Does your blog need a little love? Tune it up!
May 14, 2009
Maile had recently launched her blog, Dancing in the Sand, and wanted to really make it stand out. She wasn't sure what steps to take, however, so she purchased a Blog Tune-Up Service from TypePad One.
She had a custom banner image she wanted to use so we created a design that matches her banner. We also created a favicon (the little icon that appears in the address bar when viewing the blog) that matches the banner and now her blog has a unique visual brand. Then we added social media tools like the Add This and Email This FeedFlares so that people can easily share her posts with others, and an email subscription widget so that visitors can be notified whenever she updates her blog. These are great ways to get more traffic to a blog, and make sure people keep coming back.
We also gave Maile tips on how to improve the navigation on her blog, and best practices when posting. She was very happy with our work and told us:
"The tune-up was such a great experience and ended up saving me a ton of money. It was just what I needed to take it to the next level.
Thanks again, you guys have been wonderful to work with from day one, I'm a big fan and have already recommended your platform to several new bloggers."
Want to show your blog some love with a Tune-Up? Head over to TypePad One to sign up!
The blog looks very nice but it does not seem to appear better than the others or it has been designed by a Blog Tune-Up Service for more than a hundred dollars. Aside from the Favicon, there's really nothing there that any one cannot do without paying for that service. Any blogger can add the Add This or Email This to each post. I add "bookmark or share this" to my posts too and I did not pay for it. Adding a banner is easy for those who know HTML so , customizing the banner can be free.
Is this all the stuff we can get for paying about $200 for the service?
Oh come on guys , you can do better than that.
Posted by: Account Deleted | May 14, 2009 at 03:58 PM
In my comment here, I am not criticizing the blog ---just to make sure. The blog is very well-written, with fresh ideas, cool and very very nice. I am commenting about Typepad's Blog Tune-Up Service that they could do better than the header, the favicon , and the Email this/Add This and the navigation bar/posting tips. Because I believe these can be done for free (well, maybe the design of the header for those who don't know HTML is paid ). One can just read a whole lot of SEO tips/ and navigation tips provided by SEO experts in the web. And as I've said Add This & Email This can be done for free acquired from several websites who provide this for free. Paying $$$ is ridiculous for all of this stuff that Typepad is saying here on this post. So what else can one get for paying that much money aside from the stuff we can get for free?
Posted by: Account Deleted | May 14, 2009 at 04:15 PM
Hi there!
Thanks for your feedback on the Tune-Up Service. The service includes a detailed evaluation of the blog (you can read more about the criteria at http://www.typepad.com/one/tune-up-service.html ). Along with our evaluation, we make recommendations of changes we think will improve the blog. We then implement the changes that the customer wishes to proceed with. The price of the service includes all of these elements.
In judging the price, factors you may want to consider include staff time needed to evaluate the blog, prepare the report, and implement the changes, as well as the value of the information received and the time saved by having someone else do all the work. For many of our customers, this can be the most valuable element.
We are glad to answer whatever questions you or others may have, and to explain more about the service and what it entails. We hope that you will take the time to check it out!
Thanks,
Laura
TypePad Support
Posted by: Laura | May 14, 2009 at 04:44 PM
I've built 4 blogs using the "help search button ... and do have way more bells and whistles then the example here... and it's taken me say 40 hours to build my theme and a year to write 65 stories and create hundreds of images. The time I spent to make it unique and bling ful doesn't bring more readers. I think blogging is a healthy balance of page set up, theme, content art and tactics to drive traffic.... If given the opportunity (my blog makes some $$$), I would farm out the blog theme set up with a health dose of creative direction and farm out the maintenance and hire someone to to drive traffic. Cuz what I really want to do is stick to writing and creating images. So keep the service going
Posted by: TAS mania | May 14, 2009 at 05:16 PM
totally! if you want to spend the time, and you have the knowhow, I think you can do so many cool things with TypePad. Some folks just aren't up to it, which is why we offer the service. I'm glad to know you're in tune with how there's lots to be done, not just fit-and-finish. Let us know if we can ever help!
Posted by: Ginevra | May 14, 2009 at 05:22 PM
totally understood! it's not just always whiz-bang stuff that people need help with for their blog, although our amazing services department has certainly done that.
http://www.sixapart.com/services/
These TypePad tune-ups are tailored to what the individual bloggers need and want, which I think makes them awesome.
If there's something you'd like to see on your blog, we'd be happy to help you out. Since you've already got a lot of those features like Share This figured out (we don't charge for the feature, getting it running was just part of that tune-up) let us know if there's something else you'd like to acheive as a goal with your blog this year.
thanks again for commenting!
Posted by: Ginevra | May 14, 2009 at 05:25 PM
"Cuz what I really want to do is stick to writing and creating images"
You've hit on exactly what the service is about. There are some people who have the know-how and the time to work on their blog design, or to add lots of features and bells and whistles. And there are also lots of people who just want to focus on blogging and would be glad to let somebody else handle the other parts. That is who the Tune-Up Service is for.
We also offer custom services if the Tune-Up and Power Launch packages (the Power Launch is for people who have just started their blogs) don't fit and this can include more extensive design work. You can read more at http://www.typepad.com/one/typepad-services.html
Posted by: Laura | May 14, 2009 at 06:07 PM
ginevra, when i am "discovered"... or when my hard work pays off... which ever comes first ;) I will certainly stay loyal to the service i've received from Typepaders, six a part and have you guys convert my blogs to a website and make em efficient, high on the search engine, themed and maintained! I am very happy for now that the support/help is there at any level I choose.
Posted by: TAS mania | May 14, 2009 at 06:33 PM
Your comments may very well be true, but some of us are not as adept at blogging, new to blogging and are MORE than happy to pay for the service. I was thrilled because I'm very BUSY working and taking care of three teenagers, and trying to not go to the loony bin.
Plus, this was just a bit of what they did, I received a multiple page review of what I had done right, (an invaluable ego booster for new blogger who wonders what the HELL SHE IS DOING WRITING ALL THIS STUFF), told them what I wanted done and whoosh, all done without me lifting a finger. I'm sure that you, Bing, are an amazing blogger and what is easy for you is not so easy for the rest of us (sigh), so we have to pay others that are smarter than us. And frankly, sometimes I'd rather just watch another episode of Bones with a sticky bowl of popcorn than really try to understand what a RSS Feed Burner Reader thingy is...
So I love the tune-up service- disclaimer, not related, not a worker, just a gal wanting to blog about how much I miss shopping and OK, I may be a crazy but it was WORTH EVERY PENNY. Now, off to watch Bones...
Posted by: Dancing In The Sand | May 15, 2009 at 11:31 PM
Laura,
Just send all the naysayers my way and I'll take them in a dark alley and set them straight. Really, it is just a matter of not wanting to take the time and yes, I'd rather spend it writing, (and finding new and exotic dark chocolate). I wish I was able to optimize it myself, but I can't fix my plumbing, change my brake-pads or tune-up my car either! So keep rocking the service and I'll help spread the word. TypePad's service is amazing.
Posted by: Dancing In The Sand | May 15, 2009 at 11:36 PM
I'm going to pitch in my 2 cents for what it's worth. As Ginevra said, their Tune-up Service is tailored to the needs of the client, and personally, I think the banner creation alone was worth more than 200 bucks. As for the design, it is basic and if Maile had had the time and energy to pick up some tips on adding elements to her blog that would improve its design and readability, I am sure she could have done the same thing. However, and I want to bring this to the attention of the designers over at TypePad's Tune Up - the blue color of the font for the Post titles and footers and the sidebar text - although the same color as the overall blog design - make them difficult to read. The eye does not like reading the text as much as if it were a color that was darker. May I suggest that she add an additional color element (maybe brown) to her overall design. It would set a tone that would add pizazz and readability to her blog.
I faced the same problem in my own blog and used a blue that I believe to be subtle with enough contrast to make it easy and enjoyable to read. Just an idea from a very happy TypePad blogger.
Susan
Over at "RaisinToast"
http://www.raisin-toast.com
Posted by: Susan @ Raisin Toast | May 16, 2009 at 05:31 AM
Speaking of "Love" - I'd "love" for the designers at Six Apart to add a feature such as "Comment Luv" to our comment section. I wanted to add this feature to my blog but discovered that it was not compatible, which is what brought me to this story in the first place. The title "Does Your Blog Need a Little Love" made me think that you had added this feature to the comments. You should consider implementing this feature. Adding a separate little box within the Commenter's comment (TypePad Connect users too!) whereby if a commenter has a url, and it is a blog with a feed, that they can choose an article from their blog to add to the bottom of the comment. I don't see any reason why this wouldn't be an easy feature to implement within TypePad Basic, TypePad Advanced Template, and TypePad Connect users. Thanks!
Susan
Over at "Raisin Toast"
http://www.raisin-toast.com
Posted by: Susan @ Raisin Toast | May 16, 2009 at 05:44 AM
Susan--I also had that frustration . The commenting system in Typepad considering it's a paid host ---is too simplistic and mainstream--so bland. I tried CommentLuv but I was so disappointed Typepad does not support it yet. Also the JS Kit....it requires the Pro Account. At free hosts like Blogger and WP, you can install the JS Kit for free. I would not pay the Pro upgrade because I really don't know HTML. So just upgrading and paying Pro just for the installation and maintenance of the JS-Kit is ridiculous. Why can't Typepad just enable this feature on the Plus level.
I am so satisfied with Typepad but the Commenting System they have is like "antiquated". I'd been telling them about these mostly on Typepad's blog posts. You cannot reply directly to a comment unless you are in Typepad Connect and your commenters and readers are registered in Typepad Connect---another ridiculous system.
How I love Typepad but this is the only thing that makes me think moving to Wordpress.
Posted by: Account Deleted | May 19, 2009 at 09:24 AM
Hey! Just wanted to let you know that on my blog, although I use TypePad Connect for my comments, my readers "do not" have to have a TypePad Connect account to comment or reply to my blog posts or other comments. Just thought you should know. The only gripe I have is that I wish the comments were numbered for the "layered" system of comments which is what I use on my blog. Other than that, it is working great!
Susan
Over at "Raisin Toast"
http://www.raisin-toast.com
Posted by: Susan @ Raisin Toast | May 19, 2009 at 08:40 PM
I don't see a problem with TypePad providing consultancy services to bloggers who don't have or want to put in a lot of research time and effort into their blog at this price point. I am not sure whether other comparable services provide the same value for money as TypePad. They may, they may not, but again -- if someone isn't willing or able to put that kind of research into looking for a service and speccing out prices for said service, the Blog Tune-Up Service is an easy and accessible option for them if they have a TypePad blog.
Personally, I'm wiling to do this kind of stuff because I enjoy it. Other people are not, and they are willing to pay for a service that TypePad provides. If you think it's too expensive (and you may be right, because again -- I haven't actually done any research into this kind of service), then you can spend the time and effort to learn how to do it on your own.
(By the way, you can install a Favicon by yourself. It's easy.)
Posted by: Account Deleted | May 20, 2009 at 12:59 AM
I agree with you wholeheartedly, Bing.
In the year and a half I have been with typepad, the responses to help tickets has been so poor as to not give me any confidence at all that they could positively improve my blog and produce a significant ROI on the $200 fee.
I'd be delighted if it can be proven otherwise and I would take up the offer. But more than words would be needed to erase 18 months of lackluster support and service received to date.
And let's also keep in mind, typepad is a "paid" premium blog service not a free blog system. I already pay a few hundred bucks each year to typepad just to have the blog hosted and use the structure!
Posted by: Ric Willmot | June 03, 2009 at 09:48 PM