Exploring the world of blogging apps
I haven't had a chance to blog as much recently due to a new job, new grandkids, graduations, birthdays – all the usual things and more that April and May tend to bring to my family. In the mean time, I've been in search of tools that can enhance my productivity, making it easier for me to cash in on a free moment here and there.
This is my first chance to use BlogPress on my iPad. It seems to be working quite well so far, but so did the WordPress app until I needed to post the entry. This one seems to have the same shortcomings that other blogging apps do, lack of formatting, a very basic set of HTML calls you can use. Note to BlogPress: the center tag shouldn't be used any more. It would be better to add formatting to the img tag. Really. You can add a photo, but don't try to add any formatting. And by the way, I am finishing this up in the WordPress dashboard.
Honestly, I understand that the apps probably aren't focused on replacing the dashboard, but I would pay for a product that does! Folks, listen up! I want to be able to log in easily, type and format a blog post. Add photos or video if I choose and I want to be able to format it. AND THEN, yes this is the real kicker, AND THEN, when I upload it to the blog, I want it to SAVE that formatting that I took the time and effort to apply. I am not just looking for a quickie way to jot down ideas, save them as drafts until I have a fullsize computer in front of me. No, I want to find ways for my iPad to REPLACE my computer. Let's work on that.
Should anyone out there come across a blogging app that does suit my needs, and I assume, the needs of countless others who do this, please let me know. I will be glad to try it out.
Now that the rant is over, there are good points about BlogPress that I need to point out. I do like the ability to add blogs from different sites and flavors (I do have a blog in Blogger, too) and the ability to also work in Twitter and Facebook with this app. They are definitely headed in the write direction, but it is a direction, not an end. Keep it up, BlogPress!
The BlogPress site can be found at http://blogpressapp.com/. Try it out, it seems quite stable and it does offer the spur of the moment ability to work on your writing. I'm just looking for a little more…
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I’m back…
A funny thing happened on the way to the 'net. I started a consulting job that sort of sucked up all my time. So it's been a while since I regularly wrote a blog entry, surfed Facebook or even twittered a link! All my favorite things and all I could do was go to work (and commute an hour each way) and sleep. Such a dull life if it hadn't been for the type of work I've been doing.
Put a piece of software in front of me and I like to take it apart. I like to find out what it can do, what I can use it for, etc. Put a web app in front of me and it gets worse. I don't break things as well as some of my colleagues, but I can be pretty good at it. So much fun!
I've thought of a million things I'd like to be writing about and amazingly I've learned to write them down or record them as I go. One of them is my new toy. My baby, my iPad 2.
I love this thing. Having always been the kind of person who gets giddy over the feel of a notebook of paper, the iPad 2 appeals to this sensibility. Just the right size for a notebook. It isn't a coincidence that I collect writing apps. Several have become favorites, for reasons other than what I assume they were developed for. One is iJournal. Doesn't do much except create diary entries with automatic dating. But this is an easy way for me to quickly jot down what I am doing at 5 so that at 8 the next morning I can step back into it without trouble. Yes, I use OneNote too but that app is more for detail collecting and it can be difficult after awhile to find a specific bit of information you hastily added the night before. In iJournal, that note is always on top. Love it!
Unlike my iPhone, I don't need a magnifying glass to read on the iPad. The best part of this is not being constantly reminded of my fading eyesight and mortality. At 52, I really don't want to feel old and creaky yet. Let me handle that when I've added a couple of decades. I don't need it now.
There has been a lot of picking apart of tablets and netbooks and whether they are worth it and my unequivocal answer is "Yes!" Try living with a laptop bag thrown over your shoulder all the time and see how you feel about a computer (yes, I think they deserve that categorization) you can throw in your purse. And it's just big enough that I can find it in said purse. Try saying that about your smart phone!
