The bloggers toolbox
Mark, of Weblog Tools Collection, posted his list of indispensable blogging tools in What’s in My Blogging Toolkit?.
Here’s my list of primary tools for blogging:
- WordPress – Code is Poetry because it doesn’t get in the way of content. I started with Blogger and dabbled with Movable Type and both are ok depending on where you are. I wanted something that was robust, scalable, and worked with me. WordPress does it.
- Automattic Tools – The sidebar widgets plugin and Akismet. Don’t use WordPress without them.
- Firefox – I use it on the Macs and on my Windows machines. I’ve used it on Linux. It works, it is smooth and nothing in the interface is a jumble of jargonized fluff. Tabs galore, news, E-mail, WP Admin, Poland, and consistent spell checking in one.
- IE – because I have to use it to use phpMyAdmin.
The version provided my my host (Yahoo!) doesn’t seem to play well with Firefox.Tonight I upgraded phpMyAdmin myself (from 2.6.3-pl1 to 2.10.0.2) because I got really annoyed after writing this. - phpMyAdmin – for all the back-end database stuff.
- Google for everything – I use GMail for all my E-mail needs (including the GMail for mobile applications Java app). I have a countless number of E-mail addresses all feeding into one place. I use Calendar, Translate, Analytics, a personalized Google homepage, and all of Google’s varied search functionality.
- Netvibes – All my RSS, newsfeeds, bookmarks, blog searches, and assorted other knickknacks all in one place.
- MS Office Picture Manager – for simple image compression and resizing as well as a few image adjustment tools that work well for me.
- Weblog Tools Collection – where else would I find great info on new plugins and themes. Really, Mark provides a great rundown of the latest in an quick, easy to digest format.
- Wikipedia – controversy aside over a few hacked articles, it provides lots of good info if you are unclear on something.
- Firebug – checking out what I’ve messed up.
- Powered by Faith – that’s what the blog is supposed to be about. While my faith is certainly imperfect and I don’t always live up to the ideals of my faith, I still need to proclaim its saving power and rely upon it for glimpses into the sublime.