Using BlogDesk to Make Posting Painless
Recently I have been using the program BlogDesk for everything I post to my blogs. However, I have only begun using the program conistently in the last two weeks despite having downloaded it quite some time ago. I really started moving over to this program as I got tired of the WordPress writing interface and some of the problems it has.
I actually found the program through Scott who writes My Thermos. On a side note, this highlights on of the great things about BlogDesk. I obviously use WordPress for my blogs, Scott uses Serendipity. BlogDesk can be used with many of the major blog platforms with no issues.
But enough of my rambling about nothing, let me tell you
What I like about BlogDesk:
It is great at uploading images. Beyond that it has two key features that make it a winner. The first that it auto detects the width of your content column. If I try to drop in an image over 450 pixels, it gives me a nice big warning and then directs me to the next feature… A built in image editor! I’ve really only used the resizing options, but there are more features that go far beyond what any other free posting tool I have seen offers. (To make it clear, BlogDesk is also Free)
You can also post to multiple blogs and select your categories from inside the interface. This eliminates the task of having to log in to multiple blogs to write and post - mostly a wordpress thing, other platforms control multiple blogs from one central admin panel.
The formatting you use in BlogDesk will be the same formating you get on your blog. The program uses very simple HTML markup (that you can view and edit directly) and thus the way it looks in blog desk in pretty well garunteed to be the way it looks once you post it on your blog. Hell, even the editor inside wordpress doesn’t always give me the results it shows me.
A couple things missing:
BlogDesk does technorati tags, but it does not work with WordPress 2.3 tags. Although that is because the tags on the QP side are in the API and not something BlogDesk can get at. However the Simple Tags plug-in fixes that and also offers a ton of other features you can play with.
The spellcheck function isn’t great. But really, you should be proofreading right?
You cannot add categories to your blog from BlogDesk. Once agin, that is more of an issue with WP, but it would be nice to be able to do everything other than plug-in management and a few other things from outside my browser and the world of distractions from the internet.
With all that said..
Go get it! Seriously, if you want to save some headaches with posting blogs BlogDesk is the program to get.
Hi Chris,
Good deal - I’m glad you find it useful. It certainly does make my blogging life easier.
Tags are my only issue but it isn’t a deal breaker for me - the benefits really outweigh any inconvenience that causes.
SB
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I totally agree! Although with wordpress I do manage to avoid the tag problems with the plug-in that was suggested at your site and on the BlogDesk forum.
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