6 Ways Travel Pros Use iPhones for Blogging on the Go

Traveling professionals are thoroughly familiar with the power of the blogosphere. Blogging can be an extremely effective vehicle for smooth communications while traveling. Now thanks to smart handheld devices such as the Apple iPhone and the ubiquity of mobile broadband, blogging can be easily accomplished from just about anywhere. Here are six ways to do it better:

Get Your Apps Up

Being away from the office should not be an impediment to blogging. Armed with an iPhone and the right apps, a blogger can easily ply his or her trade on the go. There are quite a few free apps available for the iPhone that can help a blogger to gather, record, organize, and publish information. Mobile bloggers should have at least one note-taking app on their iPhones; one that allows synchronization with a desktop or laptop computer. A few apps that are essential for this are Dragon Dictation (for voice recognition note taking) and Keynote (for charts, graphics, data, etc.). Also important for mobile blogging are RSS readers, photo and video editing programs, and publishing platforms.

WordPress For iOS

WordPress is a premier publishing platform and the most popular Content Management System (CMS) in the world. WordPress is the CMS of choice for travel professionals. While WordPress can be managed from just about any web browser (including Safari for the iPhone), the WordPress app for the iPhone makes it even easier. The best thing about the WordPress app is that it takes full advantage of the iPhone’s photo, video, and geolocation features to create a rich mobile blogging experience.

Turn Your iPhone Into a Broadband Modem

Your iPhone can be used as a mobile broadband modem to connect your desktop or laptop computers to the internet. This technique is known as tethering, and it can come in handy for mobile bloggers who prefer the comfort of a desktop or notebook computer. Tethering can be accomplished via a USB or Bluetooth connection, and it takes advantage of the iPhone’s 3G or 4G connection to function as a broadband modem. There are some apps developed specifically for the optimization of the tethering experience. Keep in mind that some wireless carrier data plans may restrict tethering, or they may offer tethering as a plan enhancement.

Keep Your Data Safe

There is a significant advantage that tethering has over WiFi connections: security. Public WiFi networks tend to lack security, and they are often targeted by hackers who use packet-sniffing techniques to intercept wireless data. Your iPhone’s 3G or 4G high-speed wireless connections are far more secure than WiFi.

The Backup Plan

For all the functionality of wireless routers, they are dependent on internet backbone platforms and electricity. WiFi connections often go down due to several reasons such as power outages and configuration errors. Since cellular communication outages are rare, a mobile blogger can take comfort in knowing that the iPhone can help them keep their blogs up-to-date without having to rely on wired local area networks or WiFi connections.

Extend the Life of Your Laptop

Your laptop has the ability to automatically detect and connect to open WiFi networks. Connecting a laptop to a WiFi network may not be a smart option for bloggers who are constantly on the go and who don’t have many opportunities to recharge their batteries. This is because WiFi connections are battery hogs. However, tethering an iPhone to your laptop only requires the use of Bluetooth, which uses significantly less battery. For many iPhone users with unlimited mobile broadband data plans, tethering to your laptop via USB cable or Bluetooth is a safer, battery-conserving method of mobile blogging.

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Blake Sanders writes tech at UK broadband comparison site Broadband Expert, specializing in the latest in mobile broadband, mobile phones, and internet news.

[Note: Photo courtesy of ari via FlickR Creative Commons.]