Sil-Mon Li

Why can’t we make shows like the Japanese?

I was watching this at my desk with my headphones on and it looked like I was having a fit because I was trying not to laugh!

I saw this on Google Video tonight and was very entertaining to watch. Microsoft UK commission David Brent (aka Ricky Gervais) and Stephen Merchant to take part in a spoof Training Video for their employees. Video 1 is regarding Microsoft’s “Core Values” and Video 2 is talking about “Realising Potential” (whatever that means!). All I say (as does Stephen Merchant in the first vid), when is Peter Kay going to be Corporate Social Responsibility Lead for the company I work for?

So what better way to do a review of a new product than to use it as you review it! I’m now writing this blog on the using Microsoft’s latest Live product, Windows Live Writer. It’s a cross between WordPad and Frontpage. It lets you compose your blogs in a WYSIWYG format so for the less techie or people that would prefer to see how their writings look before they post will see this as welcome this new application.

Common features include:

Insert Link: Insert a link in less than 5 seconds

Formatting Text: includes bold, italic, underline, strike-through, colours

1. bullet numbering#

• bullet points

alignment (centre)

block quotes

Save Draft: Automatic save funtionality and easily retreive posts

Some enhanced features which are really cool include:

Insert Picture: insert a picture from your PC directly onto the page and format at a click of a button.

Insert Map: it allows you to add road maps or aerial maps from almost anywhere in the world!

View Layout: provides you with a previews layouts of your blog before posting including normal (word format), web layout (as seen on the web), web preview (as seen on your blog), html layout (code)

Undo: Like as if your were in MS Word, you can press Ctr-Z and undo your actions

Check Spelling: Again as if you were in MS Word, this will check your spelling for you before you post

Post Properties: Edit date entry, allow comments and trackbacks, insert keywords

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Overall impressions: This is my first time using it and I’ve got to say that I’m pretty impressed with all the features that are included with Windows Live Writer. I am definately going to start using this to post my blogs and it will make me post more often due to easy to use interface. Microsoft have outdone themselves with this free piece of software and probably their first killer Live App they have released. One thing that keeps niggling me is that it’s a local application and therefore you will have to download it on to other computers (e.g. at Work) if you want to use it elsewhere. With Google leading the way with Web Applications (e.g. Google Spreadsheet), Microsoft may have taken a wrong path in not making this available via the web and easily avialable. Barring this one small negative point which personally I have now qualms about, I think it’s a great product and fingers cross for more applications like this!