Next Generation Comments and Profiles on TypePad
November 20, 2008
As we complete the migration to the next generation platform for TypePad that Ben talked about earlier this year we've released many new features for you, our TypePad bloggers: improved design screens, AutoSave, and custom URLs to mention a few) that extend the TypePad service to any blogger across the web. Our vision is that the best way to help TypePad bloggers is to connect them with a wider community of readers, other bloggers and conversations.
Today we are launching three big things for TypePad bloggers and readers alike: profiles (a reinvention of TypeKey), new commenting capabilities in a beta service we call TypePad Connect that is free for all bloggers and extends these features to any site. This isn’t just about providing comments and profiles for your site, but also connecting your community with the rest of the social web.
New: TypePad Profiles
The first thing you’ll want to do is signup for a swanky new TypePad Profile. TypePad profiles take advantage of things you're already doing, to keep your profile up to date and interesting. If you connect with your Twitter account we'll automatically fill in your status. Leave a comment on a TypePad Connect enabled site and we'll pull that in too.
We’ve also worked hard to make it easy for you to take advantage of our new beta commenting service on your TypePad blog currently via TypePad Connect. TypePad Connect starts to show how we envision TypePad evolving from a design perspective to make it easier for you to communicate with your community and create great content. These new comment capabilities integrate seamlessly with the new profiles and have great new features you’ve been requesting like threading, easy pagination, OpenID sign in, email notifications of replies and the ability to reply via email.
Today, TypePad Connect beta is available for almost all of TypePad blogs; we’re working to incorporate these commenting capabilities to every TypePad blog next year.
In the spirit of community, we talk more about how we're making TypePad Connect available to not just TypePad bloggers, but all bloggers, over at our Six Apart News post. We know not everyone in your community is on TypePad (although we're counting on you to help us win them over!) and we want you to be able to manage your own comments across a lot of services.
We're also committing to you as a community that we're here to help you. Our customer care experts are available to help you with any questions or concerns you might have with our support team.
There's plenty more coming, but we’re sure you want to try the beta of comments, profiles and TypePad Connect on your blog right now! We'll graduate comments to a full-fledged feature soon, but we'll keep it in beta until we're ready to release it to the world.
This is just the beginning. Let us know what you think and what else TypePad can do to make your blog even more successful.
Learn more and see the video demo at typepad.com/connect.