Using an Offline Writer to Write Your Blog Posts
No, I’m not expecting you to write your blog post with pen and paper. An offline writer is software used to write your blog posts when you are not connected to the internet. For both WordPress and Blogger, to write your posts, you need to be connected to the Internet. Taking that process offline requires an offline editor.
Why Write Offline?
There are several reasons for taking your writing offline.
1. You don’t have to worry about losing your work if your browser crashes or you lose Internet access.
2. Internet access is getting faster, but it is still faster to work offline.
3. You will have all of your posts backed up offline.
Free Offline Writing Software
There are several options for offline writing, but I’m going to focus on two that are free and that I have used. Before you can use an offline writer for WordPress, you need to be sure your blog is set up for offline writing. Now we can find the right editor.
Windows Live Writer 2011
Windows Live Writer is only for Windows, but it is free. The interface is similar to Microsoft Word and you can upload pictures and videos right into Live Writer and they will be uploaded to your blog when you publish the post. If you use Flickr or YouTube, you can install plugins so you can add those pictures and video directly in Live Writer. With some themes, you can view your post in Live Writer using your theme so you will know what it will look like online.
Quamana
Qumana is also free and has both a Windows and Mac version. Quamana also has a post editor which is very easy to use. You can add video and pictures and they will upload when you publish your posts. Quamana has one feature that Live Writer does not, Q ads. You can add and make money from ads which are inserted into your posts right from the editor.
Both editors have a spell checker, tags and categories. The tags and categories will be downloaded from your blog when you sync with your blog. Anything you do offline will be available online. Either one of these will give you all the features you need and are very easy to set up.
Next week we will discuss plugins to add to your WordPress blog. Don’t miss last week’s post about keeping track of your blog posts across the web.
Do you write your blog posts online or offline?
Michele McGraw is a mom of 4 who blogs about technology, digital scrapbooking and fitness at Scraps of My Geek Life. She can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
Michele McGraw
Michele, a tech mom, blogs at Scraps of My Geek Life about technology, fitness and digital scrapbooking. For the last 15+ years, Michele has been connecting women online in support of their hobbies and healthy lifestyles. Scraps of My Geek Life offers daily commentary, advice, reviews and shared experiences of how her real life and the digital domain connect. Michele shows families how to use technology to enhance their lives.
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I might have to try an offline writer, I can see this being a benefit when I cross post! Although I still like to do the pen and paper thing from time to time, I do like to save a little time.