Making Blog Tools Accessible

This is similar to a post I did in the RSS discussions but I am repeating it here to reach another audience. I continue to consistently get directions on how to use blog tools that assume I know HTML or have a strong technical knowledge of the blog tool environment. This is perhaps understandable, as most of the early blog users are technical. However, if the blog tool providers what to include a broader audience, they need to provide directions for the non-technical user. These directions for blog services can be complicated since the method to install them probably varies with the basic blog tool that the blog publisher is using. I know that the methods for placing blog tools such as Technorati seem different for TypePad, for example. I was successful in installing Technorati thanks to the clear directions I received from Technorati in response to my e-mail request. Not all users will be as persistent as I was and it would be better to have blog tool specific (e.g. TypePad, Blogware, etc.) directions on the site of the service provider. I have given up on several other blog services because their directions are unclear. The main responsibility for figuring out how to use the tool should not be with the user. A lot of creative energy is going into creating great tools. Now some energy needs to go into making them accessible to a broader audience.