# Ulysses and my ultimate blogging toolkit | Mark Ellis Reviews ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hlxlziZGOC0/maxresdefault.jpg) ## Intro [(00:00:00)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=0s) - A request was made to show how blogging is done, and in particular how the app Ulysses is used. [(00:00:01)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=1s) - A large amount of content is written each week for a blog and a [[Medium (website) | Medium]] profile, both of which will be linked in the description. [(00:00:21)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=21s) - A “blogging toolkit” has been developed to enable quick and distraction-free writing, move the writing into [[WordPress]] quickly, and then move the writing from WordPress to Medium quickly. [(00:00:31)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=31s) ## How I approach blogging [(00:01:34)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=94s) - Videos are first created as blog posts and then repurposed for wider distribution and audience reach. [(00:02:00)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=120s) - Blog posts are published on a personal website and on Medium to reach a larger audience. [(00:02:25)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=145s) - Three tools are essential for this blogging process: a word processor, a website (WordPress), and a [[Medium (website) | Medium]] account. [(00:02:59)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=179s) ## Ulysses [(00:03:00)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=180s) - [[Microsoft Word]] is bloated and has a distracting user interface. [(00:03:04)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=184s) - Ulysses is a distraction-free writing app with a clean interface that syncs with [[ICloud | iCloud.]] [(00:03:50)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=230s) - Ulysses uses markdown, links to [[WordPress]], and allows for easy export of blogs with categories, images, and the option to save as a draft or publish immediately. [(00:04:14)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=254s) ## WordPress [(00:05:10)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=310s) - Ulysses has a simple exporting feature that allows users to send their blog to their WordPress website. [(00:05:14)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=314s) - The export feature saves time by eliminating the need to manually copy and paste work from other programs into WordPress and reformat it. [(00:05:24)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=324s) - Ulysses allows users to publish directly to their WordPress blog without having to access WordPress itself. [(00:05:50)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=350s) ## Medium [(00:06:16)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=376s) - [[Medium (website) | Medium]] is a platform for readers and writers, with a subscription cost of approximately $50 per year. [(00:06:17)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=377s) - Medium can be used as a tool to build an audience and share blog posts that are originally published on a separate website. [(00:06:30)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=390s) - Medium has a feature that allows users to import blog posts from their website by pasting the URL, which avoids SEO issues by attributing the original source. [(00:06:50)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=410s) ## Wrap up [(00:07:59)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=479s) - This video was different than other videos and was created due to viewer requests. [(00:08:02)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=482s) - Viewers are asked to comment on what software they use that they could not do without. [(00:08:11)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=491s) - Viewers who enjoyed the video and want to learn more about how certain apps are used are encouraged to watch another video about [[Apple Inc. | Apple]] Notes. [(00:08:20)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlxlziZGOC0&t=500s)