I’m testing posting to the blog by emailing a specially created email inbox, which WordPress is set to automatically check, invoked by a server cron job. This will provide an additional means of posting to the blog from the field, where I may not have access to a full web browser with which to load up the main WordPress admin interface. Additionally, being able to post via email should allow me to blog from cell phones, email kiosks, and other devices and situations.

This function can also serve as a blog bridge to posting automatic updates and notification from services which do not integrate directly with the WordPress XML-RPC. Say, for example, there’s a service that tracks every time I use a frequent shopper card at a store, and I want to blog each time I use that card. Most likely, such a service would, if anything, support emailing me every time a selected action is performed (making a purchase, in this case). However it would be very unlikely that the service would natively support direct posting to a wordpress blog. By directing the autogenerated emails from the service at the specially created “blog via email” address, I can effectively bridge this gap. Here’s a potential real world example – Orbitz, the online travel tickets website, offers a weather and delays notification service. If there’s any special circumstances regarding my travel booked through them, I can set up my account to be automatically emailed about possible upcoming situations. If I know people are following my travels, and there could be potential safety and logistic considerations for getting out word of my status out to multiple people, having these travel advisories from Orbitz automatically blogged could be useful. With the email to WordPress feature, that’s now possible.

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Sent via Email+Cron+Wordpress
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