BlogJet and ecto quick first impressions

Both these offline blog publishing tools are very nice. Easy to install (ecto requires .NET Framework) and easy to set up for access to TypePad with the whole procedure basically automatic, nothing to configure: just add user name and login password and you're set.

I've created and posted one post with each so far but I'm writing this one in the TypePad post editor. Why? Because:

1. I created a new category (Weblog Tools) and don't see a feature in either BlogJet or ecto that lets you create a new category within each tool; and


2. When I posted each post from each tool, I noticed that the category I'd set for each had not carried through to actual publishing - each post was published without any category even though I'd set a category for each post. I had to log in to TypePad and re-publish each post in order to set the category.

If that happens with further posts, then that would be a big negative for me for using such tools. While I may then continue using one of them, it would only be for publishing draft posts to the TypePad server, not live. I'd then need to log in to my blog and complete the process. Not too keen on that idea.

At the moment, I like ecto mainly because it supports extended posts (BlogJet say they will have that capability in the next release due out this month).

BlogJet costs $19.95 and has a 30-day free trial period; ecto costs $17.95 with a 14-day trial.

BlogJet | ecto

Comments

[Robin Capper]

Hi,
I liked Blogjet but also had the Category problem posting to Typepad. I didn't buy as use thumbnails a lot and it couldn't handle those when i tried it. Fix those two things and I'd be a customer.
-Robin

[Neville Hobson]

Thanks Robin. It could be that the category problem will be a big problem. I checked with TypePad support, and it isn't a TypePad issue. I've asked both BlogJet and ecto for comment: no answer as yet.