Two days ago I downloaded Windows Live Writer to my computer in order to check it out, and made a couple observations about it in my first test-post with it.

I don’t know how, but somehow the first time I downloaded I got an “msi” link which installed an old beta version. While looking for where it was that I was supposed to be able to mark the category I want a post to be in, I found that mine didn’t look anything like the screenshots I was seeing. Alas, there had been a new version. Oddly enough, when I downloaded it again, using the same link, I downloaded the new version straight-away. Good.

Current Thoughts

The interface is much slicker, which is nice. Also, I can type at my normal speed (fast) without the program lagging and then missing letters and making me go back to edit all over the place. Categories are easily done, as are excerpts and tags.

The final thing which strikes me about it, is its usefulness. I had mentioned that I just didn’t “get” why anyone would want to bother logging into a program to post when they could just log into the blog itself…

One reason given to me was that logging into an admin section is sometimes confusing for a customer you have built a blog or content management system for, and all the options and administrative things that could potentially be messed up. Plus it’s just easier and clearer for the client. Awesome point! Indeed, my selling point to check it out.

Another reason given was for people traveling, for example. They might have their laptop but not access to (free) Wi-Fi. Also a good reason, even if completely unapplicable to me. Or is it? Well, I was wrong! My internet is down right now. But here I am, creating an entry that will post with one easy click of a button once the connection is back up. A single button-click, as opposed to composing in a word processing or email program that I would have to save, then copy and paste into my blog, after logging into my blog, and then choose a category, and then edit the timestamp, and then have to delete the original draft-file from my computer… You get my point.

And, call me a woman, but it really is nice that it’s so much prettier to work with/in than 99% of the admin interfaces out there for blogs, CMS’s, and carts!

Now if I could just figure out what/where the conflict is with my computer at the office, why it insists on crashing my system repeatedly every time I try to install it. Will hopefully get that worked out. It really is convenient to switch between blogs so easily and post and be done with it.

I’ve never understood the point of downloading a program that lets you make blog posts from your computer. I mean, if you have to go to the trouble of clicking around and opening up something anyway, why not just your browser window, where you have access to all your plugins too, and the ability to save on the server and edit from work (or home if you started an entry at work), etc?

Well, I heard a couple compelling reasons today. Enough, at least, to convince me that I need to check out Microsoft’s new offering. I’ll get into those reasons and their viability at another time, and after I have had time to draw a more well-formed assessment.

First Impressions

Thought #1: Instead of a clunky, ugly interface, it looks like I’m writing right on my blog. And not only did it auto-detect my blogging platform (/program), it accurately displays my styling (pink-bubble page-background and semi-transparent post-background with justified post margins, etc). Cool.

Thought #2: I’m not happy that in the installation proess, when it checked for my current settings, it posted a temporary test post without informing me it would do so. I could have switched off my mailings, but didn’t know I should have. Now I have an extraneous email that went out to all my subscribers to let them know of the new post, which wasn’t really a post at all. Not happy at all about that. But thankfully I don’t have a huge following or anything, mostly just people who know me IRL. So hopefully they’ll forgive me for that one.

Thought #3: I’d think spell-check should be automatic, as-you-type, and not something I have to pick out of a buried menu. And when I do take that time to dig… why does a “blogging program” not already have the word “blogging” in the dictionary?!? (Windows Live Writer marked “blogging” as a typo!)

Will have to reserve further thoughts for after I’ve poked around a bit more.

In just 14 days I will have internet access from my cell phone. I can’t wait!!

Now, I realize it could get very dangerous, but wow- if I manage to stay focused, it is going to make life so much easier! And frankly, I don’t have the time to not be focused! So I’m really looking forward to this helping me in big ways.

1. Task lists all available from wherever I am because they are centrally created & organized online. **
2. Google Calendar - I can view my availability on the fly. (Which is especially handy for a witch like me! ) **
3. Gmail - Since my main Gmail account is not the same account I have for my Google calendar, I don’t have to keep signing in-and-out incessantly between Google Accounts to get the info I want!
4. POP Mail - I’ve been wanting for some time to have an email address that my clients/customers could send emergency support requests to (site down, etc), so I could provide better service being available (for real emergencies) even off-hours, without the hassle of providing my cell phone number in case they WERE to ever abuse it. (And no doubt someone eventually would. Not worth it!) So now, I can set up an email address which will come directly to my phone. Also, emails can be easily ignored and even banned if someone is misusing the privilege of instant access.
5. When I want to know what’s playing at the theater and when, but am not in front of my desk, I will no longer have to go through the (sometimes torturous) phone system and wait to hear all my choices and then remember the prompt for whichever movie it is that I choose to hear about. This process really does get quite time-consuming. In 14 days I will no longer be subject.

** : If you’ve been paying much attention at all, you are aware of the fact that I have been a Palm (PDA) owner for 7 years now, and currently even a Treo which is a hybrid Palm/Cell-phone. Yet while I still really dislike Pocket PC’s and therefore the corresponding Treo alternative, I have also come to find Palm’s OS quite unusable. I had a Sony Clie for a few years, which had a super-pimped interface for the Palm OS. To my great sorrow they stopped making them, though. And now I’m stuck with an outdated, never-updated-since-it’s-been-created, Palm interface. It’s not workin’ for me. Maybe I could buy Agendus, but I’d rather not spend the money on something that should just be better in the first place. I’d rather put that money towards a service that will do a lot more as well.

So there ya have it. I got the good news yesterday, and am officially in countdown mode. YAY!

Apparently when I was attempting to adjust my blog settings a couple months ago because of all the spam, I apparently also turned off the abililty for people to comment. Luckily I didn’t start blogging regularly again until this month! So I was able to go back and re-enable comments.

You should be able to comment now, you know, if you really want to.

Just a little backdrop so you can get the joke since you’re not all geeks like me: So there’s been a lot of talk in the web marketing world lately that short, direct, to-the-point marketing is not as effective online as it is in real life. Interestingly enough, the medium that people turn to for quick, fast, predigested information is the place where they expect to most be inundated with information overload before they’ll plunk down their cash. These days, it’s long copy writing that is the cat’s meow.

So mix the need for lots of coherent words that will inspire people to part with their fundage with no sleep and a fateful car ride, and what do you get? Something I might enjoy just a little too much.

Maybe I need sleep before I encounter a fateful car ride of my own.