When discussing blog software most people immediately think of WordPress and other blog publisher packages. There are however other blog software packages that help your develop your posts prior to publishing. One of these software packages is Microsoft Live Writer.
I must admit to not being a big fan of all things Microsoft. About the only Microsoft tool that I use on a regular basis would be Microsoft Office, in particular Microsoft Word. When I came across Microsoft Live Writer I was quite skeptical. Now that I have given it a bit of work out I must admit to be a quiet fan. The Microsoft Word feel does it make it a lot easier to use.
Live Writer does help me write posts a little quicker. One of the nicest features is the ability to insert images from my desktop. This means I can play around with various images until I get the right feel for my post. Once I have completed my post it is a simple step to upload into my blog and publish. The graphics are uploaded at the same time and Live Writer conveniently updates the links as it goes.
Live Writer does have several drawbacks. One of blog sites simply refuses to accept posts. I know Live Writer has issues with the Bad Neighborhood plugin (there is a fix available) and perhaps it Akismet has the same effect. I haven’t had the time to disable Aksimet and test it out.
On the plus side, Live Writer is free. It is very easy to install at set up. During the setup process it will visit your blog and download the page template you are using. When you start writing your post you are writing into the template which provides for a real WYSIWYG feel. Live Writer has the standard formating tools and buttons that you find on other Microsoft products such as MS Word. The graphics interface is very good allowing you to insert graphics and fine tune them. As with MS Word, you can simply click on the graphic and drag it to where you want it. You can also click and drag to resize as well. The graphics have several different borders that can applied.
I often want to use tables within my posts and have always had difficulties with the process. Live Writer has made that a breeze. There is a Firefox tool that can be installed as a further option. Visit a page, select some text and click on the toolbar and Live Writer opens with that text ready to edit.
Blog software is not always about the platform you are using. There are some very good blog software applications available of which Microsoft Live Writer is one. Live Writer is compatible with most of the popular blogging services. If you have the time to play around with it then it may just make blogging that little bit better.
