Qumana Now Works (Again) With Blogger
Topic: Blog Editor

For Windows users, here's a new and improved version of the Qumana offline blog editor.

The gradual introduction of the new improved Blogger platform coincided with our ongoing search for the best way to make Qumana work effectively.

But .. we are pleased to announce that the most recent version of Qumana for Windows ... available for download here ... now works with the new Blogger platform.

We have more stuff coming along soon, and don't forget to try out the versatile Q-Ads tool, a browser extension for adding advertising content to a range of blog platforms

We're still looking for someone with the appropriate Java 1.5 experience to help us adapt the Mac version of Qumana. If any of you out there know of anyone with great Java and Mac OS skills, please point them (or yourself) our way.

Tags: Blogger, Qumana, better blogging, blog editing

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How Qumana Changes Blogging Work Habits
Topic: Blog Editor

Here's how I used to do things before I started using Qumana regularly:

I'd be browsing, and I'd be reading something which triggered a thought and then the desire to blog about it.

I'd leave the page, open my blog page, go to "Post New Entry", which would take me to the blog software's editor (which had taken me a while to learn).

Then, I'd put in a title, and maybe write a sentence or two. I usually quote an excerpt from what I have been reading, so I would have to go back to the web page I was on previously, highlight the excerpt, and then go back to the blog software editor .. where I would paste what I copied.

Then, I write some more to flesh out the post. And then, if I wanted to include some links, I'd have to start the round trips back and forth between the web pages where I would copy the links, then go back to the blog software editor and type in all the <a href> tags, and any WYSIWYG effects such as italics or bold, etc.

And THEN, on top of all that, I would have to preview and proof read, because I am not a hugely accurate typist.

AND THEN ... what if I wanted to include Technorati tags ? I still don't know how to include Technorati tags in a Blogware blog post using the Blogware editor.

Lots of work, demanded lots of concentration ...

Now, using Qumana ... here are my newly developed blogging work habits:

I'm browsing, and I read something which triggers a thought and the desire to create a blog post around the quote.

I highlight what I want to quote, drag and drop it onto the DropPad .. double-click on the DropPad, which opens the Qumana editor.

I add a title, I write some text to flesh out the post. I go back to the quoted page, or surf to another page (leaving the editor open), copy the URL of the links I want to include, go back to Qumana, use the Insert Link function to create the links (it's just pasting the URL into the dialog box).

There' still some back and forth, but it's much easier because the Qumana editor window is open just "over there" on the left.

There's spellchecking, so the final review is much easier (for me).

Tags ? Click on The Insert tags button, type in the Technorati tags you want to include, and click OK. That's it, that's all.

Adding images and video clips is easy .. and will get easier still in the future (it's one of the things we are working on).

If you're a blogger that wants to use advertising on her or his blog, that's easy too .. but just because it's a function available to you in Qumana doesn't mean you HAVE to use that functionality.

I'd never go back to the way I used to compose blog posts ... no way.

Tags: Qumana, easy blogging, content assemblu, personal publishing, blog advertising

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New Qumana beta release: easier than ever
Topic: Blog Editor

A new Lycos-Qumana beta (version 3.0.0-b4) is available to download. This new Lycos-Qumana is a step up from our last release - we have been working to squash bugs, add a couple of features, and make Lycos-Qumana easier to use than ever.

We are, of course, extremely excited about this new release. It has been an exciting few months of plans and partnerships, and now we have something to give back to Qumana bloggers to make their lives easier.

One of the biggest advances we made is in the image dialogue. After banging heads for a while trying to figure out how to make it simple and fast, we borrowed some ideas and concepts from familiar word processing and email, and here is what you get:

Everything you used to see (title, size, etc.) is now hidden in the "Advanced" tab, and the "Basic" tab has the biggest time saver in pictures I've seen: Wrapping Style. This means you can click one button and your picture will wrap with your text, giving you tons of creative power without all the fuss.

The next big feature is Advanced Posting - letting you pick the day and time your post will publish. So, if you go on vacation, you can set posts to go up when you're away.

Of course, this means you can also post to the past, if you had news that you wanted date-specific.

This is not all we've done. Check out below for a full list of the changes in the new Qumana release:

New features:

• Post date can be set to any time (advanced posting) for blog platforms that support it
• Font list & font size
• Strikethrough
• New image dialogue with quick wrap options
• YouTube support ('embed' tag)
• Publish button changes to "Update Post" after first published
• Post status displayed as footer ("Draft", or "Last posted time")

Updates:

• Insert link dialogue now contains "http://"
• Q Ads dialogue reworded
• DropPad state (open/closed) is remembered
• 'ESC' key closes windows
• Dialogues can now be closed with "x" close button
• Double click tray icon in PC opens New Post
• Add Blog wizard will open each session if no blog is configured

We have fixed some other bugs, which take too long to explain in detail, but will thankfully make the user experience better.

Thanks for the continued feedback and go check it out!

What's Next?

We have received many requests for features over the last couple of months. Rest assured, we have an aggressive development plan for our next release, mostly focusing on features as well as other fixes. Let's just say we're excited about making it easy for people to publish multimedia rich posts, and to make money from them of course.

We're not going to set down a date, but it will be sooner rather than later ;)

Tags: lycos-smana, qumana, blogs, blogging, blog tools, blog editor, offline editor, easy blogging

Qumana Chicklets
Topic: Blog Editor

We finally have them! Chicklets! Here are a huge assortment of chicklets, buttons & whatnots you can put into your sidebars to show your support for Qumana.

Simply right-click, save, then upload to your server and put on your blog. Or you can drag it into your post if you want too! Don't forget to add a link to the chicklet as well.

We'll be adding these to our website too. Thanks to everyone who kept asking for these - it's great to have your support!

Personally, my faves are these ones:

I am a bit of a coffee addict, so the last two are quite fitting. Actually, come to think of it, there are several coffee addicts here at Qumana. I wonder if mass blogging + coffee are a common mix?

Style tip: blockquotes
Topic: Blog Editor

I am going to introduce you to something called a "blockquote". The use of this feature makes your blog look better - and it ensures that you don't tread on anyone's toes.

What is a blockquote?

The blockquote element is used to indicate the quotation a large section of text from another source. Using the default HTML styling of most web browsers, it will indent both margins both on the display and in printed form. Source: Wikipedia

So, that is the technical definition and I showed you it in use, as well.

A blockquote is basically some code that you use when you are quoting someone - a book, another blog, or anything else. It tells your readers that you did not write that section. They are just like using quote marks in essays.

Why would you use it?

1. It tells your readers you are quoting someone
2. It visually breaks up the page (see example below), which keeps your readers interested
3. It respects the author of the quote (also note I linked to the source)

Example:

This is me writing something and I've found someone who I think says a great thing. "This is the quote of that person talking about something interesting"

versus

This is me writing something and I've found someone who I think says a great thing.

This is the quote of that person talking about something interesting

---

Notice how that just draws your eye down the page?

How to use a blockquote

Using the Lycos-Qumana Blog Editor, you don't need to worry about coding the blockquote. All you have to do is highlight the text you want to indent and press this button in your toolbar:

Tags: lycos, qumana, blockquote