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Choosing The Right Blog-Tools
by: Gunnar Berglund
Choosing The Right Blog-Tools Bloggers are constantly discovering new ways to express their ideas through new markup. There are bloggers who are using the latest state-of-the-art “visual” web design programs, but few others consider using HTML code is not a bad idea altogether. The XHTML family can accommodate extensions through XHTML modules and techniques to develop new XHTML-conforming modules. These modules permit the combination of existing and new feature sets when developing content and when designing new user agents. With so many different ways to access the Internet, the XHTML family is designed keeping in mind the general user agent interoperability. Through document profiling mechanism, servers, proxies, and user agents are able to create best effort content transformation. This language is both RSS and XML conforming. The content can be readily viewed, edited, and validated with standard XML tools. XHTML documents can utilize applications (e.g. scripts and applets) that rely upon either the HTML Document Object Model or the XML Document Object Model. Bloggers may also use Movable Type for the weblog. Movable Type is a powerful, customizable publishing system, which installs on web servers to enable bloggers to manage and update weblogs. This enables a blogger to hand edit the other parts and pages, including the Daily Links, in TextPad. Bloggers may use a date format string for the individual entries, and for monthlies. Movable Type Installation is followed by Plugins. There are many to choose from. MT Plugin Directory and the Movable Type Support Forums are two resources that can be referred to. Most of the plugins make users typographically correct and enables them to properly use curly-quotes, ellipses, em-dashes, and en-dashes. A feature of pluggins combines trackbacks (comments on other articles from other blogs) and comments into one page. Another use is to create author comments and addendums in the comments engine. Few plugins may allow bloggers to add additional fields, example: using keywords field to create additional fields. Few others create a collection of links at the bottom of each individual entry page. Title attributes can be used with all the links. Movable Type includes a default RSS Feed. Bloggers may set up individual feeds for each thread and comments feed by following the naming convention of individual archives - changing it to an .xml ending. Bloggers may even add a Subscription Field. Also, bloggers may consider using a WebDrive in place of a FTP client. This tool is used to map FTP and WebDAV servers to a network drive letter in Windows using remote files like local ones in any application. Blogger may also consider using validated HTML 4.01 Transitional code with a validated stylesheet. Blogs demand more than graphic design and HTML proficiency. They demand extensive interaction with visitors. So, installing a Discussion Forum is a must, as it allows communities to exchange ideas and opinions. Tools that could be considered are database programming, CGI/Perl scripting, Flash animation etc. In addition to this, bloggers may consider having an Accessory Sideblog - another blog that stores ancillary information and tools for the existing blog. Accessory Sideblog allows: · Easy updation · Changes in entries/ information from within Movable Type interface · Availability of comments and trackbacks Bloggers may consider buying opensource weblogging softwares. These easily installable softwares offer features like: fully-integrated comments, searching, file uploading and image handling, completely customizable output through dozens of templates and variables, multiple author support, etc. For example: few blogs allow bloggers to provide a template of their page that indicates where they want your posts to appear. Clicking the "Publish" button automatically sends their new page to the website where they want their blogs to appear. Similarly, there are sites that enable bloggers to place the RSS feed of their blog onto any html page. For example: bloggers can copy the completed JavaScript and paste it on any web page they would like to distribute. Bloggers can host their blog on their own as well with any good web-hosting company. They can choose a good web host, buy space on their server and host their blogs with them. ------------------------------------------- © 2003 - 2004 Gunnar Berglund About the Author Gunnar Berglund has been a "internet- hardworker" for the last four years He publishes The meonit Gazette http://gazette.meonit.com and run http://www.emarketingprofit.com

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