I logged-on to Windows Live messenger today and a new version (8.5) has become available; of course I’ve downloaded and upgraded immediately.

One of the optional extras it offered on installation was the use of Windows Live Writer which is a tool for publishing to your blog, much in the same way as I do at the minute with w.bloggar. What the Windows Live writer app offers me is the ability to do WYSIWYG editing, even down to downloading the style sheet used for my blog and rendering in exactly the same way.

It’s also very smart in the preview window – for example previewing this entry re-uses the last entry I wrote (entitled “No Baby”), but swaps the text around as if this entry were already published (click for full-sized snapshot). Note that in the preview, the “No Baby” post is missing and the text of this entry replaces it.

Now that’s quite smart.