Blog production toolkit: quick summary of tools

In the Blog Production Toolkit Series, we’ve gone into some detail on the why’s and wherefore’s of using various tools to enhance our blogging productivity. In the final post of the series, I’ll simply round up all the tools we’ve mentioned so you have them in a single handy list.  Of coure, these are just the tools that make MY blogging more productive and efficient – if you have other favorites, be sure to mention them in the comments!

Blog Architecture and Mechanics
WordPress software – self-hosted version (www.wordpress.org)
Domain Registration and website hosting services (www.bluegravity.com)
FTP software for transferring files to your webhost (WS-FTP by Ipswitch)

Essential WordPress Plugins
Akismet – fights comment spam
FeedSmith – RSS feed management
SubscribeRemind – Builds your subscriber list
All-In-One SEO Pack – optimizes content for search engines
Sociable – Reminds readers to share
WordPress Automatic Upgrade – Upgrades your software quickly
WP-DB-Backup – manages database backups

Writing Tools
MS Works – free Windows word processor
Windows Notepad – free Windows text editor
WordPress Visual Editor – built into WordPress

Photo/Image editing Tools
Picnik.com – free web-based photo and image editing
Corel Paint Shop Pro – cheaper, leaner version of Adobe Photoshop