Earlier this week I posted the tools that I use on a weekly basis to study, prepare, and present my lessons for the Sunday School class that I teach. Today we are going to take a look at the tools used to publish this blog each day. Each day as I work on this blog, I utilize most of the following tools. There are many ways to accomplish the same tasks, but I thought it might be interesting to compare some of the methods being used. Maybe you will see something that you have never tried before, or maybe you will notice something that I don’t use but should be using. Either way be sure to let me know in the comments.
ChristianDroid’s Blogging Tool Box:
- MacBook Air – of course, I use my wonderful MacBook Air to write and publish all of my posts. The only exception to this is if I am at my work computer and doing some adjustments to the blog, then I’m using the Gateway Windows Desktop.
- As a side note: when I am using the windows machine at work, I am typing on the Logitech Solar Wireless Keyboard. This is the best windows keyboard I have ever typed on. It reminds me a lot of the Apple wireless keyboard.
- iA Writer – this mac program is a great program for writing offline. It is just a simple very elegant word processor that allows you to focus only on the paper or even the paragraph being typed. Using keyboard shortcuts to markup the html code makes this program very easy to use. It is a pleasure to write offline with this program. And the auto-save feature has saved me on numerous occasions. Available in the Mac App Store.
- Marked – another simple program that takes the information that is written in iA Writer and creates the raw html code needed to copy/paste into WordPress. With a couple of simple clicks you can past the entire html article in to WordPress ready to be posted. Also available in the Mac App Store.
- eBible.com – I use eBible for all of the scripture that I quote here on the blog. Excellent site with great search capabilities. I also have the eBible WordPress plugin installed which allows you to hover over a Scripture reference and see that verse pop-up. example: Psalm 121
- Compfight.com – I’m not sure where the name for this site comes from, but this is a Flickr database search. Allowing you to optimize your search to only show those images with Creative Commons licensing makes finding images to post online quick and easy. 99% of the images that you will see on my website have been acquired through a Creative Commons license and Flickr. Compfight has cut my time in locating images by at least one half. I don’t know how I managed without it. Free to use, if you have a website with images you need to check it out.
- Photoshop or Gimp – I am lucky enough to have an older version of Adobe Photoshop that allows me to do whatever image creation I need on my Mac. But when I am on my office computer Gimp is a great free replacement for minor editing or image creation.
- WordPress Mobile Application – available for iOS and Android – I use the mobile WordPress application to administer comments and make quick replies from my phone or tablet. The mobile application will allow you to do everything that you do on your computer, but my fingers are too big and I’m too long-winded to peck out an entire post on the small keyboard. Also great for checking stats from the Jetpack plug-in. A must for any WordPress user.
- GodTube.com – almost all of the Video’s of the Week come from this site. This is a great source for videos with a Christian theme.
- PR Newswire – a good source for Press Releases to keep you up-to-date on all of the latest happenings for your chosen field. Set up a free blogger account and filter the releases you see to those relevant to your area of interest.
- Thesis WordPress Theme – there are many premium WordPress themes on the market but I am partial to Thesis. I like the ease of using featured images and thumbnails, the ability to show magazine style teaser posts on the home page, and the ease of customization, make it my primary theme. Using thesis’ hooks feature allows for an almost unlimited amount of customization. They also have a very knowledgeable and helpful support section that has help me tweak my setup.
Now you have had a look inside my blogging tool box, what tools do you use?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m a bit more limited. I have my cheap Acer computer. I write most of my posts directly in WordPress. I do use my app on my phone for most comments.
LarryTheDeuce recently posted..Wave Your Hands In The Air
Being a geek, I always have to find a more complicated way of doing things.
You forgot to mention your pencil and notepad. You use these all the time. Yes, you are a techno geek, but you still use the "old fashioned" pencil and paper to write out somethings before typing them.
Lol, you got me. I do use an old fashioned pencil and notebook to jot down ideas and keep notes.