I’m always looking for a better way to blog and some folk are pointing to the tools available from within Word 2007:
From within Word, you can create a blog entry with extensive formatting and imaging, and easily upload to your blog – whether hosted by a company such as Blogger, or hosted on your own website through installed software, such as WordPress.
Along with that, the software comes with additional features, such as “live previews for text styles, images, paging, etc.” and image effects, including shadows, orientation, borders and shapes.”In summary,” dkaye says, ”Word 2007 is simplifying blogging, so it’s not just straight and boring text anymore.”
Interesting. Of course you’ll have to shell out for all the other features of Microsoft Office, whereas Windows Live Writer is free, but if you’ve got Office already, it’s probably worth checking out the features.
Intriguing that Microsoft is backing into the blogging revolution with these types of tools, which I imagine would somewhat cannibalize each other. But then again, Microsoft have long learned the lesson of diverting the unschooled, unwary or click-happy user into their own sales channel, as the default option in this dialog box for adding a blog to your Windows Live Writer illustrates:
This post was written on, er, Windows Live Writer.
Jeremy,
Have you given the Performancing extension for Firefox a whirl? I just installed it a couple of days ago – I’m not sure if I love it but it does prevent me from having to tab over to Word on either my Mac or Windows machines.
I am sure we’ll use Word 2007 at work at some point, but I won’t hold my breath.
Jeremy:
Possibly the (albeit) sad realization that Microsoft Office is found on the majority of household computers today (primarily Student/Teacher versions) – coupled with the fact that blogging, itself, has become a wildly popular means of web publishing – stimulated the assessment of Word 2007’s blogging capabilities.
Add into the equation most of this same group of consumers are ‘hobbiest bloggers.’ They’re not blogging for a living, but they are looking for an easy way to share rich content sans the necessity of learning complex html and/or css. The folks at MS have enhanced their previous web publishing offerings through an easy-to-use and intuitive GUI. All the homebound writer needs is an internet connection, a blogging account, and a creative mind.
While there are a multitude of other programs/tools – some free, like Windows Live Writer (which I’ve not had the opportunity to test), my review merely spotlighted one such tool whose versatility extends beyond the common use it originally conceptualized – text documents.
Advancements in technology. Who’da thunk it! 😉
Kaye
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Kaye, I didn’t mean to sound disparaging about your review, which pointed me to something I’d not come across. And I agree that they do offer a lot more value than the average blogging tool. You’re right. It is an advance.
Jeremy, no problem. Arguably, wherein MS has enough issues evoking much naysaying (i.e., Vista), they are trying to right their deficiencies. Of course, it may be all for naught as the next wave of issues present themselves – but here’s to hoping.
Kaye