what options do I have to "microblog" a special event?

March 24, 2008 12:07 PM

Our first child is due any day now. To quell my excitement I am doing what any computer dork would do... I'm researching "microblogs". I'm looking for alternatives to Twitter and Twitxr.

I am planning on sharing the link to parents, relatives and friends near and far to track the updates if they're interested. When we had our "trial run" with Mr Braxton Hicks people were calling left and right and it was tough to pay attention and assist mom. Plus, I just want a diary of one of the most important days of my life.

I would prefer to use something hosted on my own server and with a mobile interface but the options seem very limited. Twitter would be fine but reliability is an issue and the lack of images. Twitxr is an alternative but it's using my Flickr account which I use for my photography hobby (non-personal photos). Pownce allows text updates but files can only be sent to friends (I have no friends *frown*). Jaiku is closed beta. Wordpress has one mobile app that's very limited and buggy with ads. Ecto for Wordpress requires a laptop. The list goes on and I'm afraid I've exhausted my options. Help? Thanks.

posted by timmins to computers & internet (12 comments total)

Tumblr might be right for you. It meets most of your requirements, but I'm not sure about mobile access.
posted by nitsuj at 12:09 PM on March 24

chyrp is lightweight, but I haven't tried updating from a mobile.
posted by kamelhoecker at 12:22 PM on March 24

Tumblr was an option. It's hosted on their server and the only mobile integration they have is emailing a randomly generated email address. The delay wasn't that bad. I'll keep it on my shortlist. Thanks.
posted by timmins at 12:22 PM on March 24

Sorry, timmins, I misread your request for something hosted on your own server as being able to run your own domain name (which Tumblr allows).
posted by nitsuj at 12:56 PM on March 24

A friend of mine with the same requirements went with Tumblr. I think he's pretty happy with it.
posted by MsMolly at 1:01 PM on March 24

You can't host Tumblr on your own server, but you can set up a redirect from a domain you own. So hurry up and grab omfgnewbaby.com and get microblogging!
posted by aheckler at 1:22 PM on March 24

Ack, messed up the link.
posted by aheckler at 1:32 PM on March 24

(py)blosxom entries are just text files so you could do mobile/sms -> email ->procmail to text file. =blog entry.

There's a blosxomplugin here: http://www.asiantuntijat.org/~avs/mmspulautin/.

But you've got a kid on the way so i imagine you have more on your hands than to get involved in all the geekery it woiuld entail.
posted by tallus at 2:25 PM on March 24

Yeah, I use Tumblr and it seems like a good way to go for this. You get a unique email address that you can send pictures or text to that will be posted to your Tumbler blog. It's neat.
posted by joshrholloway at 3:28 PM on March 24

Movable Type (n.b. I work with the team that makes it) has an excellent iPhone interface which also works with other mobile devices, a built-in media manager for handling whatever kinds of files you can throw at it, an Action Streams system for collecting activities from other sites a la Tumblr, and all of these capabilities can run on your own server.

Oh, and the platform and all of the features I've described are 100% free and open source.
posted by anildash at 6:29 PM on March 24

actually wordpress has a post via email feature out of the box.

Admin > Options > Writing > Post via email

"To post to WordPress by e-mail you must set up a secret e-mail account with POP3 access. Any mail received at this address will be posted, so it’s a good idea to keep this address very secret."
posted by kamelhoecker at 7:51 PM on March 24

Just in case you secretly want someone to say this to you ...

You know, you could just ignore all ideas of technology, communication, keeping people updated, etc., and just be there. When it's all over, call a few key people and tell them a few key details, and get them to spread the word for you.

That may be what happens anyway. Your best-laid plans to deploy clever bits of technology may seem a bit less interesting to you when it comes to the birth of your child.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 8:56 PM on March 24