I am writing this post using Windows Live Writer 2009.  Normally, I write WordPress posts in Firefox using the admin interface inside of WordPress.  That is not the best environment sometimes – especially since you have to be online to use it.

I looked at these type of desktop-based web publishing tools a couple of years ago and they were not great.  I’m looking again because I noticed that Microsoft released a version of Live Writer for 2009 (I guess I missed it).

First task will be to insert a picture of this window.    I’ll do a screen capture and jam it into the post right here.

Cool – that worked well (at least here in the editor).  I was able to load a GIF, resize it and place it in the text.  There are image editing choices and the like available.  Looks promising.

Spell checker works as expected.

I am able to insert a hyperlink to the download location for Windows Live Writer without any trouble at all (as expected).  One neat thing is that it will allow me to link to previous posts, which is something that you should always try to do.   It even lets me set the link to nofollow.

Surprising, there is a preview tab – and it knows what the post will look like on my blog.  Check out this screen shot:

Wow – for a 5 minute review I am pretty impressed with the ability to create a draft.  Now I will hit the publish button and see what happens….

TaDa!

That just worked.

One thing that I see in here that I like is the ability to insert a table.  Here is a table of projected revenue for the MasonWorld Empire for 2010.

Neat.  Might have a keeper here.

What do you use to write your posts?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

Check this out.  I am working on an autoresponder series that includes SEO information.  I needed some additional content, so I turned to EasyPLR -- Nicole just released a new SEO PLR Pack.

So here is the thing -- the content is so good in this pack, that I thought I would just publish excerpts from one of the 10 pieces for you.  This particular article hits on something that is important to me -- the fact that PageRank is meaningless.

Now, normally I edit PLR before I publish it and I also add my own voice. To edit this PLR, I probably would have added an intro (sort of like what I am doing here), some data based on my own experience, and maybe an affiliate link to Josh Spaulding's Utlimate Link Building Report or similar.  I would have also added information about the Title Tag (which is very important for SEO).

But I just wanted you to see the raw thing here so you could understand the quality you can get from Nicole.  So, the below is excerpt from the article is unedited.

So -- you should get three things from the below article

1.  PageRank is not meaningful (and Meta tags are no longer relevant)

2.  Content is king

3.  Nicole's PLR is really really good.

Thanks,
Mark

P.S. -- If you happen to buy some PLR from Nicole -- don't forget about the bonus that I am offering.

Begin excerpt

SEO Mistake: Obsessing Over Meta Tags or Your Site’s Google PageRank

Meta tags are so 1995.

Even so, you’ll still find a few web designers, programmers and unscrupulous SEO “professionals” who’ll insist that, in order to optimize your site for the search engines, you need to fill your keyword and description meta tags with all your relevant keywords (and then some) – and keep an eye on your PageRank.

Stop the presses!

If you’re new to this search engine optimization business, you probably have no idea what a meta tag or PageRank is. Here are a couple of definitions, just for you:

Meta Tag: These are tags placed in the head of your HTML pages that give the visitor’s browser, or the search engine spider, information about the page. Two mid-90s search engines, Infoseek (now defunct) and AltaVista (now owned by Yahoo!), first popularized the keywords tag, which they used to determine what each page on a website was about.

However, by 1997, search engines realized that spammers were misusing the tag to make pages rank for terms that were completely irrelevant to the page’s content. Search engines completely stopped supporting keyword meta tag information by 2002.

End excerpt

Second excerpt

Meta tags are not going to ensure that your page ranks in the top 10 for your keyword phrases. And PageRank is not an accurate measure of where your page appears in the SERPs for your keyword phrases.

You’re better off spending your time writing quality content, developing relationships with the owners of high ranking sites in your industry or relevant industries and making sure your site is search engine friendly.

Even better, spend time getting to know your customers or site visitors and find out what terms they use to search, what they are looking for when they arrive at your site and what they think you can do to improve their experiences while browsing your site.

End excerpt

Be sure to check out EasyPLR -- and the newly released SEO PLR Pack.

photo credit: kiewic

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I like Nicole Dean's EasyPLR as a source for great quality PLR products.  Since that time, I have published several articles about how to use PLR, where to get blog content, and what the ethical considerations of PLR might be.

Lot's of you responded by trying out Nicole's products using my affiliate link (here).  If you are one of those people -- thanks for checking her stuff out.  As you know, I only recommend products that I use myself, and her PLR is great.

The Retroactive EasyPLR Bonus

OK -- so I know what you are thinking?  Who in the world gives a bonus after the fact.  Marketing 101 says that you use bonuses to get people to buy as part of the pitch.

I say, WHATEVER - I play by my own rules. 

The fact is that if you bought ANY PLR from Nicole using my link, I'd like to offer you a nifty eBook on how to use it.

The eBook is called PLR Cheater -- it is itself a high quality PLR eBook that I am planning on selling for either $27 or $17 (I have not decided yet).   You can check out the sales page for PLRCheater here.  Note that the page is not complete yet - you cannot buy the book there.

Anyway -- if you bought any PLR from Nicole through my link, just submit a ticket at my helpdesk and I will verify your purchase and send you a copy of the eBook with my compliments.  Just to be clear, you will be getting personal use rights to PLR Cheater, not PLR rights.

I figure that if you were kind enough to use my link, you deserve the bonus (even if you did not know about the bonus ahead of time).  Be sure to include proof of purchase with your ticket.

But Wait -- There's More (If You Act Now)

LOL -- I love cheezy marketing lines like "Act Now!"  Supplies are limited! (OK -- they are not limited.  It's an ebook.  How can supplies of an eBook ever be limited?)

Here where the Marketing 101 comes back in.  I want you to buy more!

I know that there will be some people out there that want to buy PLR from Nicole today and get the bonus.  If that is you, know that I will honor the bonus until further notice.  That is to say, if you buy PLR from EasyPLR in the future using my affiliate link, I will send you a copy of the eBook (just submit a ticket with your proof of purchase).

Bottom line - I want you to buy more PLR from Nicole if you need it.

And That Is Not All (Special Bonus)!

I know some of you will be buying PLR from Nicole with the intention of creating sites designed to make money from AdSense as described in the $5 Formula (and also in this video).

If that is you, and you buy $50 or more of PLR from Easy PLR using my affiliate link, I will send you a copy of my newly updated product -- Niche AdSense Themes for WordPress Version 3.   Note that this bonus is also retroactive.

Here is a snapshot of the latest version of Niche AdSense Themes for WordPress

So -- If you need some PLR check out Easy PLR today.

Thanks!

More About PLR Cheater

Here is what's inside PLR Cheater:

So with all this talk about PLR and instructions about ghostwriting in the last few days, I thought it would be interesting to address the topic of whether or not the use of PLR content is ethical.

I mean, after all -- if you are acting like you are the writer (I am actually writing this now in my own voice) and you are not actually doing the writing -- isn't that misleading your readers?

Well, the answer is handled really well in this PLR Ethics video by Nicole Dean (owner of EasyPLR.com).   Now of course, Nicole makes no secret about the fact that she sells PLR -- so she has obviously already decided that she feels the use of PLR is ethical.

As an aside, I know Nicole pretty well, and she is one of the most wonderful, ethical, honest, moral people that I know.  Goofy t0o?  Well, yes goofy.  But goofy in an adorable way.

I would really like to know what you think about the ethics issue -- so leave a comment after you look at the video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysxD6mnibwU

photo credit: A Caveman trapped in the 21st Century