Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category
Blog and Web Tools
Todd Heistand, who designed this site by the way, has a great list of tools at his site: www.toddhiestand.com. What particularly caught my eye is a wordpress plug-in called “SimpleTags”. I sometimes tire of adding the Technorati Tags, so I may have to waste some time adding them here.
Todd also has the usual list of programs, including Bloglines and Firefox (two programs that I cannot imagine life without), but give his list a look. You may find a gem that has escaped your notice.
w.Bloggar: My New Toy
Though I downloaded it a while ago, I finally got into “w.Bloggar,” an offline blog editor. It essentially allows you to write up your blog posts in the exact format they will appear without actually having to be online.
While there are a number of reasons why this is a good thing, the number one reason for myself is that I’ll waste an entire morning reading the news at bloglines or from my google home page. The wireless card just sits on the table with a little sticky note stating the time I’m allowed to insert it. I can then post furiously without the temptation to read my mail, other blogs, or the news.
While many say that Ecto is the best program, Ecto also costs $20. While this is not steep for a program that does everything but write the post for you, I’m very satisfied with w.bloggar and have found that it is very easy to use.
The best part is that it keeps all of my blog passwords stored so I don’t ever have to log in. I should also note that it provides a lot features that basic blog editors simply do not have. Simple file uploads, font colors, various heading settings, and other font options make it really useful when customizing a post. It was a little tricky to set up WordPress with w.bloggar, but a quick visit to the forums at their web site cleared it all up.
Pleasantly Surprised with Blogger
I have now wasted about a good hour playing around with a new blog set up with Blogger, one of the most popular free blog programs around. While many are singing the praises of WordPress, I have found that for a newbie such as myself with minimal html experience, Blogger is a decent choice. You can check out my little blog here.
Here’s my tier of comparison with some of the major blog programs out there, including Typepad, WordPress, and Blogger.
21 Publish: Too Good to be True?
In uncharacteristic fashion, I gave in and clicked on an ad this morning. The company is called 21 Publish, and they offer free, hosted blogging for communities. In other words, you have a web portal or home page where you can post links or general content, and list all of the blogs in your community right there. The template can be customized and you can host it under your own domain name or it can be integrated into an existing web site.
It looks very attractive at this point, but I need to take it for a test drive first. You can get an idea of what it does by looking at some blogs they list: East Central Elementary School, Amnesty International USA, and Platform 27. Click here for a full list of Platform 27′s features.
What You Can Do With Blogs
While there are some really nice web sites out there with static designs, I am a big fan of web sites that change content often and offer more interaction. My experience consists of Nucleus, WordPress, and Typepad, but another popular program is Blogger. Though the standard Blogger designs are not much to look at, you can make some very nice looking sites with it.
And personal blogging aside, organizations can also use Blogger to make some very nice web sites. Jordon Cooper, whose blog I peruse daily, has a nice clean blog design that utilizes Blogger. He recommends a series of blogs/web sites by Pernell Goodyear. There’s his wife’s site, his church’s site, and his church’s blog.
I’ll have to start up my own blogger site in order to give it a review, but the price is right so far as I can see and it’s possible to customize it quite a bit.
Can You Afford Not to Blog?
Though the title is somewhat provocative, the subject material is essential for every business, especially non-profits to consider. Non-profits cannot afford to miss out on blogs. Since they rely so heavily on relationships, service, and donations, there is no such thing as too much trust or too much communication.
Technorati Tags: naked+conversations, blogging
Blog Software Review (part one)
After a year of messing around with blogs, I have had a chance to work with some of the programs out there. My inamirrordimly blog uses Nucleus, but I also have been working with Typepad and WordPress. While a lot of people use typepad, it seems that WordPress has been gaining some momentum. Andrew Jones of Tallskinnykiwi.com told me that Typepad has had its day and that WordPress is on its way up. While I have enjoyed using Nucleus, Typepad and WordPress are a bit more accessible for the blogging novice. And here are a few thoughts along those lines.
I have had a Typepad blog since April of last year, while the WordPress thing is new to me as of this year. Though I could say a lot in comparison, here’s the short cut to my point: WordPress takes a little bit of time to learn and requires even a minimal knowledge of html code, but it’s free. Typepad is really easy to use and makes buidling links and editing your content really easy. The down side is that the extra convenience costs you $6 a month.
Other Projects
Special Offers
