Blogging Tips

Feedly – Blog Reading in Style!

If you read a number of blogs, perhaps even too many blogs, then Feedly could be the best RSS blog reader for you.  Feedly weaves your favorite content into a fun, magazine-like start page. The only downside is that Feedly is built upon Google Reader and Firefox – you need both to play.  Feedly displays your Google Reader feeds in a magazine-like format, allowing you to browse over multiple categories, preview post pictures and all your read items are synchronized back to Google Reader.

However, if you are already using Google Reader and Firefox then the Feedly Firefox extension will add a new level of ease and enjoyment to your blog reading.  Imagine the difference between a text book and People magazine – that’s the difference between most RSS readers and Feedly.

Written by David Silversmith from InfoMusing
Posted on July 3rd, 2009 and filed under Software & Programs
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Aviary Screen Capture

It’s a pretty common task for a blogger to need a screen capture to get a picture of a Web page or grab a logo of a web site that they are writing about.  While Windows, Mac and Linux include some basic tools for screen captures, most bloggers will want a screen capture tool with the ability to capture portions of pages and add text or other annotations to the captured images.  What’s amazing is that the improvements in screen capture software are rolling out at an amazing pace.

Just earlier this year Jonathan Bailey wrote about Skitch: The Mac Blogger’s Best Screenshot Tool and 3 Firefox Screen Capture Tools.  While those tools are great, I’m impressed with the features that the web based Aviary is bringing to the table. Aviary just won a Webware 100 award for their photo editing service, but they are certainly not letting the award encourage them to rest on their laurels.  Indeed, less than a month after winning the award they have rolled out an addition which adds even more features to their screen capturing tool.

Written by David Silversmith from InfoMusing
Posted on July 2nd, 2009 and filed under Software & Programs
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Review: Tweetdeck for the iPhone

On the 16th, as most iPhone users were gearing up for the release of version 3.0 of the iPhone OS the next day, Tweetdeck launched the very first version of its iPhone client. Many, myself included, were interested to see how Tweetdeck, an application known for taking up a great deal of screen real estate, would pare down for the iPhone.

However, many were pleasantly surprised by just how elegant Tweetdeck for the iPhone turned out to be. Tweetdeck is known for being sluggish and memory intensive on the desktop, so finding a light and effective, though still feature-rich app on the iPhone was a welcome discovery.

The fact that it is also free was simply the icing on the cake.

But does Tweetdeck for the iPhone really live up to its hype? Well, I’ve been using it for the past two days and I think I can safely say that the answer is, for the most part, yes.

Written by Jonathan Bailey from Plagiarism Today
Posted on June 18th, 2009 and filed under Social Networking, Software & Programs
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Opera Unite: A Pratical Look

Norway based browser maker Opera had promised that, today, they were going to reinvent the Web. The fruition of that promise was it debuting its latest browser, Opera Unite.

However, Opera Unite is not simply another better/faster/smarter browser, it is also a server that turns your browser into a two-way communication tool.

In short, Opera Unite, a preview of which is currently available for download for Windows, Mac and Linux, hopes to blur the lines between browsers and servers and change the way the Web works.

However, there are serious problems and questions about how Opera Unite would fit into the new Web and whether it really is an improvement on existing services. Still, it is an interesting new idea that is worthwhile for all heavy Internet users, including bloggers, to take a look at and see if it can fit with your needs.

Written by Jonathan Bailey from Plagiarism Today
Posted on June 16th, 2009 and filed under Software & Programs
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Monitoring Your Blog

One of the most frustrating events about running a blog, or any website, is when the site is not operating at 100%.  Kevin just posted a blog on Has BloggingTips been down for you in response to some to some feedback from some visitors who “commented that the site has been down for them at one point or another.”

It’s somewhat counter-intuitive, but it’s actually easier to solve a …

Written by David Silversmith from InfoMusing
Posted on June 16th, 2009 and filed under Software & Programs
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5 Mac Blogging-Related Apps I Paid For

I have to admit it, even though I am a Mac user, I tend to be something of a cheapskate when it comes to my software. It isn’t that I am opposed to paying for software but that, even on the Mac, there usually is a great solution available for free of charge.

However, there are at least five applications that I’ve fallen in love with and have gladly paid for, either full price through their stores or as part of one of the Macheist bundles I’ve purchased.

In the end, these are five applications that are well worth their price if you have a need for what they provide.

Written by Jonathan Bailey from Plagiarism Today
Posted on May 14th, 2009 and filed under Software & Programs
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Will Phone Blogging Ever Be Practical?

After two years of using a phone that was very “non-Web-friendly”, I finally got the chance last month to upgrade to an iPhone. The impact it has had on my mobility can not be understated. I now feel as if can manage any aspect of my business or personal life from my phone and it has actually been very freeing.

However, there is one work-related task that I can not do, blogging. Even with the installation of the WordPress for iPhone application, serious blogging is virtually impossible. Though I’ve used the iPhone app a few times to edit a post (fix a typo, an HTML error, etc.) and to take a post offline for a moment, using my iPhone, or any smartphone, to createan entire post from scratch is difficult to imagine .

So why is blogging from a phone so difficult? There are many different reasons, but the biggest has to do with the limitations of the platform.

Written by Jonathan Bailey from Plagiarism Today
Posted on May 5th, 2009 and filed under Software & Programs
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