Not too long ago I started looking around for an easy way to post to some of the blogs I write for. The first thing that came to mind, since I was already using it to write, was to use the publish option in Google Docs to post. If you use the free hosting sites like Blogger, WordPress.com or Livejournal to name a few, this will do the trick. This is also a viable option if you post to a site using that uses the Blogger, Metaweblog or Moveable Type API. Where Google falls short is if you need to post to multiple sites.
I went on a hunt and found a couple different choices. To be honest, I tried the Firefox add-on Scribefire first; I never quite got to the second one. The reason I didn’t go any further is it did what I needed it to do and it did it well. Scribefire lets me post to multiple blogs, storing of notes and uploads images. I can work on multiple posts at the same time by opening different tabs. This smart little Firefox add-on auto saves my progress while I work and also when I close the editing window.
Adding Visuals
This feature rich editor gives you a few ways to add a few pieces of flair to your post. Video is becoming wildly popular and very common in every kind of site. Scribefire lets you search for videos on Youtube right from the editing window. The videos can be previewed in the search window before you embed it in the post. Here is a look at the preview window.
When its time to add pictures, there are a few more options. Pictures can be uploaded from your computer, the web, Flickr or Zementa. Below is a sample of the search results when looking on Flickr.
Never having used Zementa before, I found a few of the features pretty neat. When searching, the pictures show up in the sidebar (not the neat part). As you hover over the picture, the text tells you if it is free to use.
When you decide on a picture, it adds in credit for the photo and a link to the picture on the web. Some editors have a specific way they want things laid out, so a simple copy and paste can move the credits where you want them.
Add Some Ads
Off to the side there are a few tabs, one of which is aimed to help monetize your blog. Currently inLinks (the provider of the HTML ads) only supports WordPress, Drupal, Moveable Type, Joomla and Ruby on Rails sites. None of the free hosted blogging options are supported.
Share your Post
Another tab offers options to share your post. I personally would like to see a few more options, but I am not going to complain too much.
Under the Hood
In the sidebar, there are tabs to set up and select the blog you want to post to. The next tab lets you see all of the entries and notes. The notes are essentially autosaving drafts. In the categories tab, this is where you apply any tags or categories to your post. The fourth tab lets you modify the timestamp, add Technorati tags, trackback URLs and choose what sites to ping.
If you prefer to use it, there is the source code editor option. I am not much for doing the extra work if I can drag and drop it; Everyone has their preferences though.
What blog editor do you use to write your posts?
