I’m trying out Jetpack’s Post By Email plugin feature, and this is my very first post from this WordPress plugin. I’m sure a good portion of you already have seen this feature and make the best use of it. I’ve seen Jetpack before with the statistics it offers, but because I primarily use Google Analytics, I haven’t really had much reason to use it. Until now.
“But dawg, you should download the WordPress app so that you can write posts on your smartphone!” Ideally, that would be the case, and I do use the app for several blogs I write for. But sometimes working on the app can be very frustrating from time to time, especially with larger posts. After doing some Google searching, I found Jetpack’s Post By Email to be very good so far.
I won’t write much detail into this post, but I do want to point out a couple of good pointers on why I am loving this feature.
Use of Shortcodes
Jetpack uses shortcodes to help the user tailor their posts the way that WordPress does. Using shortcodes for WordPress post elements like titles, categories, publish state, images and galleries helps in formatting the post just the way you want it to be. Just like other WordPress shortcodes, Jetpack formats theirs in brackets. Once you get the hang of using shortcodes for your posts, formatting them to your style can make it easier to write when you don’t have a laptop or an tablet handy.
Ease of Use
Emails have been around for a long time, so it’s no surprise that we can use emails to write blog posts. Using emails as a medium and replacement from using the WordPress admin panel (or even the app) can be much easier and simpler for the generic and basic user who may not be that technically savvy to begin with. While writing emails are just as simple and easy (understanding that there are those who do not know email etiquette), the trick really is to get the hang of using shortcodes within an email setting. Once you get that part out of the way (which is super simple), writing the posts is a breeze.
Quasi Conclusion
I’m sure I’ll be writing more about this feature, but for now it looks very promising to start. I’m digging the shortcode and HTML format support, and as an frequent email user, it is very handy to know that I can write posts without having to open the WordPress app. I’d be very interested in learning the ins and outs about the feature, and the hope is to take more advantages of it in the coming future.