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How to create your own MSDN blog and link it with Windows Live Writer

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After working in Microsoft for almost 3 years, finally I decided to get my own blog to celebrate my first important work at ADX in China. But searching through the setting I cannot see any place that allowed me to click the “Create Blog” button!

Reminder: I was later reminded that only Microsoft FTE can create a MSDN blog, so this blog is probably not that interesting to everyone.  

Searching online, I found this article from another softie and it was helpful so I thought I should share it as well.

Create a MSDN blog

  1. Go to http://blogs.msdn.com/create-blog.aspx
  2. In Blog Name, you have your once-in-a-lifetime chance to specify a name for your blog. It is going to the address for your blog (i.e. blogs.msdn.com/b/your-specified-name). However, I created my first blog by typing a random name and realized that a MSDN blog is not removable!
  3. After clicking the Create button, you would get your own blog!

However, MSDN blog is not as manageable as other blogging services like WordPress. And it is unimaginable that anyone would not use a blog editor to post blog. For that matter, Windows Live Writer comes to my mind as the natural choice. However, trying to hook WLW with MSDN blog is not as easy as 1-2-3.

When I tried to add MSDN blog account to WLW as “Other Services”, it prompted me for:

  • My blog address (so blogs.msdn.com/b/isaacy)
  • User name & Password

You would think, that the MSDN blog account would be linked to the MSDN account, which uses Live ID. But I was totally wrong on that. Searching online again I found this MSDN forum post: Windows Live Writer Fails When Connecting to blogs.msdn.com.

It turns out that MSDN blog account and MSDN account (Live ID) are two separate things! And you are expected to specify another unique password for MSDN blog (and add another password to the list of stuff that I would need to remember). The forum post said that the account name is the account name appeared on the top right corner of the page. But again, this was not applicable to my case. After play with this for a little while, finally I figured out the easiest way to get this done.

  1. Go to “Setting” – “Change Password”, say that you forget the password and ask for the password in email.
  2. After you receive the email, click the “Reset Password” link, and specify your password.
  3. In WLW – “Publish: Add blog account”, type:
  1. Your blog address
  2. Your LIVE ID account name! (yes! your_name _at_ hotmail _dot_ com! it’s not your “ABC [MSFT]” name!
  3. Your reset password

WLW would then try to configure the account. After everything is setup, then you’re on track to write your first blog post!

Have a good time blogging!

Isaac

Comments

  • Anonymous
    May 16, 2011
    To create msdn blog as above you need to send a mail to mscomhlp@microsoft.com to add MicrosoftFTE role to your blog account.

  • Anonymous
    September 23, 2011
    Thanks, Please tell me more about "MicrosoftFTE"

  • Anonymous
    October 19, 2011
    A Microsoft FTE is a Microsoft Full Time Employee

  • Anonymous
    April 10, 2012
    its not dam letting me have an account

  • Anonymous
    September 24, 2012
    don't forget to associate your live ID with your corp account social.msdn.microsoft.com/.../microsoft

  • Anonymous
    January 09, 2013
    I'm not Microsoft Full Time Employee. But I do works on Microsoft's product. Can't I create MSDN blog?

  • Anonymous
    January 13, 2013
    BTW, Now, signed in information are under Sign-in Information in the settings section... you have to reset the password, because it's not synched with your Microsoft Account.

  • Anonymous
    June 03, 2013
    Thanks for sharing the information. Very useful

  • Anonymous
    June 19, 2013
    Thank you for sharing this.  This was indeed helpful.  But it is strange that WLW wud not work without resetting the password.

  • Anonymous
    September 10, 2013
    What if you're a part-time Microsoft employee, are you able to blog still? http://www.dolcesf.com/

  • Anonymous
    November 06, 2013
    This blog post (on this page) is aimed at Microsoft employees. If you are not a Microsoft employee (most everyone reading this), see social.technet.microsoft.com/.../19800.how-to-create-and-post-on-an-msdn-blog-or-technet-blog.aspx All the answers to these questions are there. You have to be an employee (part time or full time). If you are a contractor or vendor, you need an employee to set it up with you (you would author on a blog they own). There are only a few exceptions where non-employees can author. But most blogs represent official products (and only FTE blog on them). See the article for details.

  • Anonymous
    June 17, 2014
    how could i know the "web address" of my blog?

  • Anonymous
    November 22, 2014
    Thanks Isaac.

  • Anonymous
    September 13, 2015
    This is useful - I now know only Microsoft bods can use MSDN to blog!

  • Anonymous
    September 29, 2015
    Hi - I am no longer with Microsoft and would like to remove my Blog site - is this possible and how do I do this?

  • Anonymous
    October 31, 2015
    Thanks, @Ed Price.