File Under Awesome: The Best New TypePad Features

2009 has been the most innovative and impressive year in TypePad history. We are constantly improving TypePad trying to make it easier to use and helping you connect with your audience.

We've been particularly busy lately. A TypePad blogger recently recommended we create a "cheat sheet" to all the new features. Rather than a cheat sheet, I prefer to think of it as a "Best of" list. So, without further ado, here are my favorite new TypePad features since August. (Yes, just since August!)

• Add a TypePad Favorite button to your blog and let your readers show the love

• Add video with the click of a button

• The easiest way to blog? The new TypePad bookmarklet and microblog themes
  

• Manage your blog on the go with iPhone, Pre, and Android mobile blog support

• Full TypePad integration with Facebook Connect for sharing and commenting

• New widgets to supercharge your small business blog from FormSpring, Freshbooks, and BookFresh

• TypePad goes real time with PubSubHubbub support

• Engage your blog readers with the TypePad Follow widget

• Add Userpics (or Avatars) to your comments

• Launch of TypePad APIs and TypePad Motion communities

• New Themes! Pico, Magnetic, and more in Beta

• And of course, the biggest of all, the new TypePad. Check out the TypePad overview from Professor Wibbels.

Stay tuned for some step-by-step instructions on how to get the most out of the new TypePad.

Did I miss your favorite? If so, let me know in the comments.

- Mark, TypePad One team

Comments

[Catching The Waves]

My favourite new feature is the preview. It shows what the blog will look like after a new post or a design change. Simple yet essential.

Second favourite: drag and drop content configuration.

Third favourite: footer buttons.

Fourth favourite: The "Journal" theme.

Most irritating feature: Journal's habit of indenting the first line of each paragraph. Grr. So unnecessary.

As the internet was made for complaining, ;) I'll add that my least favourite feature is the lack of support for newcomers to CSS. I'm sure many members would like to customise their blogs (and even remove paragraph indenting) but can't because they don't know the basics. A "how-to" would really help.

Thank you to the TypePad team for all the innovations. The company has improved immensely over the last year. Keep it up. :P

[Agnes]

I love the preview feature. I love TypePad, period.

Thanks :-)

[Powder Room Attendant]

I'm very impressed with the new features. I would love the ability to have my post footer below the title, hopefully they can add that in the near future. Great job guys! ;)

[Account Deleted]

You guys at Typepad have done great! Merry early Christmas!

[Geo]

I want to see the ugly main (home) page redesigned to be more like the previous version of TypePad, where our own user information is on top, front and centre, and everything else is secondary. I'm not so fond of being shunted off to the side on my 'homepage' like an afterthought to all the 'recent activity' stuff. Of course this will be ignored as it has been for weeks but I will continue to throw it out there every time you guys ask what we want to see...

[Ginevra]

hiya! glad you're liking things so far. Here's how to get rid of the indent (with custom CSS!) in Journal, from our designer Jim Ramsey:

http://www.allaboutblogdesign.com/2009/05/seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time.html

When I originally created the Journal theme, I decided to add an indent to paragraphs within the body of each post. A few people have asked me how to undo this and I've actually started to think that I like it better without it. I've mentioned it in comments, but here's how to get rid of the indent.

Just add the following to Custom CSS:
.entry-content p { text-indent: 0; }

Additionally, we've got a lot of CSS tips and tricks here:
http://everything.typepad.com/blog/tips_and_tricks/

and here:
http://help.sixapart.com/tp/us/custom_css.html

But do give us a shout if there's something specific we can help with. One-on-one support is best handled in tickets so that we can track and troubleshoot, and we're always happy to lend a hand.

[Ginevra]

Thanks so much Agnes! We love you back. <333

[Ginevra]

that's a great idea - thanks for sharing. :)

[Ginevra]

you bet! :D Thanks for the comment.

[Ginevra]

I appreciate your input, as ever. If you prefer to just see your blog activity, you can always just bookmark the landing or compose pages for your blog - I did that in the old version, and do it now to access frequently-visited pages like our help system.

I understand that you're not a huge fan of the new dashboard, and we're listening and want to find more ways for bloggers to customize that experience. It won't happen overnight, of course - we're focusing in on making sure all of it will work. :)

I'm sorry that you're not loving the new dashboard, so I just wanted to offer those options in the meantime. Let us know if there's other stuff we can do that helps.

[Geo]

Ginevra,

I appreciate the suggested work-around to try. My current work-around is simply to use LiveWriter to post my blog entries (because its efficient and intuitive) and rely on Lijit for all my stats and only log in to TypePad when I absolutely have no other choice. Thats how much I dont love it right now. I enjoy the old-style home - or landing or whatever term best describes it - where you can see various activity and recently updated blogs and new widgets and Everything TypePad updates *after* our user and blog info - where a customers doesnt feel so entirely marginalised when signing in to their own account. Of course thats just my view.

[Catching The Waves]

Hi Ginerva,

Thank you for your help. Well, it took me nearly a month to do it, but I finally cut and pasted Jim Ramsey's code into the Custom CSS box. Now my indents have disappeared and my I.Q. has gone up a notch. Much obliged.

However, your helpful post still doesn't address the core issue of getting html newbies to use Custom CSS. All of the tips assume some familiarity with programming. TypePad needs to make CSS programming as friendly as your new microblogging service and explain what is possible and how it can be done. I would love to adapt Catching The Waves but I'm scared that I'll irretrievably damage my settings/template/brain while I'm doing it.

Do you have a "TypePad CSS for Dummies" in your release schedule? Pweez? :)

[Ginevra]

there's tons of information out there on CSS, and loads of good tips and tricks here on Everything TypePad. Assembling them all in one place is a great idea, although a BIG project. CSS Zen Garden is where a lot of folks start, too.

The cool thing about CSS is that you can't "irretrievably" muck stuff up, especially if you keep a backup copy of what you're working with. I use a text editor and make adjustments there, then paste over to TypePad to make changes, preview, see how it looks, then keep on working.

Someone else in the community who's a bit more well-versed in CSS might have some other ideas or suggestions, though. :)

[Catching The Waves]

Hi Ginevra,

It's your most annoying TypePad user again. :)

Thanks once more for the advice and reassurances. However, and at this point feel free to tear out your hair, I feel that TypePad is mistaken in placing the CSS onus on its customers. I am quite prepared to explore the subject once I am familiar with the very basics of CSS.

If TypePad to make a couple of "CSS Baby-Steps" videos, I'm sure you'd see an explosion of interest in custom templates.

Sorry about your hair. ;)

Kind regards,

Catching The Waves

[Account Deleted]

I'm loving the new Typepad the only thing I'd like is to be able to post to my Facebook Fan Page which is tied to my blog as opposed to my personal FB profile page... Is this in the works?