A brand new web application Zemanta could make your blogging life easier by suggesting content for you to include in your posts. It operates via a Firefox plugin and integration into your blog’s write post page. I am trying it out as I write this post and will include the content it suggests for you to get an idea of its effectiveness.
Zemanta analyzes your words as you write a blog post and suggests contextually relevant links, pictures, related content and tags which you can then incorporate into your post.
Supported Platforms:
- Blogger
- TypePad
- Wordpress.com
- and your own hosted Wordpress
Images are sourced from Wikimedia Commons, Flickr and various stock photo providers and suggested based on comparing your text and the image’s title, description and articles they were used in originally.
Related articles come from around 300 top media sources and numerous blogs of our users.
Most links point to Wikipedia at present but the idea is that users will help shape future development. In the near future you will be able to link to your own pictures and posts and those of friends.
Zemanta is another in the growing list of semantic web tools which offers you suggestions based on what it believes you want. I am impressed with what it produces, having written some practice posts on various subjects. I have tried the Yahoo Shortcuts Wordpress plugin, another content suggestion tool, but found that cumbersome to use and more limited in its offerings.
I did not expect the images to be very useful, considering the topic I am covering but here are a couple that were suggested.
One issue I have with including images is that only one was allowed - clicking on a second image replaced the first.
If I were writing about cooking, cats, australia, travel, fashion, I would expect more choices
I was a little disappointed with some of my searches. For example when I typed in “hunk” this is what was suggested - I still have not worked out why or whether the word refers to the ship or the Bush.
Source: Flickr
This image is more like what I expected from such a word, found via a direct search of Flickr:
Popularity: 6% [?]
lol! yeah the hunk results just don’t seem quite right do they………..
Bettina’s last blog post..I’m so stupid
He he - not quite right. There I was trying to liven up the post with a hunky partly clad male - thats why I cheated and did a search via Flickr for the photo at the end.
If this web tool really make my blogging life easier, I will give it a try.
I think this is another great blogging tool which suggests relevant content on what your looking at.
Eric’s last blog post..Entrecard Dropping Increased Blog Traffic
Anything that makes blogging life easier is good in my book
I think as you say that it will improve. It is a bit cluttered while you are writing, but a lot of potential.
Thanks again for your suggestions.
Colin Campbell’s last blog post..Catastrophic Cleanup Plans in China
It will be very handy for some people for sure.
Hmmm, despite the few obvious teething glitches
it looks like it could be interesting. Keep us posted 
Kin’s last blog post..Menu Plan Monday - 31 March 2008
I would be interested to find out how useful others find the image search and will keep my eyes open for more info.
Wow, thats kind of cool. Um perhaps they just mistook the term ‘hunk’ for the other more appropriate one for the picture ‘piece of s***’! Love your blog!
Lilly’s last blog post..Songs as Images
Hi Sue,
I haven’t tried it yet. Not sure if I will.
After trying the Yahoo Shortcuts plugin, I decided that all the suggestions distract me from what I’m really trying to say. I know this is a different service, but I think the same will probably apply (for me).
I think I’m going to stay away from these services until they’re much more mature…
Stephen Cronin’s last blog post..New WordPress Plugin - KeywordLuv
I do not find Zemanta as distracting as Yahoo Shortcuts. The code that it places in your post is a bit much - I wonder if it slows your site down.
I have been quite impressed by the weblink suggestions that have been made and have come across articles that I had not found which related well to the post I was writing.
Sueblimely’s last blog post..Speed Up Your Firefox Browsing
Hmm, I may have to try it then… As much as I found Yahoo Shortcuts distracting, if this sort is done well it could be very useful. I’ll give it a shot.
Thanks, Sue, for the information…
Stephen Cronin’s last blog post..New WordPress Plugin - KeywordLuv
This does sound like a nice feature. So I assume that having more links in your blog helps your score in some scoring applications? I can see how the pictures would be useful - well… Maybe if you are typing something and then an article on what your writing about comes up, that would be nice. Either way - it does save you time. I’ll take a look at it! Thanks!
Hi,
I wrote a FireFox extension that helps bloggers easily add links to their posts. It uses OpenCalais for semantic analysis and Google search for link suggestions.
It’s still alpha code, but I think it’s already useful and fun to use.
Check it out in kaalga.com
Would love to hear what you think.
Thanks, Amit.