Windows Live Writer, Write On!
Mac-happy bloggers often use either Ecto or by Mars Edit as their desktop blogging client. Given that those two products are pretty close to perfection, we are unlikely to switch to another client. Windows PC users, on the other hand have had to choose from w.Bloggar, Qumana or some similar tool.
Context & Ripple Effects
Windows bloggers had been choosing among tools such as Qumana and w.Bloggar, while Mac users had established desktop options in Ecto and MarsEdit. Qumana had also put out a public beta of QumanaXP in 2006, making Windows Live Writer an entrant into an active client-software category rather than a standalone experiment.
The release also fits Microsoft's earlier Web 2.0-oriented Windows Live push, extending that effort into the publishing workflow used by bloggers.
First-order effects
- Windows PC bloggers gain another desktop publishing client, giving Qumana and w.Bloggar a new competitor for users dissatisfied with their existing tools.
Second-order effects
- Qumana and w.Bloggar face greater pressure to differentiate their editing experience and retain Windows bloggers as Microsoft enters the category.
Third-order effects
- If large platform vendors keep adding publishing tools to broader web-service suites, standalone desktop blogging clients will compete increasingly on specialized workflow rather than simply providing a Windows editor.
The trend: Blogging software is becoming a contested publishing layer, with platform providers adding authoring tools alongside independent desktop clients.