Twitter, Improved Categories, Bookmarklet, and more

Blog it!
The "Blog It" bookmarklet is one of my favorite features on the new TypePad. Quickly make a new post, including photos, video, or text without ever having to toggle back into TypePad. Thanks to your feedback, we made some improvements to the feature. Now, you can finish editing a post in TypePad, tweak the design (including changing the order of clippings/commentary), categorize the post, save as draft for later, schedule for future date, and so on. It's slick!

Comment With Twitter (Twitter OAuth support)
Twitter's a lot of fun, and now your blog's readers can use their Twitter login to leave a comment, along with their Twitter avatar, too.


Just click the dropdown, and your comments are already there.

If you're using Twitter, your TypePad account is automagically set up now to share your posts, if you like. (There's a known issue where you'll manually have to update draft and scheduled posts to share them with Twitter, we're fixing that ASAP.)

Bit.ly integration
If you're on our beta team, you'll see that we've added bit.ly to automagically shorten your posts when you share them with Twitter, and then you can also see your bit.ly stats, right from your TypePad dashboard.

More Bug Fixes and Features of Note:
Comments: We did a ton of work around comments, including a ton of backend stuff you wouldn't be able to see. For people who are blogging with the new TypePad, you can edit, search, and view all comments on a post - all things you've been asking for. We're posting more about this next week in more detail.

• Made OpenID existing and new accounts show under "Other Accounts"
• Improved "Forgot Password" flow for OpenID accounts
• Made categories module expandable - this is a really cool one for those of us with lots of comments: just click the button in the top corner of your categories for an expanded view. 

Have you tried the new TypePad yet? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

Comments

[AustinComputerRepair]

This bookmarklet is really great. Everyone should use it. A friend of mine who works as an onlike social network marketing PR told me about, thanks for sharing this.

Austin
http://www.austin-computer-repair.net/

[Account Deleted]

This is pretty cool :) This is so convenient for our audience. Specially our twitter audience, plus there's an avatar along side with the comment so tracking is even more easier. Great job ^^.

[Geo]

Yes! I have tried the new TypePad. Actually I just got switched to it very sneakily when I tried to check my comments and got tricked. Now I am trapped. I have no escape.
Can the 'Dashboard' be changed to something more pertinent and informative? Can we have our *own* information highlighted when we log in to *our* account instead of seeing 'What's Happening Now?' I'm not sure I like being shoved to the side like an afterthought on my own Dashboard.

[Geu]

Hi Geo, the new TypePad offers a way for users to manage their posts and TypePad Connect comments in one place. More importantly, it offers a lot more comment management features, such as the ability to filter comments by post, and edit comments. We believe this is a much improved experience, and hence have consolidated the old TypePad Connect app into the all new TypePad app.

When you clicked on the link to manage your comments from the old TypePad, you should have seen a page explaining the benefits of this change and asking you to Continue. Is that not the case? I'm trying to understand what you mean by "sneakly" so that we can help.

I'm sorry that you feel "trapped". There is a link to switch back to the old app at the bottom of every page. Please let us know if the link is not working for you and we'll investigate it.

[abeachcottage]

Hi

I've been on the new typepad for ages (think I was one of the ones testing it). I love it mostly, it is so much more user friendly than the old clunky one...thought I'd give some feedback

things I'm having issues with

1. return does not work in the compose post in 'rich text' view - once my post is complete the spacing goes and I have to manually go into html text and put in html code to get my pictures to space more than 1 line away from my text (this happens every time I post and it's driving me crazy)

2. if I try and update text size/colour/font by highlight for example a whole section of text it will only actually update one part and I have to then highlight the part it left out and then separately do that section, most irritating ;-)

3. I would like to be able to move my pics around in the post edit section like in the old Typepad - ie. pick a photo up and move it around in the post, that option is not available to me now and so once I preview my post and don't like something I have to delete the pic and then re-upload it - far too time consuming.

Anyway I'm really happy with the new Typepad, love the dashboard, so much easier and in particular love the overview/stats dropdown.

one last thing, how about featuring a few of the newer popular Typepad blogs on the featured section? I've been blogging here since the early days in one form or another and hate to say it but seeing the biggies like Soule Mama yet *again featured I find a trifle demoralising.

Cheers

Sarah

[Account Deleted]

Hello There Sarah, i think i can answer the 1st issue. First, i was also having a hard time with regards to the spacing but later on, i discovered that, i just have to continue on typing and let the compose editor manage the spacing. I will only press enter if i have to create another paragraph. try it and you will see :) Infact, this will give you less hassle on your published post because its automatically aligned. :)

I really love typepad, after all, blogging platform perfection has never been perfect as typepad.

[Account Deleted]

Noticed the 'edit further' option in the Blog It box and thought: great! (Specially handy when you have more blogs and forget to change from default to another - happened last week and a total irrelevant post about rural Kent ended up on our retail blog ;-))

Love the benefit Blog It gives me.

Karin H (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)

[Geo]

As far as comment management goes, that's great. I just don't like it dominating my dashboard as if it's the most important thing ever.

When I clicked on the comments link, yes, there was a small blurb about switching. It seemed to indicate that the switch was for TypePad Connect. Rather it switched me to the new interface which I absolutely loathe.

And now that you've pointed it out, I do in fact see the exit door tucked way way way down at the bottom. I shall be using it directly.

Thanks!

[Jeryn Carlisi]

So I'm confused about the Twitter problem. Currently I am not able to check whether or not I want to post to my Twitter account until I've published and then have to republish once I check it.

[Account Deleted]

"Now, you can finish editing a post in TypePad, tweak the design (including changing the order of clippings/commentary), categorize the post, save as draft for later, schedule for future date, and so on. It's slick!"

I can't find anyway to tweak the design for the BlogIt bookmarklet.. how do we do that? In fact, I can't see any of those features on my BlogIt items when they open ??? I'm using Firefox.

On the BlogIt page, the FAQ link is broken :(...
Best,
DrWeb

[Mo]

I love the new design as well. I was kind of 'forced' into the new platform, but just like riding a bike, it took only a few trips around the block to get me acclimated.

I would like to see more blogs from our community displayed somewhere on the front page - it would be nice to see how my family of typepad bloggers are doing.

Best,
Ron
http://www.anythingurban.com

[Account Deleted]

Hello Ron, were the same, i was also kindda force into the new Typepad when i got problem with my publicity options on the old. But when i switched. There's no longera reason to switch back. lol. By the way i totally agree, just like when we first started to blog with the old typepad. It only needs a few trip with the new typepad and then you'll be able to get the hang of it. The features of the new Typepad is really awesome.

[MELANCHOLIA]

Coming back to an old issue...the Japanese themes. I noticed that quite of lot of Jap themes have been widened recently, but unfortunately not the one I've been looking forward to. Is there still any chance to get a widened version of the 'Apple' theme? Thanks for reconsidering.

[Ginevra]

yep - we should have that fixed really soon. Thanks for hanging in there while we get that sorted out.

[Jeryn Carlisi]

Twitter issue has been fixed!

[Sheri Gaynor]

Hmmm...can't get it into my Safari, got it into Firefox, but don't use that Browser. I am MAC user.