Your New Favorite Time Saver!

TextBlaze

@LisaBerghoff

We have made it to May! This is such an exciting and exhausting time of year. There is so much to do and now we are running out of time but also, we really really need a break and summer can't come soon enough. I am grateful for any technology that can help provide shortcuts and I was excited to learn about TextBlaze, a chrome extension that allows you to save text and templates that you can input with shortcuts or by clicking on your list of saved snippets. Are you tired of typing the same text over and over again in emails? Typing the same feedback for students repeatedly? Want to save multiple text threads to your clipboard to be used later? You can do all this and more with TextBlaze.

What Is It?

TextBlaze is a website and chrome extension that allows you to streamline your work by creating smart text expansions. You can eliminate repetitive typing by creating customized templates and automating their use. You can also eliminate the constant circle of copy/paste for multiple items. Your snippets can have styled text including bold, underline, colors, links, and lists. TextBlaze can also insert the current date or a date relative to the present. For example, it can calculate and insert the date 2 weeks from now. According to the website, "TextBlaze works with Gmail, Google Docs, LinkedIn, Salesforce, and wherever else you may be." You can also share and collaborate. TextBlaze is a fremium tool. Check out what you get with the free version here. You can organize your snippets into folders, insert a dynamic form, and more.

How To Get Started:

Go to blaze.today and create an account using your Google account. From the homepage, you can install the Chrome extension.

Check out this 90 second video showing a quick get started guide for educators.

Once you have your account created, go to the dashboard and TextBlaze will walk you through how to create your first snippet.

 To create a new snippet, just click the plus button. You can choose the shortcut, give it a label, and create the text that will be inserted when the shortcut is typed.  There is also a built-in AI generator to help you create your text. There is also the ability to rewrite everything in Spanish. 

Beyond Getting Started:

Want to explore all the things you can do with TextBlaze? They have a wonderful page filled with easy to follow guides with short videos that accompany them.

TextBlaze is simple, straightforward, and it delivers on what it promises. This is the perfect time of year to consider using some tools to help streamline and automate those tasks that get repetitive. 

Are you ready to give TextBlaze a try?