6 Reasons Why Bloggers Should Use Windows Live Writer
March 27, 2012
Topics: Blog, Blogging Tips
Editor’s note: This is the first post of a series of articles brought to you in partnership with Microsoft Windows as part of their Windows Champion group of bloggers.
I really wished someone would have told me about Windows Live Writer years ago when I first started blogging. Seriously, it would have saved me hours upon hours of dealing with little details which are a pain on the WordPress dashboard (and I imagine the same is true for other platforms) and that Live Writer and the whole free suite of Windows Live Essentials makes oh-so-much easier. Not only that, but I would have had the peace of mind of knowing all my posts from two blogs were backed up in the format I originally wrote them.
Never heard of Live Writer, or maybe you have but just haven’t checked it out yet? Let me tell you briefly what it is and then share with you a list of reasons why you need to be using it.
What is Windows Live Writer?
LiveWriter is a Windows desktop program you can download for free and install on your PC and which allows you to sync with your blog platforms to create posts online or offline.
To download Windows Live Writer and get more details on how to get started with it, go here.
Reasons Bloggers Need To Use Windows Live Writer
- Live Writer syncs directly with your blog’s theme allowing you to create blog posts and preview them in exactly the same format they will appear on your blog once you publish. Meaning, if you have special styling for you headers, titles, font, etc Live Writer will pull them in and you’ll see your post as it will appear on your blog, even when you’re writing offline.
- You can sync as many blogs as you want in one simple platform. If you manage multiple blogs, like I do, you know this is gold and great for managing your time. No need to sign in to different dashboards and remember so many passwords.
- No need for an internet connection! This is beautiful if you travel a lot or are out and about all day but still need to get a blog post started. You can write the whole post on Live Writer, add tags and categories, preview, save it and then just hit Publish once you’re back online.
- Uploading pictures and videos is ridiculously easy on Live Writer. In the coming weeks we’ll write more about this and share useful tips, but for now you should know you can easily upload a picture, photo album and/or video straight from anywhere in the web or from your Windows Live Photo Gallery or Movie Maker. You can resize, watermark, crop, align and more, and then preview as it will look on your site.
- Save drafts on Live Writer! If your site has ever been hacked (like mine was!) you’ll understand how important it is to have a backup of all your posts. Yes, there are plugins that backup your database, but I found out they are not totally reliable. I now create all my posts on Live Writer and save them as drafts so I can feel confident I have another backup method in place.
- Post draft and edit it online. You have the option of sending a draft of your post to your blog platform and then finish editing straight from there before you actually publish it. This is what I usually do, just to make sure everything is as it should, which it always is.
There are tons of more little details that make my blogging on Live Writer experience much more efficient and reliable. I’ll share more of those in the coming weeks.
Would love to hear from you. Do you use Windows LiveWriter? If so, what do you love most about it?
If you have any questions about LiveWriter, please leave it in the comments section and I’ll find an answer for you. Or you can tweet them out using the #winchat hashtag and follow @WindowsBlog.
Here’s some news from the Windows team:
Pin it to win it: Announcing the launch of Microsoft’s first Pinterest Sweepstakes around the new Microsoft Hardware mouse designs and colors. To enter the Pinterest sweepstakes, visit the Windows Pinterest page and re-pin one of the new mice designs from their sweepstakes board. Then, simply create your own Pinterest board, using the mice as inspiration. Focus on the colors, the design or your favorite workspace- surprise us! Lastly, make sure to share a link to your board in the comments section of the Pinterest sweepstakes announcement pin. Microsoft will choose a winner at random from the entrants on March 31st and alert you via a post in the Pinterest comments section.
Ana L. Flores is the founder and CEO of Latina Bloggers Connect. She also co-founded SpanglishBaby.com, the award-winning community and resource for parents raising bilingual and bicultural children.
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Jeanette
I love windows live writer! Its much more easier. i can work on my post in the living room where i dont get internet access due to the trees around the house! Saves time if your a busy mom like i am. Highly recommend it to any blogger!
Jeanette recently posted..Healthy Breakfast for infants and toddlers.-
Ana Flores
Yes, so much easier!! I truly wished I knew about it years ago! Now it’s an essential tool for my blogger life!
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Peggy Duncan
Ana, Excellent article. So many people don’t know about this software, and I still marvel at the fact that it’s free. I’ve created an online tutorial on how to blog with Windows Live Writer. Would love to share with you when I put the finishing touches on it.
Peggy Duncan recently posted..How to Show Your Google Plus Profile and Other Links on Your YouTube Channel (video) -
Ana Flores
Peggy, that´s wonderful! Please do! I´m sure there´s so many tips and tricks that´ll make my Live Writer experience even more useful and I can´t wait to keep discovering them!
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Peggy Duncan
Great! I’m almost done. The online tutorial is part of a membership I’m creating. As soon as I finish this tutorial, I’m finishing one on how to get started with videos and how to create a YouTube channel (as opposed to just throwing up a couple of videos).
I’m a computer trainer so when I dig into software, I tear it apart and want to know EVERYthing.
I’ll come back and respond to this article when the site is up. I hope we’ll connect once you see it.
Peggy Duncan recently posted..How to Find Old, Deleted Websites or Blog Posts: WayBack Machine and Google’s Cache (video)
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Unknown Mami
I love Live Writer for all the reason you mentioned. Plus, now that I figured out it lets you easily make links “nofollow” I am in heaven. I think people worry that writing it in Live Writer is just one more step to add to the process, but in the long run it saves you time because you can see what the post will look like as you are writing it.
Unknown Mami recently posted..Mirror Mirror $25 Fandango Gift Card Giveaway -
Rachel
I’ve been telling my bloggy friends about this. IT rocks!
Rachel recently posted..Hunger Hits Home, A Documentary On The Food Network -
kmote
If you haven’t heard: Windows Live Writer may be disontinued soon. Scott Lovegrove (Microsoft MVP) has posted an online petition to “Save Windows Live Writer” [http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/dontkillwlw]. If you love the program like I do, please sign the petition and spread the word!
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Ariana Allen
Woooow! Thank you for sharing this resource! I will definitely look into this.
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Nick from Pittsburgh
Isn’t Windows Live being DISCONTINUED?
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Sherese Duncan
Great information! But I see the recent comment about it being discontinued. I hope not; just started using it and love it.
Sherese Duncan recently posted..Five Ways to Be an Architect of Business Growth-
Peggy Duncan
Sherese, Not discontinued. Just released for 2012. The only difference I’ve seen is the Insert, Screen Capture feature.
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