I posted awhile back about enlarging photos and have since found a much better method for posting to your blog and loading pics . Windows Live Writer. All you need to do is get this downloaded onto your computer and you will be in blog heaven, loading pics faster than you can snap your fingers, editing, changing fonts quick and easy, and even moving your pics around at will. And you’ll wonder what took you so long to find this wonderful tool. I have to thank Joni, from Cote de Texas for turning me on to Windows Live Writer a few months ago. She nudged me over to it and I haven’t looked back.
No more changing codes to enlarge pics, no more loading pics in order so that they can still be clickable to enlarge. With Windows Live Writer, you can move things around as you wish before it gets published. You will love it! So, what are you waiting for, go here and download and start blogging. This is the screen from the Windows Live Writer site:
And come back and tell me how much you love it too. Be careful when you are downloading it to only choose the Windows Live Writer portion, you really don’t need the other Windows Live features. You will need to attach your blog to it once it’s loaded and then you’re good to go. The only glitch so far is that picture storage can sometimes cause an error message when you try to publish or save a post to your blog. When that happens, it may say error 500, which might mean that you are over your picture storage with Blogger and Picasa (where pics are stored). After 2 years of blogging, I just recently had to pay for a year of extra storage for my pics ($20 per year), but that’s what happens when you post lots of pics like I do. It’s worth it! I also recently got another error message and Joni helped me with that one. She suggests that you go in and rename the last album in your picture storage file and that takes care of the error. In case you don’t know where your picture storage area is in Picasa, click on Dashboard, then My Accounts, and then click on Picasa. That is where all your pics are automatically stored in Blogger.
So, this is a tip from me to you and I hope you new bloggers will take note and try it out. It will make your blog life SO much easier. I only wish I had started using it months ago.
While we’re talking about new bloggers, let me take this opportunity to give you a few other tips on blogging. Many of you have asked me over the months about better ways to get your blog out there. I really don’t have any great advice, except to be yourself, write about what you love, and go and visit lots of blogs and comment. Those blogs will get to know you the more you put yourself out there and then they’ll come back to see you too. I think the best thing I can tell anyone is to be yourself. Pure and simple, a real personality is your best asset. I have been blogging 2 years now and it’s only been by word of mouth and networking that my blog has grown to where it is now. I’ve never had a big feature or any sort of story that has promoted my blog all that much.
Another thing that really continues to be a pet peeve of mine and that I’ve mentioned before is the feature of Letter Verification on blogs and I continue to see it on a lot of new blogs. Some will argue with me on this one, but people, I’m here to tell you, you absolutely do NOT need to keep this feature turned on at your blog. If you feel the need for higher security or to control spam, then leave on Comment Moderation, which means you will moderate each and every comment before it hits your blog, but please, please, please turn off the Letter Verification thingy. It’s highly annoying to your readers and takes SO much longer for them to leave comments. You will not find any big blogs out there that have this feature, so please take that suggestion in the manner it is meant to be taken and consider turning it off. I’ve had a few problems over the last 2 years with some ugly spam at my blog, but it has been very sporadic and not enough to warrant me turning it on. I’ve had to turn on Moderate Comments one time only for just a couple of days. You have the power to delete any rude comments at your blog, so use it.
I see so many new blogs out there these days and I hope these suggestions will help many of you get your blogs going and growing!
Next Wednesday, I have a very exciting GIVEAWAY going on and I promise, you will not want to miss it. Some great things that you will ALL love!
Thanks for stopping by! I'm Rhoda, from Atlanta, GA and I love decorating and DIY projects. Decorating a home doesn't have to cost a fortune and I've spent years thrifting at antiques markets and yardsales, finding those treasures that make a home unique. I'm here to inspire and encourage other women to find their own inner creativity. Won't you join me? 
{ 44 comments… read them below or add one }
What great advice; and all of it so true. Thanks for sharing. I’ll definitely check out Windows Live Writer.
Laura
Rhoda, I agree with you 100%, I don’t leave comments anymore with the letter verification…it takes too much time! Mary
Rhoda my friend! Fabulous advice!!! I can’t wait to check out the Windows writer. I am heading there now. I also agree about word verification. I got rid of mine b/c I could not expect others to do it when it irritated me.
I wanted to say I am so so on other sites. I’m sorry that I did not know about your event on Wed. I think it would be fun if we cross reference both events. Hope you’re having a great weekend. Barb
Thank you Rhoda for sharing this information. I will have to look into it. Also, thank you for your willingness to always share your wealth of knowledge with us fellow bloggers.
You are a special and amazing woman, and I am blessed to have come to know you through blogging.
Blessings,
Sher
My hubby used LW for his blog and now I MUST get him to show me how to use it! Thanks for giving out the great info.
Thanks so much…your post was very timely because I remember reading about this not too long ago, and wanted to try to go back and find it…now I don’t have to. I am going to put it to use! I am very delighted at the prospect of the ease it will bring to blogging! and yes, I agree with you on the letter verification. I often will take the time to do it, but I sure don’t like to, and sometimes will make the choice to skip commenting if I have to do that.
Thanks again.
Suzanne
Oh I will be sure to check out Windows Live Writer. I have a hard time doing a post, always getting the pics all messed up. Thanks for the tip and the advice. Hugs, Marty
I have never heard of this. I am definately going to have to check it out.
Iam so with you on the word verification. I have been blogging for almost two years and can remember just 2 random comments that I easily deleted. People take it off! You are all so overly paranoid. The other thing that drives me nuts are some of my friends that went private. Since I use google reader, they don’t appear and I have to look them up individually. They just don’t hear from me that much because I flat out forget to check theirs. Gotta love the blogging.
Hi Rhoda,
I’m with you on the comment verification!
I’m downloading WLW as I type this. I hope will give me the boost I need. I’m in a blogging slump!
I agree, the letter verification thingy is a pain!!! Hope you’re having a great day!
Another blog that I read posted about the Windows Live Writer today too. Small world! I'll have to check it out. You are so knowledgeable about blogging. I am just learning the basics, since I have only been blogging since January. It has been so much fun!
Love & blessings from NC!
Just when I think I may have things set up the way they should be I come across another great program, widget, gadget, idea or tip. My family is lucky they get food once in a while. I can’t get off my blog.
Thanks.
No, really I mean it.
Rhonda, Thanks so much for a great post, I am new to this and sometimes learning it all is so trial and error. I wondered why I could only enlarge some of my pictures and now I know why. I am going to check out Windows Live writer. Thanks for the hint. I love your blog!
Hugs,
Donna
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I did not even know that letter verification was an option to turn on and off. I’ve got a lot to learn! Thank you also for having a link on your blog to mine. It has increased my traffic and I appreciate it greatly.
Great post Rhoda! I don’t have an issue with posting photo’s and text on my blog but I’m sure there are plenty of others out there that do.
I’m going to link this entry on my blog if you don’t mind (which I know you don’t : ))
I never knew comment verification irritated people so much until recently so I removed it pronto!
Sharon
Rhoda, thanks for sharing the WLW information. I am still learning as I go and anything helpful is a plus for me.
Thank you for the advice. I’m learning so much from you gals:)I’m a newbie to the blogging world. I’ll definitely take the comment verification off. *blush*
O.K. so I’ve only been blogging about 6 weeks, and love my blog, but I don’t receive alot of comments.Sometimes I feel like I’m blogging into a black hole! I know, though, that it takes time to build a following, and I now know to turn off the word verification thingy. Happy blogging, ya’ll!
Hi Rhoda! I haven’t commented in a while, but I’m keeping up with all your shenanigans. Looks like you’ve been having a ball lately. I’ve been using Windows Live for a few weeks too, but only and off. I have pet peeve with it. I can’t find a way to add my “Labels” to it, so I end up having to go into Blogger anyway to edit the post and add the label. Have you found out a good way to do i? And I’m not talking about the tags that they use, but my own labels that go in the Label/Index thingy. If I could find out how to do that I would use Windows Live all the time! Take care.
My blog is almost two years old and I’ve never had the word verification. Every once in a while I get spam but I just delete it, no big deal. Usually the spam is on older post so I moderate comments only on post over 10 days old. Problem is pretty much solved doing this and it saves my readers the aggravation.
I’ll have to check in to the Windows Life Reader, I’m for anything that makes blogging easier.
I don’t like the Letter Verification either. I have a few blogs that I read that have it and I don’t like it. I like their blog’s so I deal with it, but I wish they would take it off.
I so appreciate the tips you give. Being new I had no ideas about the word verification thing. So I checked out my settings and realized I had it…I got rid of it because you are right …it is a pain…I wouldn’t have known to even check if not for you. I also downloaded the Windows Writer…not sure how to use it yet, but I’ll get there. And thanks so much for your comment on my last post. Just knowing someone besides family and friends have read any of my posts makes me so happy. Thanks again!
Hi Rhoda
Thanks so much for the info. I’ll post a link to this on Monday at the Back Porch.
A couple of our little munchkins are here at the lake with us, until this afternoon. They take top priority, so no weekend posting, this week.
Have fun at the beach. Our snow passed us by, yesterday, even though Dana of The Stone Rabbit had snow, just a little bit north of us. We have welcome sunshine this morning!!
I hope people listen about the letter verification thing! It drives me crazy. I don’t understand why so many have that AND comment moderation. I’ve had two problems in two years and all I did was delete those comments. Some of those letter verification things you have to try several times cause you can’t read the darn letters – don’t make it hard for people to leave comments!
Manuela
Hi Rhoda-
Thanks for the information.
Since I am new to this- please excuse what may seem like a crazy question.
How does Live Writer make it easier to post that doing it directly onto one’s blog?
Does it make it easier to edit drafts before publishing?
Laura
http://www.whitespraypaint.blogspot.com
Rhoda,
I hate the verification tool, so thanks for telling people to turn it off.
Secondly, you were the one who got me to use a blog reader and now you are helping with the window live writer.
You are such an inspiration, I love all your ideas and your thoughtfulness.
Cynthia
Thank you for the info!! I think you just upgraded my life!
My blog has gone. This is my new one. Please add me and if you don’t mind letting others know.
Hiya…Does this work with Macs? thanks! -susan
I’m downloading Windows Live Writer at this moment. Eager to check it out!
I’m in “blog heaven”! I have done one post with lots of pics. Soooo
much easier. I was brazen enough to just publish it! It is a mess but I wanted you to see and I linked back to you! I’ll do better. Thanks again!
bcpmylife
Thank you for posting information about Windows Live Writer – it has, indeed, made my life so much easier! Before I used to spend hours editing my blog posts (especially the ones with pictures) until they looked right, and they never did. This is so much easier now!
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the tip. I found you by way of Blueridge Gal’s blog. I’ve downloaded the writer but haven’t tried using it yet. I’m looking forward to it, though.
You have a nice little home here
Rhoda – remember when you started with live writer? those were fun times.
hehe. can’t live without it now, I’ll bet. me neither. And poor Mac people. no- WINDOWS live writer doesn’t work with macs. someone I know blogs with a pc and uses a mac for everything else!
omg – I hate that verificationn like crazy. you know tonight I had to do it a million times and I thought I might write a blog that said – no comments from me anymore if you have word verification! except you don’t know until after you write the comment. hehe oh well. it seemed like a good idea at the time.
long live live!!
Just love your blog, and your ideas are great,….thanks for sharing them.
I will definitely be back.
OH MY GOODNESS! I can only hope that I will figure out how to delete that bad O’l ‘Letter Verification’ thingy before you attempt to comment on one of my Classic Commical postings. I’d continue commenting about how grateful I am for your selfless insight/contributions about blogging….but I’ve got to SCOOT and show that ‘Letter Verification’ who is BOSS of MY Blogging. WOOOOooooWEEEeeeee
ooohkaaaay…
I’ve just made a desperate attempt at removing the irritating ‘Letter Verification’…and I don’t see ANYTHING AT ALL about where or how to accomplish said feat. A little bit of help form ANYONE would be greatly apprecitated.
I just wanted to tell you that Debbie, from Jadehollow, sent me over to you and I owe you and her my undying devotion and appreciation for your explanation of this program. I only have three hairs left after trying to work with Blogger since their latest debacle. Now, I'm in love with Live Writer.
Your blog and this link are featured in my post today. Maybe you'll get a chance to stop by and I hope lots of my friends come on over and share in the wonderful news, and while they're here, maybe they'll sign up to follow! You're the BEST! THANK YOU!
I followed your link through Robynn's post today, and downloaded Windows Live Writer. I am indeed in blog heaven! So easy to work with, it's wonderful, I'm thrilled! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, I'm a very happy camper!
I am going to try the Windows Live Writer…I hope I can figure it out. But you'll be happy to know I already turned off the word verification for comments! I had been thinking about doing that – thanks for the nudge.
Hi Rhoda:
Thank you so much for sharing your hard earned blogging wisdom. I combed through both of your posts about Windows Live Writer and installed it. However, I was having the same trouble you referenced with an error message. My error was 403 – Forbidden. After Googling for some answers, I found the resolve and will now be able to use WLW (yeah!). Just wanted to share with you in case you get others inquiring with similar problems. The answer was quite simple – if you can post words but not pictures, sign into http://picasaweb.google.com with the same user and password that you use for the blog, create a blank album called Windows Live Writer. That’s it! Worked like a charm.
Can’t wait to use WLW now as I get my blog off the ground.
Thanks!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for your recommendation of Windows Live Writer. I just tried it on my my last two blog posts and could not believe how easy it was to use compared to Blogger! Love your blog!
I downloaded it today and I LOVE it! So, so, so much easier, I’m in blogging heaven
I have no idea why I waited so very long.
Hi Rhoda,
I have been thinking about starting my own, and have received encouragement from a friend and daughter. I just want to thank you so much for all your helpful posts. I too will be learning from trial and error, but you have given me a great jump start! Thank you for inspiring me to get started!!
I am super-green to the blogging world, just started reading them, and have fallen in love