WLW: Blogging Made Easier

Saturday, May 15

Though the software has been around for a while, I only recently came across a mention of Windows Live Writer (WLW) in another blog.  So, I wanted to reciprocate the favor in case there are other bloggers out there who, like me, have not heard of this great little tool that makes authoring posts offline quick and easy.

Admittedly, I was skeptical at first, but I had nothing to lose by checking it out further.  I went to the WLW website and downloaded the software.  Installation was a cinch.  Before I knew it my blog template was set up (I didn’t have to do a thing) and I was ready to blog offline.

What I like most about WLW is the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editing feature.  No more going back between published and draft versions of a post to verify and fine tune the formatting.  And, if you have multiple blogs, switching between them is as easy as pie.

WLW has several handy features, such as easy mapping and insertion of pictures and videos. 

It took me two seconds to map the location of the White House and insert the image here.

The mapping feature will definitely come in handy, but I have to admit that I still prefer my own method for inserting photographs (at least for now).  However, being able to easily insert a table and populate it with pictures means that I no longer have to group my portrait photographs in an external photo editor.  What a time saver!

From what I have read, there are quite a few add-ons that one can install to WLW.  For now, I am happy with what I have, but maybe someday I will look into those as well.

Oh, by the way … I did find a way to make WLW portable.  Now, I can run WLW from any computer, anywhere without installing any software.  As Martha Stewart would say, “That’s a good thing.”

Note to the developers … a text clipboard and insert symbol feature would come in real handy!