Top Blogging Tools I use in OAP; What’s yours?
Contest Duration: July 12, Monday, 12.00am to July 25, Sunday, 11.59pm
I’m often asked variants of this question: What camera / hosting / tools do you use for blogging?
So, for this blog post, I would like to share my answer to that question with you, but I also want to know what blogging tools you use.
As an incentive, the best answer (via the comments section, blog post or Facebook entry) will win my favorite Flip Ultra 120 HD 120 minutes! Thanks to Flip Camera Manila Distributor for sponsoring the prize for the contest!
My Top Blogging Tools
- Blog Hosting: Typepad Pro
Typepad is a managed hosting service that has the easy blogging interface of Blogger and the sophistication and nice template of WordPress. I love Typepad because I don’t need to worry about hosting, bandwidth and security of the site. I’ve been using Typepad ever since I started. And Seth Godin also uses typepad.
- Digital Camera: Canon 20d 17-40mm L Lens
Ninety-five percent of the photos you see in OAP are produced using my Canon 20d. I love Canon — this has been my camera ever since I started. What makes the food shots crisp in OAP is the fine 17-40 L lens by Canon. The other 5% is produced by my back-up camera (when my Canon is in the shop for repairs).
- Video Blogging Camera: Flip Ultra HD Camera 120 minutes
I love Flip because you can shoot a video and immediately upload it to YouTube in a matter of minutes. The video is HD quality and the audio is quite good already in a relatively quiet environment. For blogging, use the Ultra HD version and not any other version if you want to publish the video in your blog.
- Mobile Phone and Subscription: iPhone 3G with Globe
These days, you already need a GPS-enabled camera so that you can participate in location-based services like Four Square. I like the simplicity and seemless integration of the iPhone with my Mac and other online services.
I’m a proud Globe subscriber ever since — 0917-LOVEOAP (5683627).
- Laptop and Blogging Client: MacBook Pro with ECTO
I love Mac! It is easy to use, especially for blogging. I specifically use a Macbook Pro version so that it can handle my simple video editing needs.
There is a special blogging client called ECTO (for MAC only) where you can blog offline and just publish your post when you are online. Also, ECTO can manage multiple blogs in multiple platforms.
- Photo Editing, Watermarking and Hosting Tool: Lightroom 2.0 with Flickr.
After 5 years of blogging in OAP, I now have 78,841 photos, and they all need to be managed. I have all my photos managed by Lightroom, which automates a lot of the post-processing like cropping, renaming the filenames, placing the watermark, and automatically uploading it to Flickr.
I would recommend you also use a separate photo hosting tool like Flickr instead of just uploading your photos to your own server or hosting platform.
******
That’s it! Now it’s your turn. What are the top tools you use for blogging?
To officially enter the contest, just put your answer or link your answer in the comments section of this blog post. Deadline for the contest is on July 25, Sunday, 11.59pm. 🙂
And the winner is…
Thanks
for all the great entries! It was actually very very hard to choose. I
didn’t expect a lot of people to join so thank you all for joining!
I learned a lot from the entry of the winner and it made me rethink
the webhosting I use and the putting watermarks on my photos. You should
read the winning entry.
The Geekette Speaketh’s My Blogging Tools
Congratulations Charo, you just won a Flip Ultra HD Camera! To claim, just email my wife rachediaz@gmail.com and we will arrange a meet-up 🙂
As a runner up, I need to mention this post because I like it:
Cher Cabula’s Mindbox My Top Blogging Tools
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Call or Text Me: +63917 5683-627 (LOVE-OAP)
Follow Me 
Facebook
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Youtube
Disclosure: We are distributors of the Flip Ultra
The Flip Ultra HD camera selling price is at P9,995. Yes, it is now locally available in Manila! Just email my wife at rachediaz@gmail.com or text/call her +63917 5318949 if you are interested. Ask for the special OAP friend discount. 🙂
P.S. Join Maven Secrets 4: A 90-day Internet Marketing and Professional Blogging Program!
I’m not a pro-blogger and I consider it as a hobby. I also love writing about my food and travel adventures. My blogging tools are:
– Panasonic Lumix LX3 camera, I used to have the Canon Powershot A3620 when I started blogging but I replaced it with my LX3. Great for wide angle shots especially for travel photos.
– WordPress and blog hosting courtesy of a fellow blogger Mommy Rubz of pinaymommyonline.com. My first blogging platform was Blogger but I migrated all my contents to WordPress with the help of Mommy Rubz.
– my HP laptop
– Adobe Photoshop for watermarking photos
– Photobucket, I use this instead of Flickr because I don’t have a pro account yet and Flickr is blocked at the office so I can’t access photos from Flickr.
– and of course, little help for my photography enthusiast husband for taking care of some travel photos for me. =)
Like Badet, I’m not also a professional blogger, but I like to write and so far this has been a great outlet/stress reliever.
My platform is Blogger only because it’s user friendly. I’m tried both WordPress and Live Journal before but I’ve been more “hiyang” with Blogger.
I’m using my Sony Cybershot DSC 750 which is sometimes unreliable. I’m thinking of upgrading to a Canon.
Adobe Photoshop for watermarking.
I have yet to try Photobucket or Flckr.
My blog is a one man show/multi-tasking galore kind of thing but I love it. 🙂
Hello Anton! Here is my entry for today’s contest! http://lifediscourse.com/internet/top-blogging-tools-i-use/
I am a blogger by obsession and these are the tools I use:
Blog hosting: It’s either thru my Multiply sites (http://wildwetandwacky.multiply.com or http://lifestylesinc.multiply.com) or my Facebook notes (http://facebook.com/jamberrr) I enjoy these sites because: 1. I used them since I started blogging, 2. Easy interface. 3. A lot of my friends are there, so it is convenient for them to read the blogs I post. But I also tried Xanga, Blogger, and Friendster blogs. Just recently: Twitter, Plurk, and Tumblr are my latest experimentations.
Digital Camera and Video Blogging Camera: I use my ever trusted Sony W120 which I bought as a gift to myself for passing the qualification exams in my Institute on 2009. I find the pictures incomparable to the beauty DSLRs offer, but I am happy that it is very convenient to use, and very handy (I can bring it anywhere!). This also takes care of my videos as well. Pretty heavy duty for a small device.
Mobile Client and Subscription: I just lost my Supernova phone (which doubles as my camera also whenever my W120 is wrecked because of mishandling), what I mean is – it got stolen. Since then, I’ve been using a Nokia 2600c which stands my all-day all-night call and text transactions. It has been a so-so relationship. It only stood for communication and mobile internet surfing purposes. I plan to buy a BB Curve 8520 when I get my money already. Anyhow, I am perpetually subscribed to Globe. No line, just prepaid for the mean time. I am just applying for my postpaid line. Globe is very efficient. It gets jammed at times though.
Laptop and Blogging Client: I use a Compaq Presario forgot-the-model-number which served me for nearly five years. I have been doing blogging, editing, and all the whatnots in that lappie. I lovingly named her Alec. After five years of a loyal relationship with Alec, I have to give it to my younger sibs because they too have blogging needs already. That’s where Toshi (Toshiba NB205) came from the US and served just as well (or more) I blogged on the interface the blogging client gives via the web, but for Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace updates, I use Tweet Deck which conglomerates them into one program and I can actually update them simultaneously, which is very efficient. It is also user-friendly. It won’t eat you if you’re a noob actually.
Editing: I don’t edit my photos. Nor do I put watermarks. I don’t even know I should. Also, I believe in the inherent brilliance in the photos that I take. That makes editing it adulterated. But when I need to, good ol’ Photoshop CS (whatever is the latest) does it for me.
Crisjonver David, Student
Blog hosting:
I’m a 3 month old active blogger and the tools i used is blogspot, multiply and fizzer for http://www.jaysonbiadog.blogspot.com I always share my article and post it to twitter, facebook wall, multiply, plurk, friendster and a lot more site (also offline via newspaper, word of mouth event, calling cards, press, magazines). I have a domain way back 2007 but i didn’t renew it since im really compatible with blogspot. I realized that when a group of mind gathers together its really powerful than a single mind or domain of a 1 man hardwork. So i can say I’m compatible and very satisfied with the blogspot. It’s like a group of batteries combined together that is more powerful than a single battery to deliver result. So in the latter part i will get my domain and hosting to segregate my niches and blog secrets of winning i reveal to my blog. That will eventually be publish to world market and become a best seller in the wall street. (naks pareng anton how i wish, with the help of maven secret who knows?) We think what we become so lets host the whole world and be globally competitive.
Digital Camera and Video Blogging Camera:
I used many cameras on my handy i used 12megapixel Olympus handy camera, Sony Erickson k850i, Panasonic and Minolta. (I broked my 3 cameras so i used olympus) I plan to get a DLSR pentax and a Flip Ultra 120 HD from the geek Anton of http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com
But it is much better that you got the right man for the righ job like people who focus on pictures. I writer loves to write and a photographer who is specialize in great photo creation. Who masters the details because all i can say its really quite hard to multitask.
Sometimes it really good to manage and deliver quality results with the help of this skilled staffs.
Mobile Client and Subscription:
I used globe and any Nokia handy since i broke my Sony k850i and mini handy laptop N9500. But in mobile phone i’m not really compatible to do such a great blog creation. So nokia is really compatible for me here and abroad.
Laptop and Blogging Client:
Any laptop i used Sony Viao 2005, Acer and Lenovo S10. But i would really prefer desktop with a very big screen and fast memory that i can really work well. I used dell As they say its not about the car (laptop) its about the driver (writer/blogger). I would bet my last ounce of courage to the quality of the brainy post than a widget.
Editing:
I used paint for editing sometimes power point and it looks good and it saves me a lot of time. And Word for dictionary, skilled staff for specific program and google for translation. So time wise i used paint for a simple reason of time buster and user friendly. I wish to have a staff specialize in IT editing sometime.
Blog hosting:
I’m a 3 month old active blogger and the tools i used is blogspot, multiply and fizzer for http://www.jaysonbiadog.blogspot.com I always share my article and post it to twitter, facebook wall, multiply, plurk, friendster and a lot more site (also offline via newspaper, word of mouth event, calling cards, press, magazines). I have a domain way back 2007 but i didn’t renew it since im really compatible with blogspot. I realized that when a group of mind gathers together its really powerful than a single mind or domain of a 1 man hardwork. So i can say I’m compatible and very satisfied with the blogspot. It’s like a group of batteries combined together that is more powerful than a single battery to deliver result. So in the latter part i will get my domain and hosting to segregate my niches and blog secrets of winning i reveal to my blog. That will eventually be publish to world market and become a best seller in the wall street. (naks pareng anton how i wish, with the help of maven secret who knows?) We think what we become so lets host the whole world and be globally competitive.
Digital Camera and Video Blogging Camera:
I used many cameras on my handy i used 12megapixel Olympus handy camera, Sony Erickson k850i, Panasonic and Minolta. (I broked my 3 cameras so i used olympus) I plan to get a DLSR pentax and a Flip Ultra 120 HD from the geek Anton of http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com
But it is much better that you got the right man for the righ job like people who focus on pictures. I writer loves to write and a photographer who is specialize in great photo creation. Who masters the details because all i can say its really quite hard to multitask.
Sometimes it really good to manage and deliver quality results with the help of this skilled staffs.
Mobile Client and Subscription:
I used globe and any Nokia handy since i broke my Sony k850i and mini handy laptop N9500. But in mobile phone i’m not really compatible to do such a great blog creation. So nokia is really compatible for me here and abroad.
Laptop and Blogging Client:
Any laptop i used Sony Viao 2005, Acer and Lenovo S10. But i would really prefer desktop with a very big screen and fast memory that i can really work well. I used dell As they say its not about the car (laptop) its about the driver (writer/blogger). I would bet my last ounce of courage to the quality of the brainy post than a widget.
Editing:
I used paint for editing sometimes power point and it looks good and it saves me a lot of time. And Word for dictionary, skilled staff for specific program and google for translation. So time wise i used paint for a simple reason of time buster and user friendly. I wish to have a staff specialize in IT editing sometime.
My Top Blogging Tools
Blog Hosting: WordPress
Truth be told, I wasn’t much of a WP fan before because blogging was pretty much daunting using WP. However, when I finally got the hang of using it I was practically using wordpress in every blog I’ve set up (save for one). I find the interface easy to browse and I have this thing for things that look clean.
Digital Camera: PSP Go Cam and PSP Invizimals free cam
Almost all of my shots in the blog are taken using the PSP go cam I purchased. My gripe with the camera is that it’s only 1.3 mp but the offside of it is that it’s pretty handy and I can keep it on my pocket or bag without taking too much space. I used to have a dslr with me (Nikon D70) but it finally bit the dust so I’ve resorted to using my Go Cam. I’m still saving for a new camera because as a photographer I’m pretty much unsatisfied with my shots using the cam.
Mobile Phone and Subscription: Samsung B2100 with globe line (subscribed to superduo)
While a lot of people go for phones who practically have all the bells and whistles in terms of mobile connectivity. I on the other hand go for the simple reason of having a phone– I use it for calling and texting and that’s basically it. I’m also the type of person who’s heavy handed on phones so I decided to get my B2100 just because it can take a beating. The phone has not failed me thus far and well the same goes for my globe line which is subscribed to superduo so people can contact me with a cp and a land line.
Laptop and Blogging Client: MSI CX420 wordpress default editor
Before I used to blog using solely on my desktop but due to certain situations I’ve decided to shift most of my blogging bulk into my laptop (which is lovingly called Nimbus which was named by a fellow blogger :D)
I’ve decided to stick with the wordpress default editor because I never really bothered trying to learn a different blog client.
Photo Editing, Watermarking and Hosting Tool: Photoshop CS3
While my PS skills are not even at the novice level- I’ve been a photoshop user since the time I stumbled into the software. It can practically do everything that I need and that’s what I want with my software
DENCIO.COM’S BLOGGING TOOLS
Hi Anton, Here are my answers to your survey…
BLOGS: http://www.dencio.com and http://www.dennisangulo.com
BLOG HOSTING: BLOGGER
Blogger is Simple and free yet fully functional. Everything is Drag and Drop; I do not need to be knowledgeable in HTML and other technical stuff. And I Love Google! 🙂 Google Forever!
DIGITAL CAMERA: I use my Canon A550
But most of the time I do blogging gigs with my friends… friends who own a DSLR camera… 🙂
VIDEO BLOGGING CAMERA: I haven’t tried using video for blogging.
My Camera has a video function but I find it hard to use, very shaky, and it eats up a lot of memory space. But I am planning to start using videos for my travel blogs and Buffets! Less Photos more of the real experience with audio and video.
MOBILE PHONE AND SUBSCRIPTION: GLOBE FOREVER! 0917.8.CALL.ME (225563)
I use my basic Nokia 2730… Just for Call/Text a Mini Browser and a Built in Email Client…
I am planning to buy an Android Phone Soon… Just looking for the best one.
LAPTOP AND BLOGGING CLIENT: Using Dell Latitude E3400… Small, Lightweight, and Heavy Duty, and has an extended battery life of 5-6 hours!
PHOTO EDITING, WATERMARKING AND HOSTING TOOL: Windows Live Writer
I create my blogs in Windows Live Writer. My Super Favourite Piece of Software from Microsoft! It has photo Editing and Water Mark Features as Well! Once uploaded, it is hosted in Google’s Picasa web Albums. All for Free!
i don’t consider myself as a blogger but I have an active blog anyways, so i think it makes me qualified to join because I want to get the price (greedy me. :))
blog host is wordpress which is very convenient for me. it is very easy to navigate and nontechie-friendly like myself.
i don’t have a laptop, so basically i am using our desktop at home and the desktop in our office (shhh.. :)).
I used to shoot with my Nikon D40 but then he needs to retire already that is why i am using my friend’s point and shoot or my ericsson k770i’s camera.
Dunno how to video blog, so no video blogging tool for me.
I am using Google Picasa with regards of editing the photos I will post.
I am also a crappy writer so I don’t expect this piece to win the prize but it doesn’t hurt to try, right? 🙂
happy weekend! 🙂
***nontechie-friendly for people like myself.
Hi there! Here are my top blogging tools. http://www.chercabulasmindbox.com/2010/07/my-top-blogging-tools.html
*crossing my fingers now*
^___^
Blog Hosting: Blogspot and Twitter
I am no pro when in comes to blogging, I just have a personal blog so this is what I’ll recommend to amateur bloggers. It’s easy to figure out, and once you’re knowledgeable to HTML, you can tweak it to your liking. Blogspot also has nifty gadgets that you can add to your blog, plus you can monetize your blog easily by adding Google ads in easy steps.
For ‘micro blogging’, I use Twitter. I have that Twitter add on in my blog so my Tweets also appear in my blog.
Digital Camera and Video Blogging Camera: Canon G11 and Lomo Cameras
Canon G11: Again, I’m no pro when it comes to photography, so this semi pro camera is a great pick. It takes quality pictures that are better than point and shoot cameras.
Lomo Cameras: If you want to go back to basics, using films in your photos, get any Lomo camera to produce good pictures with an edge. I have a fish eye camera, pinhole, and an action sampler 🙂
Mobile Phone and Subscription: Nokia and Globe
I’ve been a Nokia user since perpetually forever plus a Globe loyalist ever since. Like you Anton, I even have a personalized number, it’s 091x-xxxRICA. This is the 4th year that my plan is on rebate so I basically don’t pay for my monthly plan, just for everything in excess. I use my mobile phone when I don’t have WIFI or Internet access for blogging and for Twitter.
Laptop: Compaq Presario
Compaq is a reliable laptop with an affordable price. For people who want an affordable laptop that you just need for documents, surfing the Internet, and blogging, get a Compaq laptop which you can buy for around P30k.
An add on to my laptop: Ipod Touch
This is a great gadget for surfing the Internet and updating your blog/Twitter as well.
Photo Editing: Adobe Photoshop
I took a multimedia elective back in college so I have a few tricks in my sleeve on Photoshop, but even if you’re no pro and you don’t have any idea on how to use Adobe Photoshop, you can easily learn how to edit your photos by Google-ing the basics, on how to add borders, how to edit the colors of your photos, etc.
Blog Hosting: WordPress
It’s actually the first time that I have ever used WordPress ever since when I was younger and playing around with blogs, I used blogger, livejournal, xanga etc. WordPress is really fun to use with all the downloadable widgets and the different themes that are available in the market.
Digital Camera: Canon Ixus I7
I know that this is an old camera. This was my first ever gift to myself when I started working. So its really hard for me to let go of this camera. I love its color – purple. Really shows my pesonality that I love colorful things and wont settle for something usual.
Mobile Phone and Subscription: E71 with Globe
I love the fact that my phone is soo business looking. Makes people in the office think that I mean business. And I love the fact that I can synch it with my outlook. SOmetimes, I tend to forget meetings so synching it really helps me. I also place all my non work schedule so that I wont forget.
Laptop: HP Mini
I have the HP Mini color pink. Haha. See? I love colors. This one is also sentimental to me since this is the first personal laptop that I ever had and I gave this to myself on my birthday last year. It reminds me that life gets better and I can achieve everything that I want to have for as long as I work really well.
Photo Editing: Scrapblog, Picnik
I’m not a pro and I’m still learning the ins and outs of photo editing. I like scrapblog because I can create stuff with it. I like mixing and matching pictures with scrapbook themes and then making different matching pages for each topic or brand that I blog about.
As for picnik, I used it to resize the things that I create with scrapblog.=)
Hi Anton, wow, dami sumali…
Ako talaga, na-inspire mag-blog dahil sa blog mo kaya madalas panay good restaurants and good travel spots in the philippines lang ang posts ko.
Blog host ko : Blogger. Yun yung nakasanayan ko, e. Di naman ako nagpapalit ng themes kasi parang family newsletter namin ito para sa mga kamag-anak ko sa abroad. Baka malito pag nagpalit ako…Napakadaling gamitin pero nakakabaliw lang mag-re-arrange ng photos!
Camera: Nung una, gamit ko lang yung still camera function ng Sony videocam ko. (1.55 megapixels lang haha!) Ngayon, hinihiram ko yung Canon 590 IS ng sister ko para mas malinaw. My great accessory find is the dicapac…plastic cover para pwede mo gamitin underwater yung digicam mo! Nagamit na namin sa trips namin sa Coron and El Nido!
checkitout! http://mojackosworld.blogspot.com/2010/05/day-3-island-hopping-tour.html
Globe subscriber din ako pero di ko ginagamit for blogging…dyusko, 1.33 megapixels lang at ang labo! parang painting!
Wala rin laptop…shhh! sa office lang ako gumagawa ng blog posts pag wala pang ginagawa… hehehe! Kaya nga derecho sa blogger ko lang nilalagay yung photos…baka kasi ma-block bigla ng IT namin ang flickr or photobucket. Photoshop ang pang-photo edit ko–pero licensed—sa office! 😀
Hi Anton!
With your mentorship I’ll soon be a professional blogger. At this time, I’m more like an enthusiast.
Here are my blogging tools:
Hosting Service: Blogger. I use Blogger for very pragmatic reasons. First, it’s free. Second, it allows four — not just three — Adsense units. I used to get bothered by its “jurassic” appearances before, but not lately. They have made innovations which allow Blogger users more flexibility in aesthetics. Go check this out at http://www.raisingfilipinoboys.com and http://www.musiccopyrightphilippines.blogspot.com
Digital Camera: Nokia N79. Until I have my own Canon camera, this is my blogging camera. The Nokia N79 has 5 megapixel camera, which I find just right for blogging purposes in terms of picture quality and light sensitivity. It even has a flash. Because Nokia N79 is primarily a phone, it is nonetheless a Smart phone, which allows me to immediately upload a photo I took into Flickr as soon as I get a Wifi connection. Check this out: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3241/3952472123_a43dffdeab.jpg
Video Blogging Camera: Nokia N79 Haha! Yes, the Nokia N79 has a video camera just like most Smart phones. You can install a microSD card with as many GB of memory you want. At this time, I have it loaded with 4GB microSD. For as long as lighting is good, I find the quality good. Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXvNuyNNvUw
Mobile Phone and Subscription: Nokia N79 with Sun
I’ve been mentioning Nokia N79 already so it’s no surprise it’s also the one I use for internet connectivity. I have a Sun subscription. I like Sun because it allows me unlimited calls to my wife’s Sun. The two phones are under a single Plan 899. I also find Sun’s rates cheaper in general. Good for me though because Sun works well in most places I go to in Metro Manila. Sun subscription can be bad in several “dead” or “lame” spots but that’s something I see will change too. In retrospect, Smart started out that way when Globe was “the” digital carrier more than a decade ago.
Laptop and Blogging Client: MacBook
I also love Mac! Yabadabadooo! I invested in one primarily because of its iPhoto and iMovie features, which I just couldn’t duplicate using Windows-based applications. I find iPhoto a great way to store and sort photos, while I find iMove a great way to process videos or create a “movie” out of a combined set of photos and videos. I don’t do video editing yet though. I find no need for it at the moment; but I see the need for it soon.
Photo Editing, Watermarking and Hosting Tool: Microsoft Powerpont and Flickr
I do minimal photo editing. But if at all, I use Microsoft Powerpoint, believe it or not. I can crop, change the brightness, contrast and color scheme of a photo, transform the photo into 3D images, and many more, using Powerpoint. The next thing I do is save the image as PNG or JPG file. Then I store the images online at Flickr.
May you have great blogging moments!
Marvin
Ako din sasali! hehehe! Makikigulo! Here are my blogging tools:
HOSTING: Host Gator! Though I’m contemplating on moving to Typepad. Whatchathink guys?
BLOG SOFTWARE (tama ba ang term?)” WordPress! It’s super amazing with the free and not so free templates that make blogs look uber pro 🙂 without being techie much. It’s so easy to use too 🙂 I like it better than blogger. Masmalinis for me. I don’t like clutter kc.
PHOTOS: My ye-olde Sony Ericsson W700i camera. Yes wala na po ako digital camera per se. But I believe you can take good photos with a simple camera. A good photographer can take snaps with ANY camera. Nasa indian at wala sa pana. I’m still waiting (and making ipon) for the iPhone 4!
WATERMARKING: I use iWatermark since I’m not so techie, having difficulty with Photoshop and the other photo post processing software. Nosebleed talaga. iWatermark makes is so simple.
LAPTOP: My Dah-ling, a 13″ Macbook Pro! I so love the ease of use of the Mac 🙂 SUPER! Advocate it!
Visit my blogs:
http://lovingthedistance.com
http://thebloggingadvertiser.com
I started blogging when I was a Senior High School Student. I made my first entry on September 20, 2002 (Wow my blog is ancient!)
I now maintain two blogs which are both hosted by Livejournal. Creamofdcrap.livejournal.com is the older blog, where most of my entries are viewable to my closest friends who also started blogging around 2002. I feel that facebook is too “open” to the public and I call this journal my “sanctuary” for more private thoughts and feelings. The second blog is endangcruz.livejournal.com. I created it just last month. I decided to open up a public journal to post favorite photos I’ve taken, since I’m fairly disappointed with the picture quality of facebook.
I use my Iphone 3G and Nikon D90 to take pictures. For editing and watermarking, I use lightroom and photoshop. I also downloaded the apple Iphone apps “Camerabag” and “cropfree” to edit my iphone photos.
I use photobucket and flickr to host my photos.
I use an HP 6930p right now but I’m saving up for a macbook pro. Hopefully I’ll be able to afford one by the end of the year or early next year =)
For videos, I use my D90, but i don’t find it convenient for taking videos. Earlier today, we shot a video of our pet pug and experimented if he can predict the outcome of the world cup final! Haha (We were hoping he had powers like paul the octopus) During that time, I was really thinking and wishing that I had a flip video camera for easier video coverage.
Here’s to positive thinking that I’ll win that that Flip Ultra 120 HD!!
I started blogging when I was a Senior High School Student. I made my first entry on September 20, 2002 (Wow my blog is ancient!)
I now maintain two blogs which are both hosted by Livejournal. Creamofdcrap.livejournal.com is the older blog, where most of my entries are viewable to my closest friends who also started blogging around 2002. I feel that facebook is too “open” to the public and I call this journal my “sanctuary” for more private thoughts and feelings. The second blog is endangcruz.livejournal.com. I created it just last month. I decided to open up a public journal to post favorite photos I’ve taken, since I’m fairly disappointed with the picture quality of facebook.
I use my Iphone 3G and Nikon D90 to take pictures. For editing and watermarking, I use lightroom and photoshop. I also downloaded the apple Iphone apps “Camerabag” and “cropfree” to edit my iphone photos.
I use photobucket and flickr to host my photos.
I use an HP 6930p right now but I’m saving up for a macbook pro. Hopefully I’ll be able to afford one by the end of the year or early next year =)
For videos, I use my D90, but i don’t find it convenient for taking videos. Earlier today, we shot a video of our pet pug and experimented if he can predict the outcome of the world cup final! Haha (We were hoping he had powers like paul the octopus) During that time, I was really thinking and wishing that I had a flip video camera for easier video coverage.
Here’s to positive thinking that I’ll win that that Flip Ultra 120 HD!!
Here’s my entry Sir Anton!
http://www.kumagcow.com/2010/07/kumagcows-blogging-tools.html
BTW, I watched you getting interviewed this evening about Social networks, is it just me or is the interviewer oblivious of blogging?! =)
My hosting service is Blogger and Word press. I choose Blogger because this is the first blogging host i search that’s free. I started blogging just this year, and i am not a pro…
I used my phone Nokia E56 in taking pictures, Canon Camera and Nokia N77. Though it’s really hard to use this sometimes…
I used my Toshiba satellite laptop …
Thanks for the inspiration! I had a case of writer’s block the past week so this post of yours was a great jumpstart for my brain. 🙂
My top blogging tools can be found here: http://www.thegeekettespeaketh.com/2010/07/my-blogging-tools/
Hi Anton!
My current blog has been ‘alive’ for less than one month. In my blogging life, I use both tangible and intangible tools.
My Tangible Tools:
Photo captures: My Canon EOS 450D. His name is “Teddy”. I’ve had Teddy for around 4 years already. I always take him with me when I go out of town or out of the country, and I can always rely on him to take great pictures. What I especially love about Teddy’s shots is that the colors are natural and as my friends tell me, Teddy always makes them beautiful. 🙂
Photo captures, wi-fi, cellphone in one: My new buddy “Shutterbug”, is the Samsung M8910 Pixon12. It’s a cellphone with wi-fi capabilities and 12 Megapixels camera with Xenon Flash! Shutterbug is female cause she’s definitely good in multi-tasking. 😛 She’s so handy and it really takes great photos… with or without flash! Don’t you find it frustrating when you see a fantastic “photo moment” and you have nothing with you but your cellphone camera that cannot do justice to that beautiful moment? That’s the precise reason why I bought Shutterbug… cause I don’t want those moments to just pass me by.
Connection: Aside from Shutterbug, I also use my light pink Acer notebook computer, named “Ayesha”. Ayesha’s very light and thin and easy to bring everywhere. She is also capable of bluetooth so it’s easy for Ayesha and Shutterbug to share files with each other.
Blog provider: Blogger. I migrated from WordPress to Blogger as I’m hoping to add AdSense to my blog someday. This will help me earn a little extra while sharing my endless opinions. 🙂
Enhancements: I use Adobe Photoshop to add my blog address to my pictures. 🙂
Video captures: I have yet to add videos to my current blog, but I use “Ruby”, the red Sony DCR-SR47 HD Digital Camcorder that I got for my birthday this year. Ruby has 60gb internal memory and 60x optical zoom. I love the photo capture feature of Ruby, wherein you can pause the videos you took and then save a separate file of that scene as jpeg photo file. 🙂
Research: My favorite search engine is Google! Google is like a magical world where I can type anything and Google always has the answer to every question I can think of! I found http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com/anton.blogs.com almost 4 years ago through Google.
My Intangible Tools:
– Inspiration from famous blogs such as http://www.ourawesomeplanet.com
– My love for taking pictures and capturing the moment… anywhere I go!
– My relentless pursuit in trying new food, going to new places, experiencing new things…
– My unquenchable curiosity to learn new things and the desire to share them with others
– My natural quality of being opinionated
– My (almost forgotten) passion for writing!
– My addiction to the online world… I can live without TV but I cannot live without the Internet!
– My belief that when I leave this world someday, my blog can be my legacy! A “journal” for my future descendants to get to know who I was at a certain point in my life! 🙂
God bless, everyone! 🙂
Mia Brigette 🙂
Hi Anton, here’s mine =)
Domain – I bought my domain from Google (registered by GoDaddy) but would definitely recommend that people buy or renew their domain from their web host for better domain management.
Web Host – Fatcow
Great UI, real time chat with support, lots of freebies like ad credits, Weebly (drag and drop web designer), and many more. I got my first year subscription cheaper than usual because I got a discount coupon online.
Digital Camera – Canon 450D Kit Lens
I recently got this camera and am still learning the tricks. I do hope to improve my photos soon! and until then, I prefer not to add watermarks on my photos yet.
Laptop – HP Pavilion
A dying laptop that will soon be replaced by Macbook Pro. And again, until then, I will not be installing Adobe Lightroom and other photo editing software yet.
Blogging Client – I edit my blog content online and just schedule the publishing via WordPress so that I can create posts in advance. There’s also a blogging client for Windows, it is called Windows Live Writer – my husband prefers to use this.
Photo Editing – I only use Microsoft Office Picture Manager in resizing, cropping, and color management of my photos. If I need to rename or resize photos by batch, I use Infranview.
Mobile Phone and Subscription – iPhone 3GS; Globe Telecom
Nothing beats owning an iPhone because it allows you to do just about anything! Blog, read RSS feeds and email from several mail accounts, view multiple calendars, manage your budget, play games, surf the internet, and many more!
Budget tool – YNAB (You Need a Budget)
This is like the best budget software ever! It allows you to track your budget and expenses. It provides fantastic support via forum, tutorials, etc.
Hi! I’m not a professional blogger and I blog because 1) I want to remember our adventures (www.beachesandbeyond.blogspot.com) and 2) I want to share my hobby (www.scrap-my-life.blogspot.com). Here are my blogging tools:
Blog Hosting – I use Blogger. I find it easy to use and personalize.
Digital Camera – Most of the time, I use my Canon 40D which is my first DSLR. My most often used lenses are Canon 50mm f1.4 and Sigma 18-200mm. For underwater shots, I use my P&S Canon Powershot A95 with a Canon underwater housing.
Video Blogging Camera: I have not really tried embedding videos in my blogs (have yet to learn how to do that) but I’ve provided links to my videos which I upload to YouTube. For those videos, I use my Canon Powershot camera. I have just recently discovered the wonders of iMovie. Soon I hope I can put in more videos in my blog.
Mobile Phone and Subscription – I don’t really do mobile blogging. But if you must know, I have a Nokia N97 with a Globe Plan. In the past, I only get the phone that comes free with my subscription and I get a new one every 18 months. For my N97, I had to add a few thousand bucks and it’s the first time I spent for a phone unit.
Laptop – I use my 4-yr old MacBook. I am tempted to buy a MacBook Pro (with the gorgeous aluminum unibody) but I’ve already invested in a lot of upgrades for my laptop so I want to give it another year or two. 😀
Photo Editing and Hosting – Photoshop CS4 with Flickr. I used to upload my photos directly to my blog but I realized it requires more work. I used to resize photos that I put in my blog but when I discovered I can use Flickr, I didn’t have to resize them anymore. I also have Lightroom 2 which I purchased so I can manage my photos but I haven’t used it yet. 😀
Thanks for the opportunity! I have been following OAP for a long time but this is the first time I’ve posted a comment. 😀
hi sir Anton,
I’m a non pro on blogging, i don’t have a certain blog but i can say i do photoblogging by sharing photos on my multiply and facebook account and sharing stories bout those photos..i started doing it coz i got inspired by you and sir Carlos celdran, Ms. nina of Just wandering, ms. daphne osena, and ms. regina belmonte’s blog..since i do share photos i use my 4 year old kodak camera AF 3X and my N80 mobile phone i taking those shots and my HP laptop and globe wimax connection at house for connecting to the internet world so i can share it to friends and to the people in the world…I’l be very happy and proud to get one of your maybe i can call it “pamana” FLIp Ultra..hehehe…if not not that would be fine there’s always next time im sure…thank you sir Anton for being generous enough making contest like this and making informative posts,,you are really an inspiration…more power…and hope to meet you and your family someday..sana my awesome planet day…hehehe..God bless..
KC
Hi Anton, here’s my share on this topic http://obiasadventure.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-blogging-tools.html
Sheryll
Hi Anton,
Our blogging tools are:
1) 7 year old Canon PowerShot SD630 Digital ELPH which unfortunately has its video feature on mute after having it repaired for broken lens. LOL. So sometimes we have to be creative when the need for video blogging arises and use other video shooting devices like our trusty 3-yr old Sony Ericsson K790i.
2) MSI Wind U160 – We got this for a bargain in Taiwan. We realized we wanted to have a dedicated computing device for blogging because we used to share a common dekstop pc.
3) Microsoft Paint – Since the power of the netbook (MSI Wind U160) is very limited and we really don’t do major photo editing/enhancements, we rely on MS Paint for basic editing primarily for resizing photos.
4) Photobucket – We use this to host our photos. It is very reliable and user-friendly.
I do photoblogging and microblogging as well. I’m not pro, though but I want to be someday just like you! 😀
I want to show my love of blogging with the people in my generation. (Us teens!) I’m really into photography and my dad teaches me techniques on how to shoot! http://www.flickr.com/photos/locoforlomo
I use:
Digital Camera: Canon 1000D with Kit lens (I use this so It makes my camera way lighter!) or 16-35mm and Canon Speed light.
Analog Camera: My Holga 120 Lomo Camera (I LOVE the analog feel)
Blog Hosting: Twitter, Flickr and Facebook
Mobile Phone and Subscriber: Samsung Corby Pro with Globe! (I love how the Samsung Corby Pro can also post pictures you have taken to a social networking site!)
Laptop: Acer Laptop a MacBook
Photo Editing: Adobe Photoshop with Flickr or TwitPic.
Your post/contest inspired me to make a blog entry 🙂 more power to you Anton!
http://johnnydu.blogspot.com/2010/07/fiveseven-years-after.html
I’ve been running a personal, erm, running++ blog on Blogger for almost three years now. I’ve tried WordPress on a short project that was immortalized on cyberspace, but I liked using the Blogger interface more. I’m a very straightforward blogger, so just pictures and occasional videos from my trusty Sony Ericsson camera phone works just fine (so far). A favorite widget I’ve been using in my blog is the LinkWithin feature (that shows a thumbnail and random related blog posts). New favorites include the share on Facebook and Twitter buttons. Lately I’ve been dabbling on putting up a new lifestyle blog, so I’m looking forward to new blogging tools I can use to make it more fun and user-friendly. =)
Hi! 🙂 First off, I totally love Our Awesome Planet 🙂 I turn to OAP for good food reviews around the metro 🙂
Well anyway. I’m not also a pro blogger (as most of the commenters are ;p), but I have been keeping a blog since 2005. My blogging has ranged from short posts, to lengthy, detailed entries with photos and such. ;p Here are my blogging tools 🙂
> WordPress – I used to blog in Blogger for around 3-4 years, when I was a newbie and all. I moved my blog to WordPress last year, because I liked the organization, and the pretty pretty themes they have too. 🙂
> Tumblr – I am a new Tumblr user. It really does make blogging easy 🙂 But I find it a little too public, so when I do post there, most are just blurbs.
> Vimeo – For video posts, I upload my videos to Vimeo. I have been using Vimeo for a long time now, and I have no complains, it just keeps getting better 🙂 Although one thing about it is you have to wait for a day (or for an hour I think, depends on the video length) once you upload your video for processing. But it doesn’t really bother me 🙂
> Macbook – I totally love Mac. It’s very user-friendly. 🙂 Makes my blogging a lot more happier 🙂 And the Photo Booth app allows me some vanity photos + videos too. Easy upload to WordPress/Vimeo from there. 🙂
> Nikon D60 & D90 (18-55mm, Sigma 18-250mm and 18-105mm) – For some of my photos, I used my Nikon D60, my first DSLR, with its kit lens, and the 18-250 I bought for my thesis. Unfortunately, it got stolen this summer 🙁 However, my sister got a brand new spanking Nikon D90, so I’m kinda using it now too.. Hihi. 🙂 It also comes in handy when I take a photo of my sketches, since I don’t our scanner is busted :/ I also use the D90 for some of my video too.
> Photobucket – I host my photos at Photobucket. Bulk uploading and easy sharing at its best 🙂
Basically, that’s the things/software I use for my blogging. ;p Hope you guys found it helpful! And Sir Anton, more power to OAP! 🙂 Don’t stop being awesome! 🙂
– Joyce Romero 🙂
Oh and by the way! I forgot these 🙂
> Adobe Photoshop & Lightroom – I use these softwares for my photo editing needs. 🙂 Lightroom for general editing, and Photoshop for a more in-depth editing 🙂 I have used CS3 & CS4, and I have recently upgraded to CS5 🙂
> iMovie & Adobe Premiere Pro – These I use for my video editing. iMovie is so damn easy to use. 🙂 I use Premiere Pro for a more in-depth editing 🙂
Oh and for a correction, I started blogging around 2004 🙂
– Joyce Romero
Gud pm po sir anton,this my entry for your contest. here’s the link po.thanks
http://anggeflores.blogspot.com/2010/07/basics-angges-blogging-tools.html
-angge
Gud pm po sir anton,this my entry for your contest. here’s the link po.thanks
http://anggeflores.blogspot.com/2010/07/basics-angges-blogging-tools.html
-angge
Hi Anton!
Here’s my entry: http://lightandorange.blogspot.com/2010/07/top-blogging-tools.html
Thanks for reading. 🙂
Hi Anton!
I’m pretty new to blogging and right now I got more notes saved on Word which I’m slowly moving to my blog during my free time. These are the tools that I used and am still using:
Blogging Platform: WordPress. Having a large community of users makes it easy for me to search for tutorials online. I can get answers easily off the web if I can’t find the answer at the WordPress website itself. Having a large user community means more themes and plug-ins to choose from, too.
Domain Registry: Since I didn’t want a name like XXXX.wordpress.com, I got myself a domain name over at Internet.BS. No, BS doesn’t stand for b******t. =) It’s the country domain of Bahamas. Since it’s tax-free there, they domain registration fee is competitively priced! (Their .com is $7.49/year). Registration is pretty quick and easy and domain is live in seconds. Their website is easy to navigate, too, not unlike ads-heavy GoDaddy! Waah! Plus, they’re registration fee includes a FREE privacy domain. Unlike others I’ve checked out, I can set my privacy at FULL so all my contact details are not seen online. I can also set it at PARTIAL so I can have only my name exposed but the rest of the details covered. Good for blogs that I’m writing where I want readers to be able to check that the website does belong to me but not giving away my other contact details away. Fuss-free and no b******t!
Domain Name “search engine”: Getting a domain name is hard since many are already taken. A cool tool I use is bustaname.com. It allows me to brainstorm domain names and check if that name is available for registration.
Camera: My favorite camera brand is FujiFilm. Takes nice clear shots and makes for nice prints, too. But mine was stolen by my runaway maid. Gawd! I don’t want to spend on another camera right now so I’m currently using our old Sony Cybershot DSC-T70.
Screengrab: I am all for taking my own pictures but sometimes I need to grab some images over the internet. The print screen function on the keyboard is well and good. The easiest tool I’ve used to grab screenshots is Pixlr Grabber. I can take a screenshot of the entire web page or select only a portion then save it as jpg or png. If I still need to edit the image like add texts or borders, it has on online editing tool like photoshop. Their online editing is a bit slow though, so if I don’t use it. I just copy the screen shot and edit it on my favorite photo editing tool. This is a free software, by the way.
Photo editing tool: I’m not good with Photoshop and Illustrator so I was pretty glad to have found Photoscape to edit my pictures. It’s very easy tool for me to use. I can resize, adjust the brightness and contrast of my pics. I can crop and remove even timestamps and any unwanted portions. I can convert my pictures to black & white, sepia, watercolor, cartoon. It let’s me add borders, text, arrows or encircle images. It also has a screenshot function but I don’t find it as efficient as Pixlr Grabber. It also has a batch editor so it saves me time if I have to watermark a bunch of images. It’s a free software, too. But you can donate which anyone who’ve used this will want to since it’s a breeze to use.
Photo storage: Photobucket. Their bulk uploading saves me a lot of time.
no winner yet for this contest?
Hi Anton, when are you announcing the winner? We’re excited na!
I will announce it tomorrow in this blog post. Thanks so much for the patience!
anton
Hi Anton!
It’s now August 16… I hope we get to know who the winner is soon!
Thanks for all the great entries! It was actually very very hard to choose. I didn’t expect a lot of people to join so thank you all for joining!
I learned a lot from the entry of the winner and it made me rethink the webhosting I use and the putting watermarks on my photos. You should read the winning entry.
And the winner is…
The Geekette Speaketh’s My Blogging Tools
http://www.thegeekettespeaketh.com/2010/07/my-blogging-tools/
Congratulations Charo, you just won a Flip Ultra HD Camera!
As a runner up, I need to mention this post because I like it:
Cher Cabula’s Mindbox My Top Blogging Tools
http://www.chercabulasmindbox.com/2010/07/my-top-blogging-tools.html
I didn’t realize I won until I went through my past posts yesterday and came back to this link. LOL! Thanks Anton! Looking forward to meeting you and/or your wife in person! 😀
This blog is truly awesome in all aspects.