One of my biggest problems with keeping up on my blogs is the hassle of having to log in to the WordPress dashboard to create and edit posts. I always prefer working within desktop clients when possible. Desktop applications are faster, (no page loads with every click), and just “feel” more natural.
The other thing I like about a desktop client is the lack of clutter compared to WordPress’s editor. I mean… just compare these two screen shots…
This is my WP post creator/editor.
This is the much cleaner Windows Live Writer (WLW) interface.
I have a hard enough time focusing on the task at hand without having a bunch of menu items reminding me that I have to update plugins, administer comments, etc.
I just loaded WLW and this is my first post using it. I find it intuitive to work with (much like any word processor) and it was easy to install and set up. Since I have many blogs, I think this will make my life much easier and perhaps help me to keep my blogs more up to date than I have in the past. 🙂
WLW just works! It’s easy to start a post, save a draft, and publish to the live site.
I also find it easier to insert pictures and multimedia. I normally don’t even bother inserting pictures into my posts because it usually turns out to be more bother than it’s worth but WLW makes it painless to insert the images into the posts and review them immediately.
One thing I found that’s really cool about it is I found instructions on how to install it to a USB stick and thereby make it portable. You can do it yourself by following the instructions over at TechLifeWeb. This is great because I tend to work on several various machines and now I can create posts on any machine at any time regardless of whether I’m online or not. I just save drafts when I have no internet connection and publish the next time I do. The program as well as the posts are all saved to the USB stick so they are always with me.
A couple other things I really like about WLW is you can download your WP styles so you can preview the posts exactly how they will look on your live blog without having to publish them.
I’m still playing with it but so far I’m liking what I’m seeing. There are many options and features, but not so many that it’s overwhelming. I’m also going to check out a couple other Blogging desktop clients but for now, this one is a keeper. And it’s FREE!
Until next time,
Wishing you success in everything you do!
Ken