WordPress Quick Tip : Windows Live Writer
I have been using the WordPress Dashboard for a long time now until I decided to explore Windows Live Writer with my new laptop. I have to say the results so far is fantastic. I know some people may view Microsoft as a “evil” business. There are those who view Google as an “evil” business too. The bottom line is this, Microsoft is slowly embracing the open-source concept that is becoming a mainstream way of life in the Information Age.
There are some limitations to Live Writer that I have found such as not being able to write an optional excerpt which helps provide a more streamlined appearance with the WP-Magazine 1.0 theme. (Discovered the excerpt area, will write more about it soon.) Needless to say, Microsoft certainly has the engineers and the resources to develop this into a more powerful tool that is free to use. It is part of the “Live” concept Microsoft is transitioning to.
One of the neat features I like about this is the ability to frame my photos using “Photopaper” as you can see from this screenshot. (Notice the borders and the drop shadow effect.) It certainly makes my photos look more professional. The best part is this is done automatically with a few clicks and certainly eliminates CSS nightmares for me.
Another terrific feature that is missing from WordPress is the ability to use tables such as the table you see below.
| My Websites | Date of Birth |
| TheLocoMono Website | May 2007 |
| Just Personal Finance | January 2008 |
| Just Business | January 2008 |
| Just Traveling | January 2008 |
There is so much more I have yet to discover but I encourage all WordPress users to try it out. It is a huge difference from the Dashboard. For those who are wondering, you can even post your draft to the dashboard and finish editing from there as long as you can connect online. If you are offline, you can still compile your posts which is a terrific feature.
Known Issues
Photos uploaded through WLW is not showing up in Google Reader. Currently exploring how to fix this.
Pingback by Sunday Roundup for Those That Are Really Here to See If They Won $100 | Personal Finance Blog by Money Ning on 2 March 2008:
[…] writes about his thoughts on the Windows Live Writer. Hmm. I just might need to check it out […]
Comment by adam on 4 March 2008:
i have use it for long time
wlw is great,indeed!
Comment by Pinching Copper | Personal Finance Tips on 8 March 2008:
Thanks for the tip on including tables! I used to actually code them by hand in Wordpress. This is a huge time saver!
Pinching Copper | Personal Finance Tips’s last blog post..How to drastically improve your gas mileage
Comment by ark from MTheLocoMono on 8 March 2008:
Glad to hear I could help. It is a huge timesaver cuz I don’t know enough about coding tables (nearly nothing at all). I am literally beginning to transform my postings using WLW now. Shows Microsoft can work with open source so they ain’t so evil after all.
Comment by Rob on 14 March 2008:
With the advent of CSS3 there will be more CSS-based table integration. Let’s hope it’s quickly accepted across the board so that we can deal with problematic tables which have plagued designers for many years.
Rob’s last blog post..Printer-friendly CSS Pages
Comment by ark from MTheLocoMono on 14 March 2008:
That would be terrific to see. I sure would enjoy a less-labor intenstive use of CSS-based tables. It will be interesting to see what the WordPress team does.
Comment by Credit Crunch on 5 April 2008:
I’ve yet to try the Windows Live Writer although now I’m thinking I should in order to save some time.
Thanks for the tip.
-Scott
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Comment by Mark from TheLocoMono on 5 April 2008:
Scott, I can’t tell you how much time it has saved me already. No longer do I need to be online to write a post and even if I have to go online, it is only to edit and fine tune my draft.
Comment by Rachael on 15 April 2008:
Thanks for the tip on including tables! I used to actually code them by hand in Wordpress. This is a huge time saver! Keep up the good work!