Windows Live Writer
April 16, 2009 by Andrea 
Filed under Blogging Tips
About this time last year I was frustrated as heck with writing blog posts. No matter which platform I used—WordPress, Blogger, or Typepad—writing posts online proved tiresome waiting for pages to load after saving, sometimes losing my work. I created posts offline and copied into posts online, but formatting always screwed up and I spent too much time reformatting. I found a blogging plugin for Open Office that allowed users to upload posts from Open Office Writer, but I had difficulty getting posts formatted properly with the original version and was frustrated that I had paid for it but couldn’t get it to work like I wanted (it used to cost US$10, now free). After hearing about Live Writer from Beth at Techmamas I decided to give it a whirl, and it has truly made my blogging life easier. I use it every day for every single post and page I write, including this one. It’s fast, easy to use, and free.
All of the blogs for which I write are now in Live Writer with the style sheets downloaded, so when I start a new post I just select the blog it’s going to and the Edit and Preview screens automatically update to look like that blog. I switch back and forth between the Edit and Source screens, touching HTML code to add CSS tags where needed. Adding photos is a snap, whether you want to upload from Live Writer or link to one. Live Writer also has support for tables if you need it.
Live Writer has many plugins available, such as an Amazon book linker, photo galleries, create posts from browser text, insert code, or insert files. My favorite plugin is a post template plugin from PracticeThis, which allows me to create templates for each type of post I write, and I currently have 11 different templates. It’s very handy for blogs where I use specific taglines or images for each post and saves me time relinking images or copying text from previous posts. I also like the Windows Live Writer Backup Utility which works outside of Live Writer and backs up posts, blog settings, and other plugins.
Live Writer is a Windows product, and since I’m not an expert on other operating systems I cannot speak to how Live Writer might run on a virtual emulator or other such things. You’ll have to do some more research if that’s what you want. If you are a Mac user, check out Ecto for blogging.
The full list of features is at the Windows Live Writer download site.
The bottom line:
Pros: Free. Easy to set up and use, connects with the major blogging platforms, downloads CSS file (style sheet) for accurate preview, downloads post updates, customize publish date, three views (Edit, Preview, Source), automatic linking, media support, lots of plug-ins available.
Cons: Tag list doesn’t fully display like the Categories, but potential matches display as you type.
System: Windows
Favorite Plug-ins: PracticeThis.com post templates, Windows Live Writer Backup
Price: free
Website: http://download.live.com/writer, Windows Live Writer Team Blog
