It’s time for a little discussion – lets talk blogging tools.
Over in the ProBlogger.com forum there’s been a lot of talk about different tools, applications, platforms and plugins that helps to improve blogs. I’m loving the different opinions and experiences and thought it’d be a good question to open up to the wider community – what are your favourite 10 blogging tools?
I suspect most of us will probably include our blogging platform (Blogspot, WordPress, TypePad etc) in the list somewhere but other than that anything goes. Perhaps it’s a comments tool, perhaps a desktop editor, perhaps a plugin or widget – anything goes!
But limit it to 10!
1. All in one SEO plugin
2. google trends
3. youtube
4. yahoo answers
5. flv converter
6. photoshop
7. directory submitter
8. autoping
9. twitter
10. share this
hah :)
1. Blogger
2. Feedburner
3. Photoshop
4. HTML Code Editor
5. Google Friend Connect
6. Bookmark Button
7. Mozilla
8. Google Analytics
9. Google Webmasters
10. Blogger Sitemap Generator
Before you even think of hurdling from one business to another business opportunity, think again and ask yourself if you have diluted all the marketing budget free and on-budget resources to expand your current or beginning wholesale business!
I don’t know that I could actually come up with ten whole blogging tools, haha. Let’s see:
WordPress – the best blogging platform ever.
Headway – the best theme for the best blogging platform ever.
Twitter – great for spreading around posts.
Forums – Ridiculously awesome for promotion and critique
Photoshop – Images are worth 1,000 words.
Adium – Conversations that stimulate my blogging muscles.
Firefox – Fast, secure, functional web-browsing.
Problogger.net – Tips to get better =P
Problogger.com – When I’m done reading the above.
Life – what better inspiration is there?
I guess I made it to 10 after-all! Woohoo!
My favourite blogging tools are:
1) The platform WordPress.com (free!)
2) Windows Live Writer (free post editor)
3) FeedBurner
4) The blog stats tool which comes with WordPress.com
5) GIMP (for image editing)
6) Akismet
7) Paint.NET (alternative to GIMP)
8) WordPress.com widgets such as “Recent Posts”…
For me :
1. Market samurai [even I can not use it properly]
2. Windows Live Writter .. this is good tool
3. Firefox
4. DuperFree Pro
5. Power article rewritter
6. FileZilla to upload
7. XAMPPS to create or check on offline mode
8. WordPress Direct with PrettyLink
9. Facebook [social bookmarking]
10. Traffic Bug to autosubmit pilot
My favourite blogging tools are:
1) The platform WordPress.com
2) All in one SEO Pack
3) FeedBurner
4) Exclude Pages from Navigation
5) GIMP (for image editing)
6) Akismet
7) TweetMeme
8) Add-to-Any Plugin
9) Clean Archives Reloaded Plugin
10) WordPress.com widgets such as “Recent Posts”, “Categories” etc.
I can’t believe that no one mentioned these (Mac) programs:
1) Marsedit: a great tool for writing your blog posts even if you’re offline and then you send it to your blog
2) Feeder: great easy to use RSS feed creator.
Michael
My favourite tool by far is the seo all in one pack, it simplifies seo and helps me heaps with getting my blog out there, particularly as i am new to blogging.
Thank You Heather
My favorite tools – Keyword Elite
My tools focus a little more the writing/production tools:
Typinator–use everyday word expansion. Totally essential
1. Apple Automator actions for resizing and renaming files
2 Diigo–for social bookmarking and annotation
3 Twitterfeed–tweets my blog posts
4 Screenr.com for doing screencasts
5 Google Reader (for both desktop and iphone)–for RSS feeds
6 Word Press stats
7 Problogger, of course
8 Flickr groups, that’s where I‘m getting traffic as I try to build my blog
9 Jing for screen shots
10 You tube
In no particular order my favorites are:
1. WordPress
2. Fireworks
3. Scrivener
4. Market Samurai
5. Traffic Bug
6. OmniFocus (not for blogging but keeps me accountable for my daily blogging tasks!)
7. Firefox
8. Google Reader
9. Google Analytics
10. Keywords to Posts plugin
Only one thing to say:
Posterous.com
It does everything.
I only use SSuite Office software for my blogging. It has everything I need, and it is all free.
SSuite Office – The Fifth Element
WordGraph
Accel
EZImage Editor
http://www.ssuitesoft.com
1. WordPress
2. Facebook to Twitter to RSS plugin
3. WordPress mobile
4. Kimli flash embed
5. Animoto (fabulous animated video+image shows)
6. Slideshowpro.net – elegant slideshows with ad overlays
7. Flash Developer Forum – flash components for cheap $
8. All in One SEO
9. MediaMag theme from Soulstream
10. FreeFind search engine for multi-domain search (solves my big problem of asp database one domain, wordpress other domain)
I am a blogging preacher
1. RefTagger (WordPress plugin- I am a blogging preacher and this plugin is essential.)
2. Organize Series (WordPress plugin)
3. Scheduled M.I.As (WordPress plugin- solves my problem with missed schedules)
4. Smooth slider (WordPress plugin)
5. WordPress backup by BTE (Generates a backup of my WordPress theme files, Plugins and Uploads)
6. WordPress database backup (WordPress plugin)
7. WP-Print (WordPress plugin)
8. WP Mail SMTP (WordPress plugin- My web host doesn’t support SMTP relay which affects my contact me form. This plugin meets that challenge)
9. Windows Live Writer
10. Feed Blitz (Managing email subscribers)
Thanks Darren for another great idea to help us become better. Most of the plugins I use are repats of what is already listed so I won’t repeat.
I tried Datafeedr Random Ads V2 which allows you to simply and easily show random ads anywhere in your template files or using widgets. I use it to rotate banners and such.
Question: Can you have too many plugins on a blog and cause it to slow down to a crawl or worse? Are there some known ones you should avoid because it slows down your blog?
1. Blogger
2. FeedBurner
3. YouTube videos
4. Poll Daddy
5. Shout Mix
6. Tiny Pic
7. Photoshop
8. Histats
9. Twitter and Facebook
10. Intense Debate
I have only one favorite tool–blog stats on my wordpress blog. I learn something amost every day from it.
I learn what my readers like and don’t like from the top post lists for the way, week, month, and all time. I learn who referred people to my blog, and I go visit them and often have established wonderful relationships with like-minded people that way. I learn through the search terms people use to get to me what blog tags work the best. I learn what links they click on within my posts. From the graph of page views, I learn that my blog is steadily growing.
Well, I do have another favorite tool. It’s ProBlogger and my blogging guide, god, and guru, Darren Rowse. I follow a great many of your suggestions, and they really work. The one suggestion that has worked wonders came from a post about linking back to related articles on my blog. I began creating a separate wordprocessing file with all the links related to recurring topics.
I went back and adding the lists about a particular topic to all related posts from the beginning to now and I consistently add them to each new post. A bit of work to mainstain, yes, but my stats went through the roof!! Each time I add the related links to a new article, the page views on the related old ones get a bump.
thank you, Darren, for all you do for us. I’m intermittently reading a page or two from your blogging for dollars book. Donna
1. ScreenFlow for macs – record / edit screen casts
2. Jing – Screen grabber
3. Apimac Timer – stop watch to create focus
4. Fotolia – great site for images
5. Headway Theme – with true visual editing
6. Feedly – Great way to source content
7. Authority Blogger forum
8. Photoshop Express
9. DISQUS commenting system
10. Problogger website!!!
Not very special:
1. Firefox (Of Course)
2. WordPress (The best platform)
3. Photoshop (Image Optimizer)
4. Windows Media Player (That’s true)
5. Google Search (Must need)
6. Google Analytics (Funny stats)
7. Alexa (Silly tool but for fun)
8. Twitter (Why not?)
9. Google Apps (For emails)
10. Me (Most important)
My favorite tools are:
1. wordpress
2. blogger
3. twitter
4. submit express
5. friend feed
6. facebook
7.Stumbleupon
8. Tumblr
My favourite tools are:
1. wordpress (selfhosted)
2. blogger
3. addthis
4. adbrite ads
5. performancing ads
6. follow me on twitter
7. joomla
8. google analytics
UUC Pro is absolutely my favarite. but we also Firefox, Disqus commenting system, google analytic and many more
an interesting blogging tool was launched by Sency
http://sency.com/feed.php
offering bloggers free real time content in a customizable tool
1.Feed Burner
2.Wufoo Forms
3. Google Reader
4. Google Analytics
5. Keywords to Posts plugin
I use the SEO Quake and Google toolbar.
“Windows Live Writer” is the best editor I’ve came across. “Google Analytics” is also an excellent tool.
By far the share feature on Facebook and Networked Blogs, also on Facebook. The social networking/blog audience combo possibilities are endless.
hmmm my fav bloggin tools are:
1.Wordpress
2.blogger
3.twitter
4.Stumbleupon
5.Facebook
:)
Thnx
http://www.albdimension.com
My favorites are:
1) WordPress
2) Thesis
3) Openhook
4) Lijit Search
5) Akismet WordPress Plugin
6) Broken Link Checker WordPress Plugin
7) Fast and Secure Contact Form Plugin
8) Google XML Sitemaps Plugin
9) Sociable Plugin
10) Gimp Image Tool
I must admit after installing Link Within my pageview more than doubled and bounce rate fell from 51% to 0.5% and its been that way ever since. I just wish I installed that plugin earlier. Other tools I use are: firefox plugins such as color picker, measureit, firebug, scribefire… as a blogger you will use them heavily.
I have been writing blogs for long time now, but do not find much success. may be I have doing something wrong. Can someone please review my blog and suggest what i need to change or improve on.
My favorites:
1. Window Live Writer -the best blog editor, especially on photo handling.
2. Firebug -for checking my readers blog, when they ask for help.
3. CoLT (Copy Link Text) -to copy links in a breeze.
4. Photoscape -for photo editing.
5. FireFox
6. w3schools.com -the best site for learning codes.
7. Notepad++ -awesome text editor.
8. And may more FireFox addons.
What, no hello dolly?
Google xml sitemaps, all in one seopack, gravatar, anything by lester chan, facebook share, twitter widgets, and of course reading problogger.net
Still awaiting for someone to have a look at my blog and suggest ways to improve. Would request the author of this site to please take some time and have a look at my blog and suggest improvements.
WordPress, Google analytics, Google CSE, are my best shots till date. I use them in all my blogs. There are some common plugins I would like to mention. Sociable, Google XML creator, etc.,
Got to know that there are many more. I am bookmarking this page for reference. Thanks for posting.
My Favorite tools are listed below
1.Wordpress
2.blogger
3.twitter
4.Stumbleupon
5.Facebook
6.Gizmodo.com
7.Mashable.com
Thanks
Gautam Vagh
Mehta INC.
I enjoy reading your blog . Excellent!!!
can’t think of so many. I always use Google Adwords Keyword tool before writing, statcounter to monitor traffic, tweetmeme is very cute, keyword analyzer tool, Google PR checker. That’s about it.
1. All in one SEO plugin
2. Sitemap generator
3. Related posts
4. WP shortstat
5. Askimet
Great Post! I love to read articles that are informative and beneficial in nature. Thank You for sharing your knowledge.
Greatings from Singapore.. An excellent site there.. How do you manage to check the traffic? I mean I been using wordpress stats for WordPress any suggestion you can recommend for Joomla?
my tools are,
1)Ashampoo photo optimizer
2)Camstudio for video tutorials
3)Microsoft Paint
4)social networkings(orkut,facebook,twitter)
5)Google friend connect
6)Histats counters
Nice level of information here. There is so much data around about this subject that sometimes you cannot see the wood for the trees but you have pitched this at just the right level so that the lay person can understand – thank you!
mm.. bookmarked :-)