The world is moving toward an increasingly mobile lifestyle, and blogging is no different. No longer do you have to be constrained to a desktop or laptop to create posts. Here are 9 tools to mobilize your blogging efforts.
1. Mobify
Best known for its use as a mobile commerce platform, Mobify can also be used for blogging. A free tool called Mobify Studio allows bloggers to use a web-based GUI (graphic user interface) tool to select content such as text, images and videos. Just style it and Mobify will do the rest.
When you want to introduce new content — a blog post, for example — Mobify can integrate into your existing content management system so that, when you update your desktop site through your existing CMS, the mobile site content automatically mirrors it.
2. Blogger
Popular blogging platform Blogger offers a number of options for mobile blogging. Blogger Mobile works with any device that can send texts or email. Google, which owns Blogger, does not charge for this service, but standard text messaging rates apply.
In order to facilitate blogging via email, Blogger offers “Mail-to-Blogger,” a feature that turns any email account into a blog-posting application. To set it up, go to “Settings,” then “Email” in your Blogger account and create a Mail-to-Blogger address from which you can send posts via email to your blog.
To send posts via text messaging (SMS), you must first send an SMS with the word ‘REGISTER’ to BLOGGR (256447). The system will reply with the address of your new mobile blog, plus a claim code. You can then send texts to BLOGGR (256447) or photos to go@blogger.com from your mobile device and they are automatically posted to your blog.
3. WordPress
WordPress has apps for just about any mobile device — iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android, Windows and others. For example, WordPress for iOS lets you write posts, upload photos, edit pages, and manage comments on your blog from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. The app supports both the hosted version of WordPress — WordPress.com — as well as the downloadable, self-hosted version – WordPress.org – and is available in the iTunes App Store.
4. Tumblr
Micro-blogging tool Tumblr also offers publishing via mobile devices and email. Get your private email address from the “Settings” page on your Tumblr blog and use it to post text, photos and videos. Tumblr also offers an iPhone app, which can be downloaded via iTunes.
5. Blogsy
Blogsy is an interesting app for iPad users. The application is designed to take advantage of the iPad’s touch functionality. For example, photos and videos can be added to a blog post simply by dragging them from the media sidebar and dropping them into the posting interface.
You can also drag and drop images from Flickr, Picasa or Google Image Search, as well as videos from YouTube. Blogsy supports WordPress, Blogger and Posterous, allowing bloggers to create or edit posts in each of the respective platforms.
6. Posterous
Posterous is another popular blogging application — similar to Tumblr — that facilitates mobile blogging via iPhone and Android apps. You can also send updates with any phone that has emailing capabilities by sending a message to post@posterous.com. The email will be published to the primary “Space” on your Posterous account
7. TypePad
TypePad makes it easy to blog directly from your mobile phone and email. The platform provides support for the following phones: iPhone, Palm OS 5, Windows Mobile 5 and 6, Symbian Series 60 — and most other mobile email devices, such as iPod touch.
8. Instagram
Instagram is a blogging app that allows iPhone users to share photos and get instant feedback on them. It can be downloaded on iTunes.
The app allows you to take photos with your phone, share them in Instagram complete with captions, and then tie in geolocation information, if desired. It also integrates with Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Foursquare and Posterous.
9. Cinchcast
Cinchcast makes it easy and convenient to create and distribute audio podcasts. Audio content can be created and distributed to your blog using any phone or mobile device via an embedded player. Posts can be also be shared to Facebook, Twitter and iTunes.