Web App of the Week: Posterous

Posted 12/31/2009 at 1:00pm | by David Murphy

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Is emailing the new blogging?

It was with a bit of apprehension that I clicked on the link in my email box to check out the personal site that Posterous, an online archive of notes both yellow and multimedia, had automatically created for me. First off, they got the name all wrong. I won't tell you what it is, for fear that an unsavory party might sign me up for all sorts of interesting email lists, but just know that I hadn't exactly intended for random letters to be a part of my brand-new domain.

But that's Posterous. To its credit, this microblogger's dream might not get the name right the first time around, but the customized blogging platform it creates for you--based on a photo, note, MP3, or other file you email into the service--isn't set in stone. And I far prefer this method to the opposite: Signing up for multiple accounts just to be able to quickly host and share files with others.

That last scenario is really the best-case usage scenario for Posterous. For while you can "claim" a site that the service creates on your behalf by signing up for an official Posterous account (which grants you, among other features, the ability to redo the name of the site's xxx.posterous.com subdomain), Posterous is the perfect platform for quick-and-dirty multimedia hits.

Need a fast image gallery for a ton of files? Just email them over to Posterous. Need a place to host some test videos?  Posterous. Want to let your friends listen to a track or two from an album you enjoy?  Posterous... and a secondary email account so the RIAA doesn't come a-callin'.

I jest, but don't let my humor distract from Posterous' powerful blogging features. There are simply too many neat little tricks and tidbits to list them all--including an auto-posting feature that automatically notifies a number of other social media services about your latest update, tags, privacy locks, iTunes-friendly podcasting feeds, and a fancy bookmarklet for commenting on other rich media elements.

At its core, Posterous is all about email. When you want to update your blog with an insightful comment related to something downloadable, just email it in to Posterous. The service recognizes your address automatically and will post said content directly to the primary blog you're specified. You can add private blogs via email, post to your other Posterous-based sites via emailing customized subdomains, and even specify the exact social networking sites that get an automatic update via the very email address you send your files to.

Every Thursday, Maximum PC picks a new Web App as its favorite of the week. Have a Web App that you can't live without? Twitter David Murphy @acererak with your latest suggestions.