I love the WordPress Open Source content management blog publishing system. I’ve been using and configuring WordPress systems for several years and the number of plug-ins and add-ons to the extensible platform is truly amazing.
The iPhone is really a powerful computer that fits into your pocket.
About seven months ago I gave up my ancient Motorola Razor for a new iPhone 3GS. As I’ve told others, I believe the iPhone is a “game changer”. What makes it so is that the iPhone is really a powerful computer that fits into your pocket. Oh, and it’s also a phone. But that is almost besides the point.
If you use WordPress and own an iPhone or an iPod Touch, there are three applications that you should consider using to make running your blog easier.
WordPress blog as viewed on iPhone
1. The first is a WordPress Plugin called, WPTouch which allows your blog to look like an iPhone App when viewed on an iPhone, iPod Touch, or Google Android phone. You can see how it looks in the screenshot compared to the way it looks in a traditional web browser.
WPTouch optimizes the blog for small screen sizes which use a finger as the primary interface “device”. With the rapid increase in the use of mobile devices to surf the web, there is no reason not to use the WPTouch template if you run a WordPress blog. It makes it very easy for your users to view and comment on your posts.
2. If you administer a WordPress blog and you own an iPhone, how great would it be for you to update your blog, moderate comments and make posts anytime you want directly from your iPhone? Wish no more; the official WordPress 2.0 iPhone app is available as a free download from the iTunes App Store.
Get notified on your iPhone anytime someone leaves a comment on your blog.
3. Wouldn’t it be great if you could be automatically notified anytime someone posts a comment (or trackback) to your blog? The Prowl service is the implementation of “Growl” for the iPhone OS. To automatically be notified anytime someone posts a comment on your blog, first sign-up for a free account on Prowl. Then log into Prowl and generate a unique API key. Once you do that head over to the iTunes App Store and purchase the $2.99 Prowl iPhone App. Install Prowl on your iPhone and configure it using the username and password you used on the Prowl website.
Once you do this, configure the WPTouch WordPress plugin mentioned above to use the unique API key that you generated on the Prowl website. Once the API key is entered into your WordPress blog, you will automatically be notified anytime someone posts to your blog.
Let me know if you have tips to share on WordPress and iPhone integration that you use.
Neil Bonner works in the information technology field for the Transportation Security Administration. His focus is on mobile, Rapid Applications Development, Social Media and collaboration platforms. He manages a portfolio of applications that are internal and citizen-facing. In 2011 he was recognized as a “
neil [at] michelangelo.com
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