Everything Typepad

Get ready for some great new features

This Friday we will begin some maintenance work on TypePad in preparation for launching the new design and community management features we've been writing about. At 5PM PST, TypePad will be taken offline for about two hours. Then over the course of the weekend we will begin to rebuild everyone's weblog in order to ensure that everyone's published weblog is taking advantage of the latest features and stylesheet enhancements (users of advanced template sets excluded). During this period you should not encounter any performance degradation, but if you notice anything that seems amiss our TypePad support team will be there to assist and respond.

The TypePad team suggests that since this is a holiday weekend, you call it a day at 5PM, head to your local watering hole and raise a glass to webloggers everywhere. When you return to write about your wonderful night out, or the great Fourth of July weekend you had, you will be greeted with a slew of new features.

We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and happy hour, and we can't wait to show you what we added to TypePad.

Update: Only the TypePad application will be affected by this outage. Published weblogs will remain available during this time period. (7/1/2005)

TypePad in China

We've become aware that all TypePad sites are currently being blocked in China, similar to the block put in place last year. We discovered the blocking in the same way that most of our TypePad members did, by hearing about it from readers in China.

Until access is restored, the only recommendations we can make for workarounds is to use any web proxies which are available for routing requests to TypePad through another site. In addition, third-party services for processing syndication feeds aren't currently being blocked, so if you're using another service to enhance your TypePad-published XML feed, it's likely the feed will still be available to audiences in China.

To be clear, the availability of TypePad-powered sites in China isn't something we have control over, but we do hope that full access is restored quickly, as it was last year.

A penny for your thoughts?

A significant evolution in weblogging has been the relationship between blogger-created content and contextual advertising. Unobtrusive contextual ads have become a large component in weblogging as bloggers realize it's often a good way to subsidize their online passion (we're talking weblogging, here).

We've been working on a way that allows our subscribers to take advantage of the opportunities of text-based advertising. Starting today, TypePad Pro users can now easily set-up and integrate text ads directly into their weblogs, track their earnings with TypePad and use the money to pay for their subscription.

Setting up contextual advertising on your weblogs is easy. You don't need to know HTML or how to edit your templates. You have full control over the colors and configuration of your ads. If you choose the "easy setup" option, you can even have TypePad configure the ads for you. The new earnings tab makes it simple to view your earnings and track ad impressions and clicks.

The money you earn will be applied to your subscription fees. Ninety days after you join the program any money left in your account can be transferred to a PayPal account or left in your earnings account to continue paying for your TypePad subscription.

We think the ability for our subscribers to easily (you won't have to independently apply for an account) set up text ads on their weblogs is indicative in our effort to make TypePad Pro the service of choice for dedicated bloggers. Later this summer, we will add additional features that will expand TypePad Pro users' ability to earn and track revenues.

So, if you're a TypePad Pro subscriber, be sure to check out this new feature!

Upcoming Enhancements: New designs and better design tools

As anyone who has ever set-up a weblog knows, finding the right design for your weblog is virtually as important as finding your personal voice: both play an essential role in expressing your personality to your readers. While we'll leave it to you to find your voice, we have recently devoted significant energy into enhancing the experience you have designing and customizing your weblog. Whether you're a beginning user just starting to build your first weblog, or an experienced user well versed in CSS, you'll soon find it easier than ever to create a look that is uniquely you.