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Return of Off-Line Blogging Software Challenge

By Larry Hendrick | May 13, 2007

blogdesklogo.jpgA year ago, I reviewed three different off-line blogging software applications. They were, Qumana, BlogDesk, and Blog Writer. A year ago, I chose Blog Writer as the winner. Since that time, I have changed my mind, and no longer use Blog Writer.

I discovered that some blogging software (including Blog Writer) uses Microsoft Internet Explorer as it’s engine to build articles off-line. The problem is the HTML code generated using this method. It’s not very clean code, and it kept my sites from validating.

One of the podcast networks I belong to (for Motivation on the Run), has a requirement of validation before acceptance to the network. When I tried to validate the website all the articles written with Blog Writer failed. Ones written in the Wordpress built-in editor, passed. It took some investigating to discover what went wrong. The posts contained a lot of additional code that caused it to fail. I had to clean them up by hand, and that took some time.

My requirement list isn’t big, but each item is important. End result, no one makes an off-line editor that covers all my needs, but BlogDesk comes close.

Requirements

  1. Clean code
  2. Good picture handling
  3. Post-dated publishing
  4. Publish to draft
  5. Easy linking
  6. Easy HTML insertion

This article is written in BlogDesk and produces the cleanest HTML code of any of the editors I’ve researched and used.

 

The Good

  1. Easy to install and configure
  2. Produces good code that does validate
  3. Publishes to draft
  4. Easy linking to outside articles
  5. Easy HTML insertion

 

Needs to Improve

  1. Picture handling

This version of BlogDesk is supposed to handle pictures like I need, but so far, I haven’t been able to replicate the process. It’s probably user error, but if so, the software could use a more intuitive way to handle pictures.

I almost always link pictures to a thumbnail in the article. Every time I have tried this feature in BlogDesk, it doesn’t work. It seems to upload only the image inserted into the post, which it resizes before uploading.

Currently, I write the article in BlogDesk and publish as a draft to the website. Then I head to the Wordpress built-in editor and insert and configure the pictures like I want them. This method is working, requiring an additional step. This is an issue I will continue to experiment with.

One of the strongest recommendations for this software is the availability of the author. He is quick to respond and truly wants the application to be the best. That’s a big plus.

Topics: Blogs |

8 Responses to “Return of Off-Line Blogging Software Challenge”

  1. support Says:
    May 13th, 2007 at 2:24 pm

    I don’t see why Thumbnails should not work for you. Have you read the correspondig article in the Help?

  2. Larry Hendrick (47 comments.) Says:
    May 13th, 2007 at 2:30 pm

    Yes, I did. I even tried it with the BlogDesk logo at the top of this page. It inserted the full size image and uploaded it. I had to adjust it in the Wordpress editor.

    I’m still sure it’s something user induced, I just haven’t isolated it yet.

  3. support Says:
    May 14th, 2007 at 3:13 am

    The idea of a thumbnail is to show a smaller image that fits the blog when the original image is too big.

    Do the following:
    1) Create a new post and add one image that is bigger than your blog (say 600 pixel width).
    2) The ImageWizard will complain that tine image is too big.
    3) Press ‘Create thumbnail’ on the right sidebar.
    4) Close the ImageWizard with OK.
    5) Publish your post.

    Once published, the thumbnail should have the size of your blog. When a visitor clicks on the image, the original image will show up.

  4. Larry Hendrick (47 comments.) Says:
    May 14th, 2007 at 8:31 am

    Thanks, with what you wrote, I figured it out. BlogDesk inserts the image size it wants to insert, not a thumbnail size I configure. However, with your information, I think I understand enough to get it to do what I want. I will experiment as soon as I can and write an updated article about it.

  5. Dwight Silverman (3 comments.) Says:
    May 14th, 2007 at 9:44 am

    Try Winodows Live Writer, which does use IE to render but produces very simple, clean code. It’s in beta (and there have been no updated in a while) but it’s very good and works with most blogging platforms. http://windowslivewriter.spaces.live.com/

  6. Larry Hendrick (47 comments.) Says:
    May 14th, 2007 at 10:09 am

    Hey Dwight, I did try it after the problems with Blog Writer, but it wouldn’t pass the XHTML standards either.

    Do you know if that is fixed with subsequent releases?

  7. Dwight Silverman (3 comments.) Says:
    May 14th, 2007 at 10:15 am

    No, I don’t know that. There have been only minor tweaks to it. I do know that the HTML it generates is very very simple, and I like that much. Its photo handling is not great — for some reason it softens/blurs images a bit, so I crop/resize in an image editor and then upload into MT, pasting the image code manually into Live Writer. For images in which softening doesn’t matter, I’ll use Live Writer. But you should at least try it; doesn’t anything to do so.

  8. Larry Hendrick (47 comments.) Says:
    May 14th, 2007 at 10:23 am

    Thanks Dwight, I wonder why it does a blur job on pictures. That’s a little strange.

    The only issue I’ve had with BlogDesk (works with MT also) is how the picture sizing works. I think I have figured out the process it uses, so with a mouse click can get it working like I want.

    It not, I may have to look at Live Writer again.

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