How does one use Windows Live Writer?

Mea culpa.

I used a recent post to test some of the features of Windows Live Writer, but neglected to describe how I got it and what someone needs to do to make use of it. The product is good, but for some reason Microsoft doesn’t have a very clear description of what it takes to get and use it. A follower asked me about this, so here goes.

1. Start here to download whatever components of Windows Live you need. I know; the link is for Writer but the download proposes to load all of the components. I chose just to download Writer.
2. As the install adds the “Live Writer” application to your system, you can set it up for your blog: you’ll need the full “http” address of the blog, as well as your user name (or sign in) and password. You can add more later or edit what you put in during install if needed.
3. When installation is complete, open the application (by default, it goes into the Start | All Programs | Windows Live folder).

If you have set everything up properly, you will be facing an edit window for a new blog post.

The typical tools—buttons to insert hyperlinks, pictures, etc.—are presented in a panel on the left; tabs at the bottom let you switch between edit, preview and source (HTML) views; and pull-down boxes at the bottom let you select from your categories (tags) and set a publish date.

Add your text and any images; switch to the preview to check it; then click the “Publish” button to add it to your blog.

Ah ha! Just as I was finalizing this, I found this blog link on my other screen. It includes several video explanations for using Live Writer. It was dated May 15, 2009 and hopefully it will stay where it is!