Yesterday I set up Markdown support for my blog, as I was getting tired of typing <li>, <a href="...">, etc. I’ve had my blog for almost four years now, and I can’t believe that I have not done this before. It finally allows me to focus on the actual content while I’m writing a blog post, without having to contort my fingers to type the necessary HTML tags.
I’m using the PHP Markdown script, which can be used standalone but also functions as a WordPress plugin. You simply copy the script into your wp-content\plugins folder, activate it on the Plugins tab, and you’re all set.
I am currently evaluating MarsEdit, a very nice blogging application for OSX. When configuring your blog in MarsEdit, you can set the Preview Text Filter to Markdown, which will give you a nice realtime preview of your post, the same way it is going to appear on your blog.
See here for a brief overview of Markdown syntax, and here for the full Markdown syntax reference.