Jazz Up Your Posts With Zemanta
Ever wish you had a blogging assistant who helped you write posts that are full of great links, photos, and tags? Wish no more: We’ve partnered with the folks at Zemanta to give you a hand at quickly jazzing up your posts.
Once you’ve activated Zemanta, you’ll see several new widgets on your edit screen that let you quickly add recommended links, photos, tags, and articles. With just a few clicks your post goes from simple to snazzy.
Here’s a quick video overview:
How to Activate Zemanta
To add Zemanta, go to Users > Personal Settings in your Dashboard. You’ll see a new option near the end of the page that lets you add Zemanta to your posts. Click “Help me find related content (images, links, related articles, and tags) to use in my posts.” Hit “Save Changes” at the bottom of the page. You can turn it off at any time.
How It Works
Here’s how Zemanta looks in your edit window. (In this example, I’ve opened and dragged the Zemanta “Recommendations” widget up next to my text box.) It’s giving me a set of recommended photos, articles, and one link to add to my post.
I then clicked a photo I liked, as well as an article and the recommended link. Zemanta automatically adds them into my post as I click on them.
Here’s how my post looks after it has been spiffed up by Zemanta:
A Few More Details
If you don’t like the results Zemanta is giving you, you can hit “refine” to see a new set of recommendations. And if you’ve changed the topic of your blog post, hitting “update” will give you new choices. You can use as many of the Zemanta recommendations as you like, or you can ignore all of them — totally up to you!
Currently, Zemanta works on English-language blogs and can only be used in the visual editor mode. It’s not available on private blogs. Photos recommended by Zemanta are copyright-cleared, but we urge you to check out the photo’s license if you have any doubts (you can do that by hovering over the photo).
Please see this page for more helpful details on how Zemanta works, as well as our Support document on Zemanta.
Enjoy!
August 17th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Sounds interesting. I’ll check it out!!
August 17th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
This looks awesome! It’ll make finding images a lot easier!
Thanks, WordPress!
August 17th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Very, very cool.
August 17th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
WOW!! This is an awesome feature!! Can’t wait to use it! I have some posts ready, and without pictures! Hope I find the right ones using Zemanta!
This really is a dream come true!
Thanks for this lovely acquiescence to our silent (or maybe voiced) requests
Wooohooooo! Me off to try it right away!
August 17th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Lets try it.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
wonderful addition to helpful features ! Kudos Joy !
August 17th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Looks interesting. Will try out for sure.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:04 pm
I like it. Although it’s going to take some time to get used to it.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
Wow – you guys keep coming up with great stuff. Can’t wait to try this one.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:05 pm
this looks awesome on paper, or laptop, certainly going to try it out. Thanks WordPress!
August 17th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
I like this. WordPress always seems to have new content for us.
Thank you.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
This is great. I think it will be better than PicApp and if you can choose your own related articles that makes it even better. Keep ‘em coming guys! A Facebook like button next to the Twitter sounds like an idea to think about.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
I’ve been with Zemanta since the beginning. It’s great!
August 17th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
That’s so easy! Thanks a lot for making blogging all the more interesting! (I mean, for those who read what I write, ’cause I can be writing a post about how cool the colour white is and still find it exciting.)
August 17th, 2010 at 8:21 pm
Joy this is great. I’m using Zemanta already as a Chrome extension, but I think this will make it much easier to use. Thanks so much!
August 17th, 2010 at 8:24 pm
right. i am already using this tool for a long time.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:25 pm
The links ‘thing’ might be a good idea. This blog was definitely welcomed:-)
August 17th, 2010 at 8:26 pm
Yes, I love this! This will allow lazy bloggers like me to use awesome themes that are heavily photo-featuring. Thanks!
August 17th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Fantastic Feature…
August 17th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
wow..This is..Amazing..love it..thanks.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Thumbs up,
Nice to see Zemanta option.
August 17th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
This is the most terrific innovation for my blogging that I’ve seen in awhile.
You know ….. it’s great when you give me something I’ve been looking for, but giving me something I didn’t even know I wanted – well, that’s just inspired!
Evelyn in Montreal
August 17th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Thanks a lot. I always look forward to new features and will try this out.
Kathleen
August 17th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
Just activated and my posts seem to appear without any action from me
August 17th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Wow, this is great! Thanks!
August 17th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
I can not find it on the personal page not at the bottom.
August 17th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
Hi there — make sure you are going to Users -> Personal Settings to find this option. It is located under “Additional Post Content.”
August 17th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
You folks are so wonderful, innovative, and creative, to add this as a new feature. I feel so blessed to be here on wordpress.com and I pray God bless you all!!! Thank you.
August 17th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
This is fantastic! And thanks for clearing up the copyright question. Zemanta will cut my research time in half or more! Now, if only there was a way to make my writing go faster. I’m heading to my dashboard now to add this feature. Oh, and by the way, could you possibly have picked a cuter puppy?
August 17th, 2010 at 9:07 pm
Never heard of Zemanta before, but it seems pretty nifty.
August 17th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
i am very excited while reading but then the final paragraph made its fatal blow, just for english bloggers. it’s when i’m knocked down. too bad for us, non-english bloggers,
August 17th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
very very very cool !!!
August 17th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
Hm, this has been around for quite some time now as an add – on for Firefox. Weird, it’s just catching on now!
August 17th, 2010 at 9:35 pm
It took me a while to read this – I was totally distracted by the puppies. I’ll give Zemanta a try, though I’m reluctant to give my readers any more excuses to navigate away from my blog!…….
August 17th, 2010 at 9:42 pm
Now I have a “blogging assistant.” Nice
August 17th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
This looks so awesome. Can’t wait to try it. WordPress.com is constantly evolving, going from fantastic to super fantastic all the time. Thanks.
August 17th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Supergreat addition to the backend of this program. Thanks a bunch! Marilyn
August 17th, 2010 at 10:03 pm
This is an awesome function! Cannot wait to try it. This takes us into a whole new dimension of making our posts so much more full of detail.
August 17th, 2010 at 10:26 pm
The recommended photos are beautiful. I will often use them. Thank you.
August 17th, 2010 at 10:28 pm
Looking forward to see zemanta in indonesian language blogs
August 17th, 2010 at 10:30 pm
Thanks! This is a new feature I never really thought of – but I’m off to try it out!
August 17th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Wow this is amazing and looks so simple to use! Kudos to you guys over at WordPress, you really are working hard to bring us new content almost every day!
August 17th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
This sounds really cool! I like that it recommends links to me. Can’t wait to try it out now!
August 17th, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Wow, this sounds interesting. I think I’ll try it out.
August 17th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Cool concept, I might have to use it in a day or two
August 17th, 2010 at 10:59 pm
I’ve never heard of Zemanta, and I am a professional online writer. This sounds interesting…I don’t blog about cute puppies…but if they give me stuff on bizarre, crazy stuff, I might be in love with this thing!
August 17th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Wow, this is amazing! I’m going to use this.
August 17th, 2010 at 11:10 pm
Awesome!
By the way, shih-tzus are so cute!!
August 17th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
Sounds great! WordPress is surprising us by lots of features updates. I was spend lots of time to find right pictures for my blog posts. Hope this will reduce my strain.
August 17th, 2010 at 11:24 pm
I think I’ll give it a go!
August 17th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
Love it! You all are coming up with some excellent changes!
- Corra
August 18th, 2010 at 12:25 am
Great application — thanks for bringing it to us. I especially like that the photos are copyright cleared. I will definitely give this a try!
August 18th, 2010 at 12:34 am
If you are a Windows user, try out Windows Live Writer instead. It’s a blogging program that imports all of your WordPress settings and even your exact theme into the program, so as you’re writing it, you’ll get a good idea of how it will look before it is done (No more need to hit the preview post button a thousand times!). It lets you upload the post with one click of a button and takes you to the finished post on your web browser when it is done (If you want it to take you, that is. If not, simply un-check the box as it is uploading). The preview button on Writer even shows you your other posts and widget settings as well, so you will know how it will look as you are writing it and since that button is just right next to the window that you are writing your post in, switching back and forth between the two is a breeze. I love it and don’t use the cramped WordPress post format anymore (No hard feelings guys!). I highly recommend it (And no, nobody is paying me to say any of this. It is my personal opinion).
August 18th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Yep, in fact, here is our Support document on using Windows Live Writer:
http://en.support.wordpress.com/xml-rpc/windows-live-writer/
August 18th, 2010 at 12:34 am
I had been using the Zemanta firefox addon (which is identical to this) for quite some time. Stopped using it cause one couldn’t control its position & on load, it used to push the preview & other buttons/sections down.
By adding this to the dashboard, that small irritating issue of position ctrl should be resolved now i guess
August 18th, 2010 at 12:39 am
Wow This is so cool..!!! You guys rock
!!
August 18th, 2010 at 1:13 am
Wow! This really IS the coolest! I just HAVE to try this one out!!
August 18th, 2010 at 1:16 am
Anything to make perfection faster. Thanks.
August 18th, 2010 at 1:18 am
I’ll try it now. Tks so much!
August 18th, 2010 at 1:23 am
I can’t wait to try this. It looks like it has tremendous potential.
August 18th, 2010 at 1:33 am
nice job! i think you are saving a lot of ppl from some annoyances
August 18th, 2010 at 1:57 am
It keeps getting better at wordpress!
August 18th, 2010 at 2:00 am
Fascinating. I only use my own photos, but I suspect it could save me a lot of googling-time for links,
August 18th, 2010 at 2:32 am
Nice, I m loving it
August 18th, 2010 at 2:36 am
very nice:)
August 18th, 2010 at 3:17 am
Me too!
August 18th, 2010 at 3:23 am
This is interesting… I’m trying it now
August 18th, 2010 at 3:36 am
I will definitely try this out. I’m looking for ways to add content and jazz up my site. Sounds like just what I need.
August 18th, 2010 at 3:42 am
Whoaaa…. I’lll try it…. It saves my time searching for pictures…
August 18th, 2010 at 3:56 am
I’ll give it a try. It sounds and looks like it could be very helpful. Thanks for posting!
August 18th, 2010 at 4:00 am
This feature is only for blogs in English or it works in all languages
August 18th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Only English
August 18th, 2010 at 4:10 am
The link to activate Zemanta isn’t coming up on my personal settings page. I even searched the page for the phrase “Help me find” and “Zemanta” and neither showed the link. Am I doing something wrong?
August 18th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I found it in your personal settings — it’s activated. So I’m guessing you found it.
Now, when you create a new post, scan the page for “recommendations” — that’s Zemanta.
August 18th, 2010 at 4:13 am
Whoa, really nice feature for amateur blogger like me! I’m gonna try this out for sure!
August 18th, 2010 at 4:31 am
Will it work if I edit earlier published articles? Is it advisable to use with earlier published articles?
August 18th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
I don’t see any reason not to try it.
August 18th, 2010 at 5:05 am
Super awesome.. This sounds like a complete package..
Can’t wait to start up.. Thankyou WP
August 18th, 2010 at 5:09 am
Very cool! I am excited to try it on my next post
August 18th, 2010 at 5:40 am
Yikes. Automatically generated content. Looks a bit spammy.
August 18th, 2010 at 5:44 am
thanks guys and gals! (;
August 18th, 2010 at 6:21 am
I activated this on my blog…it’s gonna take some time for me to get used to this, but it’s sound very interesting.. Will give it a shot!!
August 18th, 2010 at 6:40 am
Very interesting. Thanks!
August 18th, 2010 at 6:42 am
Excellent idea
August 18th, 2010 at 6:44 am
Lemme give it a try!
August 18th, 2010 at 6:52 am
Nice add. And it does work in German, too!
August 18th, 2010 at 7:25 am
Hmm, doesn’t that make all blogs more similar when we’re linking to the top-ten-suggestions by Zemanta? I think it takes away quite some creativity from the blogs and the bloggers. Sorry, but I don’t think I’ll be using it.
I like the ideas (and the amount of those ideas!) you guys keep coming up with, though!
Cheers!
August 18th, 2010 at 7:38 am
Im trying very hard to resist this new feature coz i’ve promised myself to keep it very very….simple (as possible).
August 18th, 2010 at 8:05 am
when will the version for personal blogs come? I’d love to use it.
August 18th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
It’s available for personal blogs. As long as you’re on WordPress.com
August 18th, 2010 at 8:27 am
I itried it out and it’s superb! Especially with the related articles! Good job WordPress team! You nailed it bigtime!
August 18th, 2010 at 8:47 am
Just used this for the first time – brilliant! Thank you.
August 18th, 2010 at 8:54 am
I thought the whole point of doing a blog was to put your own stuff up on the net. Why on earth would I want to use some boring stock photo from Wikpedia.
August 18th, 2010 at 9:28 am
Trying it out now!
August 18th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Amazing idea! let’s try it.
August 18th, 2010 at 9:42 am
it seems pretty nifty.
August 18th, 2010 at 10:15 am
Once again, another unbelievable innovation for us here. I used to have a server based installation on my other blogs but this way is so much better and much less stressful. You guys are saving me heaps of time as well, finding links and tags for my stories on crime. Thanks