MySQL database. In fact, all you need to setup, and manage, a blog with Thingamablog is FTP, SFTP, or network access to a web server.

Not free

1. BlogJet (Windows)

BlogJet Screenshot

BlogJet is a Windows blog client for managing multiple blogs, with features no web-based blog editor can match. What makes using BlogJet a lot more comfortable than posting with browser or other blog clients?

2. ecto (Mac OS X)

ecto Screenshot

ecto is a feature-rich desktop blogging client for MacOSX, supporting a wide range of weblog systems, such as Blogger, Blojsom, Drupal, MovableType, Nucleus, SquareSpace, TypePad, WordPress, and more…

3. RocketPost (Windows)

RocketPost Screenshot

RocketPost blog software is the first productivity app for blogging, designed for serious bloggers and business users. Unlike low-end clients, RocketPost is a complete, stand alone editor which puts you in control. It’s the only blog editor with WYSIWYG editing, full local editing and full blog import. And it works just like email, so you already know how to use it. Blog smarter by downloading RocketPost now.

4. MarsEdit (Mac OS X)

MarsEdit Screenshot

Why Blog From Your Mac? Browser-based interfaces are slow, clumsy, and require you to be online to use them. While your blog’s web interface struggles to perform the simplest of tasks, MarsEdit uses the power of your Mac to provide an amazing blog editing experience. MarsEdit is a desktop blog editor, so you can write a blog without giving up the comforts of your Mac.

Online & Free

These are handy when you want a distraction-free environment for concentrating on more productive writing, savable for anywhere access and device-free workstation.

1. Google Docs

If you regularly use Gmail, and Google Docs in general, this is an excellent option to write your articles from. You can use this app like you would the previously mentioned software, by inserting your blog settings and hitting the Publish button after you’ve finished writing.

2. Zoho Writer

Functionality and speed, this should be Google Docs’ heavy opponent. Not only does it take care of all your blogging queries, but also provides an interface that makes saving and sharing documents easier.

3. BigHugeLabs’ Writer

With the Fullscreen feature on pressing F11, dim the other options, Writer will also keep track of your wordcount. While you can’t format, categorize or add images, it is possible to save a draft to your blog, or just on Writer’s server. You can also change the font color, size and one of three font styles.

My choice…

As you all may have guess, though it’s hard to decide. I chose Windows Live Writer for live-view composing on my WordPress theme template. On the other hand. Zoundry Raven can also import the posts from Live Writer, I’d also use it and have a portable version on my USB drive, so that I can always continue blogging no matter where I am.

Yours?

How about you? What is the software that makes you feel most at ease and what are the cons of what you did not choose?

If you have any other cooler software, please share with me and other readers in the comments :)

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8 appreciated comments

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Windows Live Writer because of the GUI and popularity :)

Permalink | 11:42 AM, August 3rd, 2008 -

D7

@TaiTran: I agree with you, but since WLW is way a bit of a “heavy” application. We should consider the coming of other light-weight and portable apps, right? :)

Permalink | 11:49 AM, August 3rd, 2008 -

Huy Tao

Thanks alot, this entry is very helpful to me !

Permalink | 7:29 PM, August 5th, 2008 -

Howdy;

im a big fan of the Windows Live writer too, but sometimes i use the “blogdesk” editor.
I start a try with writetomyblog.com but; holy moly …

The same with Bleezer (http://twurl.nl/rt111s)
or post2blog (http://twurl.nl/vfcphp)

My fav is the WLW !

Permalink | 6:31 PM, August 6th, 2008 -

[...] - Into the Big Time saved by royzamorano2008-08-08 - What blog writing software do you use? saved by [...]

Permalink | 10:45 AM, August 10th, 2008 -

al

thanks for the information…

Permalink | 10:14 AM, August 24th, 2008 -

BlogDesk Fan

Try BlogDesk. IMO, It is one of the best. I have done a comparision of various blog clients here: http://www.ncaditya.com/free-desktop-blogging-clients/

Permalink | 2:11 AM, October 15th, 2008 -

I don’t even know, fellow! Continued to write in the same vein, it is interesting people!

Permalink | 10:32 PM, November 4th, 2008 -

You

These codey monkeys are Okay ;)
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10:58 AM, Friday, November 21, 2008

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