The Bloggers With The Most To Say
What sorts of tools (softwares, tricks) do you use when blogging?
When I first started out blogging I just used Microsoft Word to write my posts and then I would copy and paste the text into whatever I was using to host my blog (Typepad). Since I started A Sudden Unexpected Twist however, I've found out about a bunch of different tools that not only help me stay organized but also help with the writing process. Do you use anything other than MS Word?
Below, a list of the products I use:
- to write content I use Scrivener, it's a wonderful software that allows you to organize all of your writing in one area, unlike having a whole bunch of different files, you have one major file. You can also upload website and pictures to the program for later referral.
- Self Control is a lovely little tool to eliminate distractions. I post Monday to Friday, and I don't like missing days. Since I'm a procrastinator, I tend to wander off to other blogs, twitter, news sites, you name it, all while I'm writing a post. Sometimes it is frustrating because the post I write needs to go up that day. What Self Control does, it blocks whatever sites you tell it to for however long you tell it to (up to 12 hours). The great thing about it is that you cannot reverse that, even if you restart the computer.
- gonutshell.com is a lovely little site that you can bookmark as your homepage and it allows you to keep a to-do list and write notes in your browser. I like it because it's a great reminder of what I need to do or what I planned on writing, all in my browser.
- I also use Firefox, and I just recently made the switch, but I think it's well worth it. I used to use Safari. It's well worth it because you can configure it in so many ways. One plugin I would recommend if you use Firefox and you post a lot of comments or have a lot of forms to fill in is InFormEnter. You can enter whatever text you want into the program and then whenever there is a form to fill out, a little blue arrow will show up beside it. You click that and pick whatever text you need inputted there (name, URL, e-mail).
- I use Evernote to clip inspirational photos, web sites, text etc. Google it to find out more about it, it's a pretty neat one.
And then I just recently started using TweetDeck because I want to actually start using Twitter, but that's a well known one.
I would love to know of anything that you use to help you stay organized, etc.
Below, a list of the products I use:
- to write content I use Scrivener, it's a wonderful software that allows you to organize all of your writing in one area, unlike having a whole bunch of different files, you have one major file. You can also upload website and pictures to the program for later referral.
- Self Control is a lovely little tool to eliminate distractions. I post Monday to Friday, and I don't like missing days. Since I'm a procrastinator, I tend to wander off to other blogs, twitter, news sites, you name it, all while I'm writing a post. Sometimes it is frustrating because the post I write needs to go up that day. What Self Control does, it blocks whatever sites you tell it to for however long you tell it to (up to 12 hours). The great thing about it is that you cannot reverse that, even if you restart the computer.
- gonutshell.com is a lovely little site that you can bookmark as your homepage and it allows you to keep a to-do list and write notes in your browser. I like it because it's a great reminder of what I need to do or what I planned on writing, all in my browser.
- I also use Firefox, and I just recently made the switch, but I think it's well worth it. I used to use Safari. It's well worth it because you can configure it in so many ways. One plugin I would recommend if you use Firefox and you post a lot of comments or have a lot of forms to fill in is InFormEnter. You can enter whatever text you want into the program and then whenever there is a form to fill out, a little blue arrow will show up beside it. You click that and pick whatever text you need inputted there (name, URL, e-mail).
- I use Evernote to clip inspirational photos, web sites, text etc. Google it to find out more about it, it's a pretty neat one.
And then I just recently started using TweetDeck because I want to actually start using Twitter, but that's a well known one.
I would love to know of anything that you use to help you stay organized, etc.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by cooper on -
Been blogging since college and probably tired different thing but really only use text pad, if anything. My writing is kept in my documents on my computer. Otherwise I just write it directly in WP. I don't really have a whole lot of time to make notes about blogging - those notes have to stay in my head for the most part.
I have used Scrivener for academic work but no longer use it as I find it unnecessary. The less I use the simpler life is.
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Permalink Reply by Karina on -
Simplicity is great for those who it works for... without lists and organizational tools however, I would forget. I would have a billion files hanging around my computer. So, personally I find these tools very helpful, but I do think there is a fine line that someone can cross with these tools. Too many of them will crowd up your life, instead of simplifying it.
I guess Scrivener is much more useful if you do a lot of research and if you write a certain amount of posts a week - that way you can pre-write and organize it all in one place.
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Permalink Reply by Chase on -
hey there!
Great resource guide! I'm going to have to check those out. :)
One resource I enjoy using is Dark Room, it's a text editor that covers your desktop to clear distractions. Hooray Minimalism!
Thanks for the tips! Off to get me some self control (God knows I need it...)
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Permalink Reply by Karina on
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Haha, who doesn't need some self control? I certainly do, and I think pretty much everyone does at least to some degree.
Scrivener has a Full Screen option, which I'm assuming is similar to Dark Room. Haven't heard of Dark Room though - and now I just googled it. The advantage of Dark Room is that it's free, while Scriver costs some money, although there is a 30 day free trial. Thanks for the tip!
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Permalink Reply by Karina on
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Thanks for this - it looks like you can also download a free version, which is pretty neat. I might give it a try before committing to buy Scrivener (I'm still on my trial version).
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Permalink Reply by Stephany on -
Wow, I love all these websites and I'm going to have to check them out! I am a stickler for being organized!
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Permalink Reply by Karina on
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Well, definitely me too, in case you didn't already figure that one out. :) Hope you find one or two that are useful for you.
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Permalink Reply by Karina on
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Even wordpress has some problems if you copy directly from Word - apparently copying and pasting text from word inserts some extra codes that these platforms don't like. You can always use a simple text editor if you don't like Scrivener (or a Windows alternative) or you don't want to buy it.
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Permalink Reply by Writing to Reach You on -
I use Scrivener for writing fiction, but I write most of my blog posts at work (not breaking any rules there), so I just Google docs, so I can switch around computers without taking anything with me.
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Permalink Reply by Karina on
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That's what most people use Scrivener for - writing fiction that is. I use it for everything. I have a few projects going with Scrivener and I love how you can organize all your files for one project in one place - and you can easily switch between projects too.
Google docs is a great idea, thanks! I don't have much use for it since I work from home and so my computer is always with me, but it did come in handy when I had to transfer some files from my desktop to my laptop and I couldn't find my USB stick. :)
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