Any suggestions on easy-to-use blog systems

[smj6]

I've never blogged in my life, but think it would be interesting for my husband and mother (probably not the children!) to be able to keep in touch with my day-to-day camino walk.
Although I'm not planning to go until September 2015, I'm in planning mode.
I would take my mini iPad, and wondered what other pilgrims think of the blog applications they've used, i.e. is the app intuitive, ease of manipulation and uploading photos, easy for others to read, etc.
Thanks in advance,
Suzanne

 

[evanlow]

On my blog (from my profile) I use Google Blogger. All you need is just a Gmail account, then go over to Blogger and setup your blog.

Once done there are two ways to blog. You can test them out before you leave for your Camino.

1. One is a unique email id from Blogger so all you need is to just email your blog entry to this email account. The email subject is the title, the email body is the content and photo attachments gets to be published too. I did this back in 2008 on a Nokia smartphone.
2. An App (what I do currently). For iPhone/iPad and Android. Here's the link for Blogger on the Apps store.

https://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/blogger/id459407288?mt=8

Cheers.

 

[MichaelSG]

I also used Blogger. It was okay and pretty easy to use and get used to but I never really figured out how to add nice sized photos to the blog posts themselves without using a PC (which I did with some photos after I returned home). Using the iPad mini on the road only seemed to allow me to figure out how to add small photos. My Portuguese Caminho blog is linked below. If you sign up for a select number of photo hosting websites, it was possible to add the linked photos to the blog but I wasn't keen to do that.

One other note, taking time to blog isn't so easy. Some days it will be the last thing that you really want to do and the first thing that you will say, forget it. I'll try to do a small post tomorrow. Being able to do all the things you need to do, i.e. finding a bed, showering, preparing gear for the next day, laundry, eating, napping and - most importantly - socializing, will and probably should be, more important.

 

[evanlow]

The reason why I mention 2 methods of blogging to Blogger is because.

1. via email. Easy to do draft post with image attachments while offline and sent/post them once you are connected via wifi.
Also, if you are using an Apple device, you will be asked which quality for the email (SML). Even if you choose large it is still about half or a third smaller than the original image.

2. Blogger will need dedicated connection to draft and post.

I have switch from the first method to the second over the years when I started to get a local Spanish SIM card with data. At this moment they are like around 20 Euro for like 5 Euros of voice and 2 GB of data.

This way, I can be relax after the shower in the afternoon at the albergue and still do my blogging right on the bed/outside instead of hunting for wifi at the town's library or bar.

 

[smj6]

Thanks Evan, writing off line is handy, even if it means finding wifi.
S

 

[Magwood]

Hi @smj6. I use wordpress. I like the flexibility to get it to look just how I want. There are various apps that you can create your posts with, but having tried a couple I tend to return to the wordpress platform. I use an iPad mini and normally write my post in an offline word processing app, ie 'Newpad', then copy and paste it into wordpress and add the photos.

Last year when walking the camino Frances I used the iPad mini as a camera and I was very pleased with the results, but missed the zoom facility of a camera. This year I took a camera with a wifi function and transferred the photos I wanted to use for my blog onto the ipad. Uploading photos to a blog is a time consuming process, but worth the effort for those following your journey.

As Michael says above, posting to a blog daily is a discipline. But it was something I really wanted to do and I am very glad that I have these wonderful memories always available at the touch of a button. And I had loads of followers - some days I had over 1,600 views - incredible - and lots of encouraging comments.

It is usually free to set up a blog site, so give it a go and find a platform that you like. I started out by blogging about my training walks and in between caminos I write about life as an expat living in southern Spain. I love the interaction I get from people from all over the world - over 100 countries and counting. I have new friends that I couldn't have hoped for without my blog. It is very satisfying, well worth the effort.

Take a look at the links below to check out my blog, the Frances route to see the photos taken with the ipad, and this year's Portuguese route with the camera. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Have fun!

 

[Dave2525]

I had never blogged before but used Wordpress to write about things. Mine was more travelogue than anything deeply insightful but it still helped me keep track of things

 

[rhmocha]

I use Blogger also, however found it really frustrating to not be able to upload photos from the camera to the blog. Recently I discovered Blogsy, a great app that is exactly what I needed, as it is intended for iPads, and allows you to access all of your photos when blogging. It works with Blogger and all of the other blogging platforms. We just returned from walking the Chemin Le Puy and I had no problem using it. You also have the option of drafting a post offline if you have no wifi, and then publishing it later when you are connected. I loaded the photos from our cameras onto the iPad using the SD cards, and would delete them from the iPad later to keep enough memory available. I also had iPhoto on the iPad, so could also edit the photos before posting. There are easy to follow instructions on the Bogsy website.
Hope this helps!
Linda

 

[kmrice]

Wordpress worked well for us. Never blogged before and have limited computer skills for that type of thing, but found it easy to use. It looks like you can create as fancy and complicated a blog as you want, or, like us, create a simple blog with text and photos. Our first time blog is at:

Lelieandkarl.wordpress.com

My only issue is that, with two posters (my wife and me) I haven't figured out how to show who is doing the actual post. They all say "posted by Karl M. Rice" even when my wife does the post. I hope that I figure it out eventually, but haven't so far.

Karl

 

[nalod]

Hello SMJ6, I know you have visited my blog so you have seen what I have done with it. I use blogspot. I have set it up mainly as a photographic blog, just over a year ago. I knew nothing about blogging when I set it up. I have done a lot with it in a short space of time and it is visited by a lot of people. I think it is a reliable product.

Regards Dermot

 

[musicman]

Wordpress - simple and effective - free!

 

[jmcarp]

My wife and I use Blogger for our general travel blog and just added our Camino to that. For other trips I do most of the blogging on my laptop, but I didn't want to deal with it on the Camino, so my wife just made brief entries using her smartphone and the Blogger app. She had no problems uploading photos that she took using the same phone. We don't do any of the fancy formatting features that are available, but just use the default page format.

 

[smj6]

Many thanks for the input to date. I'm intending to use my mini iPad for photos & blogging. As an expat living / working overseas in countries like Chad, Afghanistan, Georgia, Pakistan, for the last 40 years, I gave up using my last camera when iPhones came out. For the sort of photography I do, an iPad or iPhone will suffice.
So lots of food for thought, and I think I'll be practising on my long suffering family over the next few months to decide, although a software that allows me to work offline & upload when feasible, will be key.
Again many thanks.
Suzanne

 

[Kitsambler]

I have used Wordpress for the past five years. Its iPhone app works smoothly for me. I can upload photos taken with the iPhone. I can moderate comments. It does everything I need while on the road. One thing the app does not do is allow me to edit posted posts, but I am able to do that easily from the Web page.

 

[katdavis]

I too use Wordpress but I'm not a fan of their app for Iphones, so I use the Blogsy app (you need to pay for it). I find the Blogsy app gives me a lot more control, you can use it offline and it's much quicker at uploading pictures. I blogged daily using this app just recently on the Camino Primitivo and Camino Ingles, using an ipad.

 

[Sixwheeler]

I use WordPress and if I can, anyone can. I use it from my Android phone which I also use . . . . . as a phone. My small camera has WiFi so I back photos up onto the phone daily and write my blog daily. When I have free WiFi I publish the blogs and back up the photos to cloud storage. This may all sound a lot of faff, but I really am a bit of a technophobe but manage to do it all and protect my photos. Good Luck.

 

[amoir]

The Blogger app is very very simple. I used to use the email Blogger but could only add one photo at a time. Then they came out with the App. You CAN write offline, and save your post as a draft. And you CAN add as many photos as you want, and put them where you want in your blog. Just note that pics take a lot of 'space' so the more photos in your post, the longer it will take to upload once you've found wifi. If you want to keep your blog in chronological order (and who doesn't?), just have to remember when it comes time to upload all your saved drafts, to send the oldest one first. On my recent backpacking trip in the Sierras, I had 9 days of drafts (with pics) waiting to be sent, and all uploaded perfectly.

The pics only get added 'one size' from the App. So you can go in later once you've access to a proper computer and reformat the size, add a caption, etc.

Oh, and all my blogs have been written from my iphone. Tip: I write notes to myself during the day of thoughts, sights, sites, while they're fresh in my mind, (save in Notes or in an email draft to yourself), and then write the blog later in the day.

http://allisonswanderlust.blogspot.com/

 

[Nancy P.]

Wordpress worked well for us. Never blogged before and have limited computer skills for that type of thing, but found it easy to use. It looks like you can create as fancy and complicated a blog as you want, or, like us, create a simple blog with text and photos. Our first time blog is at:

Lelieandkarl.wordpress.com

My only issue is that, with two posters (my wife and me) I haven't figured out how to show who is doing the actual post. They all say "posted by Karl M. Rice" even when my wife does the post. I hope that I figure it out eventually, but haven't so far.

Karl

Just have her start her post with something like, 'This post is from ..."

 

[Nancy P.]

I too use Wordpress but I'm not a fan of their app for Iphones, so I use the Blogsy app (you need to pay for it). I find the Blogsy app gives me a lot more control, you can use it offline and it's much quicker at uploading pictures. I blogged daily using this app just recently on the Camino Primitivo and Camino Ingles, using an ipad.

Can you tell me how Blogsy interfaces with Wordpress. How does it give you more control? I blogged on Camino Frances (nancyoncamino.com) and would like to continue to blog in the future.

 

[kmrice]

Just have her start her post with something like, 'This post is from ..."

Yeah, well, she does, but I was hoping for a slicker way of identifying the poster so the posts don't all say I posted them. I'm pretty sure it can be done, as I see references to multiple posters at the Wordpress website. I think I'm just missing something and can't seem to make it work! My incompetence.

Karl

 

[katdavis]

Can you tell me how Blogsy interfaces with Wordpress. How does it give you more control? I blogged on Camino Frances (nancyoncamino.com) and would like to continue to blog in the future.

Hi Nancy,
I've just found out today that the Blogsy app isn't available for iPhones, only iPad... I'm so disappointed! So if you won't be carrying an iPad with you, you won't be able to use it, but on the off-chance you will be carrying an iPad, it's brilliant!
I love wordpress but I find the iPhone app very fiddly and quite a few times I've hit the publish button by mistake, and thus sending out an email to my followers with an incomplete post!

With Blogsy I can write my posts offline, add pictures (from my library or picasa or anywhere else) and they upload much quicker than wordpress, put links in my blog posts by highlighting the word and dragging over the website address, have access to the same fonts and styling as wordpress but much easier to use... And you can save it as a draft or send it straight to wordpress to publish.
I don't know why they don't have an iPhone version!

Good luck with your decision!

Kat