(See the recent "*Beyond 2.0*" thread in discuss for some background on this comment.)
I blog. Well, I just started, but it is so cool. I mean, I'm a web developer for a job, so I am all giddy over seeing "my work" on the web. I even have my own website, so I'm not all excited about being able to say whatever I want (instead of what my boss wants.) What I am stoked about is that I can put my content on the web for the world to see, without having to be my own webmaster! All the satisfaction of having my own global soapbox, without any of the coding hassles! It's *GREAT*! Now, that being said, it is somewhat limiting, even though I can code the template if I wanted to, and it's not likely to get much (read - any) traffic, but it's still nice to have. That all being said, Blogger (http://www.blogger.com/) - owned by Google, and home to my personal blogs, (I've got two, but one was really just a demo of what a Blog is for my boss), has a tool. I do not know the source of this tool, but this tool is directly related to OpenOffice.org - and why I share my blogging experience with you all. The tool is called Blogger for Word. And, as the cryptic name suggests if you look hard enough, it is a add-on for Microsoft Word that allows you to edit and create your blog on Blogger directly without having to go online and log into Blogger.com<http://Blogger.com> . You open up a normal Word document, start typing away, adding links, formatting, pictures (actually, I haven't tried adding pictures, so that might not work), whatever, then you simply press "Publish" on the Blogger bar, and - whala! - you've blogged. Now, there is a tiny amount of setup involved. You have to enter in your login and password in a dialog box of the blogger bar so it knows where to put the post, and, of course, you have to be online to publish it, but not to create it or edit it. The plugin works with multiple blogs under the same username, and, as many usernames as you want can login - one at a time. You can create new posts, or even edit old ones - all from Microsoft Word. Here's more about it: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=1180 Here's where to get it: http://buzz.blogger.com/bloggerforword.html Now, in case you haven't figured it out, I'll tell you why I bring this up here. OPENOFFICE.ORG <http://OPENOFFICE.ORG> NEEDS SOMETHING LIKE THIS! Now, before you all get into the whole: OOo can already do this by creating an HTML file, and then using FTP to save it online, or by creating a Writer file, and then you copy and paste it into your online blog-editor, or before *anyone* mentions the letters XML - I want to say this. I'm talking about something that works exactly the same way as Blogger for Word. You open a new file, type away, press publish, and you're done. I'm also talking about something, therefore, that would be Blog-host specfic (I suggest starting Blogger, since Google will soon rule the world), and would allow users to save their username and passwords so they don't have to feel like they are logging in each time. This tool is for bloggers, not hackers or programmers. Bloggers (of which I am one) have problems running spellcheck, so telling them to write a macro is like asking them to parse pi. It ain't gonna happen. Since Google is FLOSS-friendly, and has already allowed plugins to be made so their stuff can work with OOo, they would probably give equal time to this proposed plugin. It would make OOo more popular (Bloggers love free stuff - since Blogger itself is free, as is the Word plugin). And it would put OOo more in touch with Web 2.0. And, once again to nip trite statements in the bud, I am not a programmer. I can't write this. If I could, I would. And, yes, I know this is all volunteer. I'm not telling anyone what to do, or ordering that my demands be met. I'm just offering a suggestion that could help improve OOo, and make it more popular. Blogger is the biggest blog site on earth, owned by one of the most popular tech companies on earth. Linking up with them (but not being tied to them - we can make similiar tools for other blogsites) would only help OOo, and we could hype the heck out of this one. Tapping into the Blogosphere can only mean good this for OpenOffice.org. Let the unneeded unprovoked flaming of my ideas begin. I can't wait until someone tells me how I "just don't understand" something. =-/ -Chad Smith
