For many people, creating a Web page can be an intimidating process. But Adobe’s Contribute changes that. With Contribute, you can easily create Web pages and blog entries. You can do your work in Microsoft Word and publish your document to the Web with a few clicks. Or, you can edit your document directly from your Web browser.
What is Contribute 4?
Adobe’s Contribute is a Web publishing program designed to make the process of creating and editing Web pages easy. With Contribute, you can edit existing HTML pages easily. There’s also support for popular blogging services.
Contribute works seamlessly with Microsoft Word. Once you set up a connection to your Web server, you can edit your document in Word and then publish directly to your blog or Web page.
Contribute works seamlessly with Microsoft Word. Once you set up a connection to your Web server, you can edit your document in Word and then publish directly to your blog or Web page.
Ease of Use
Contribute 4 is a deceptively simple program. I was impressed with how easy it is to create a new blog post or edit an existing page using Contribute and Microsoft Word.
Among Contribute’s highlights is the ability to drag a Word document from Windows Explorer into Contribute. And because Contribute is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, you know exactly how your Web page or blog entry will look as you create it.
With Contribute, you can also ad images and Flash movies. It is just a matter of dragging and dropping the files into Contribute.
Unlike working directly in an HTML editor such as Dreamweaver or blogging software, Contribute allows you to save a history of your drafts. You can save drafts to work on later, even when you’re offline. And, when you’re working on a Web page (not a blog entry, unfortunately), you can send the drafts for others to review. The draft review process makes it easy for editors and Web administrators to control the content that is published to the site.
Although Contribute's integration with Word will be a draw for many users, you don't need to use Word to edit or create documents for the Web. Contribute adds a toolbar to your Web browser. You can edit directly from Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Among Contribute’s highlights is the ability to drag a Word document from Windows Explorer into Contribute. And because Contribute is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor, you know exactly how your Web page or blog entry will look as you create it.
With Contribute, you can also ad images and Flash movies. It is just a matter of dragging and dropping the files into Contribute.
Unlike working directly in an HTML editor such as Dreamweaver or blogging software, Contribute allows you to save a history of your drafts. You can save drafts to work on later, even when you’re offline. And, when you’re working on a Web page (not a blog entry, unfortunately), you can send the drafts for others to review. The draft review process makes it easy for editors and Web administrators to control the content that is published to the site.
Although Contribute's integration with Word will be a draw for many users, you don't need to use Word to edit or create documents for the Web. Contribute adds a toolbar to your Web browser. You can edit directly from Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Supported Web Pages
Contribute allows you to edit any HTML page, regardless of the software used to create it. However, Contribute works best with pages created in Dreamweaver. That’s because Web administrators can lock certain areas of the page in Dreamweaver. This allows them to control which portions of the page can be edited in Contribute.
Contribute also works with popular blogging services such as Blogger, TypePad, and WordPress. All you need to do is enter your username and password. The connection to the server will be created automatically.
You can also work with other blogging services. However, you must know your server’s access point. If you’re using Contribute with a blog not hosted at Blogger, TypePad, or WordPress, you’ll need to get the address for the access point from your blog server.
Contribute also works with popular blogging services such as Blogger, TypePad, and WordPress. All you need to do is enter your username and password. The connection to the server will be created automatically.
You can also work with other blogging services. However, you must know your server’s access point. If you’re using Contribute with a blog not hosted at Blogger, TypePad, or WordPress, you’ll need to get the address for the access point from your blog server.
Who Should Use Contribute 4?
Contribute is designed to make Web publishing easy. It is ideal for those who are intimidated by the idea of maintaining a blog or Web page. Aspiring bloggers, small businesses and educators will find Contribute particularly helpful, as it eases the transition from creating documents in word processing software to creating Web posts. Users can focus on creating content without worrying about HTML coding.
But even those who are experienced with working with Web pages will find Contribute useful. The ability to publish from Word simplifies the editing process. Instead of cutting and pasting from Word, you can simply Publish to Website or Post to Blog on the Contribute toolbar that appears in Word.
Contribute is also ideal for corporate environments when used in tandem with Dreamweaver. Web site administrators can create pages and lock regions of the pages. A locked region cannot be edited. However, other users can update unlocked content on the page. This allows administrators to maintain a consistent look across the site.
But even those who are experienced with working with Web pages will find Contribute useful. The ability to publish from Word simplifies the editing process. Instead of cutting and pasting from Word, you can simply Publish to Website or Post to Blog on the Contribute toolbar that appears in Word.
Contribute is also ideal for corporate environments when used in tandem with Dreamweaver. Web site administrators can create pages and lock regions of the pages. A locked region cannot be edited. However, other users can update unlocked content on the page. This allows administrators to maintain a consistent look across the site.
