Instant gratification: Update your blog before you get back to your Mac.

 

WHAT YOU NEED:
>> Cell phone with camera
>> Blogger account (free, www.blogger.com) or Google account (free, www.google.com/accounts)
>> Something worthwhile to blog about (optional)

 

Have you ever encountered something out in the world, thought, "That would make a great blog post," and then forgotten about it by the time you got back to your Mac? Or maybe you were on a trip without your laptop and wanted to update people back home without having to call each person individually. With a mobile blog-catchily shortened to "moblog"-you can post text and pictures to your blog instantly, right from your cell phone. We show you how to get started with Blogger's free mobile service.

 

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Step 1: Blog Now, Sign Up Later

 

You could get your Blogger account set up first (if you have a Google account for services like Gmail, you can log in to www.blogger.com with that username and password). But when you make your first blog post via phone, the service sets it up as a new blog anyhow. So use your phone to snap a picture or two. Once your photos are in the phone's memory, navigate to the message menu and create a new email or MMS (multimedia messaging service) message.

 

If your phone can send email or MMS messages, you're ready to blog.

 

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Step 2: Limber Up Those Thumbs

 

Now just type into your phone; the subject line will be your post's title. You can add photos either inline or as attachments. Send it off to go@blogger.com. When it's set up, you'll get a reply with the URL and a claim code.

 

If you send your post as MMS, you’ll get a SMS text reply. If you email your post, the reply is sent by email.

 

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Step 3: Stake Your Claim

 

At your Mac, enter your claim code at go.blogger.com. (If you sent your post as an email and didn't get a code, see what your phone uses as the "reply-to" address and check that account.) The next screen lets you link your mobile blog to your Blogger account, or create one if you haven't already. You can also choose to keep your moblog separate. Future posts sent from the same phone will be added to whatever option you choose here.

 

After you’ve posted, claim your blog online to name and customize it.

 

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Step 4: Put Your Stamp on It

 

The Dashboard (www2.blogger.com) has links where you can manage your posts, change your blog settings (even publish to your own domain), and customize the look of your blog by selecting a template, adjusting the colors and fonts, adding more page elements, or directly editing the HTML code. But even if your blog is tricked out with every bell and whistle there is, don't count on your readers to stick around unless you give them some content to read; frequent updates are the best way to keep your blog interesting. And now that you can post on the go, nothing can stop you from sharing your observations with the world-well, OK, except for a dead cell phone battery or lack of reception.

With 34 customizable templates to choose from, you should be able to find a design you like.

 

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BONUS TIP: Moblog Menu

 

Other services besides Blogger will let you blog sans Mac. Here are some of our favorites:

 

Buzznet (www.buzznet.com) lets users post blogs, pictures, and video from their computers or mobile phones. If you log in with your MySpace username and password, the site will automatically import your MySpace profile and pictures. Free users get up to 120 posts per month, and Premium accounts ($5 per month, with discounts for multimonth memberships) get 250 posts and no banner ads. The interface is a clunky and unintuitive, though.

 

Audblog (www.audblog.com) is a service that allows you to call a number from any phone and record a post as if you were leaving a voice mail. Then your blog-it supports Blogger, Radio, MovableType, and LiveJournal-is updated with an Audblog icon and a link to your recorded audio. The first post is free, and then it's $3 per month for up to 12 four-minute posts. Additional blocks of 12 posts are $3.

 

Hipcast (www.audioblog.com) also lets you post audio blogs (up to 60 minutes!) via phone, or upload audio files up to 100MB from a Web browser. It also supports three flavors of video uploading: You can record in your browser window with a webcam, upload a file from your digicam, or email a video from your mobile phone. Podcasters can use the service to create MP3 files and generate an RSS feed that's ready for iTunes. After a free seven-day trial, tiered pricing starts at $5 per month.

 

Winksite (www.winksite.com) is more than just a moblog service-it lets you create up to five sites that can be easily viewed on a mobile phone. You can trick out your site with "channels" including a blog (either one hosted on Winksite or a feed of your existing blog), RSS feeds, surveys, a guestbook, even a forum or a chat room. There are a dizzying number of options, and if you turn on the Mobile Admin option under Site Settings: Advanced, you can manage your site's content right from your phone. Best of all, everything is free.

 

Use Winksite's premade channels to make a site that can be viewed on a phone or in a Web browser.