What's your blogging wishlist for 2010?

We made our list and checked it twice – our tasks for 2009 are complete! This year, we launched TypePad Micro and a new design with lots of other amazing new features. We gave you a whole series of our top 10 tips and tricks for making your blog even better, and we're working on building our new Directory of awesome TypePad sites. 

It's almost a new year, and time for more new ideas. What would you like to TypePad to offer in 2010?  Share your wish list with us in the comments.

Comments

[David Saunders]

I'd like to see the url string with auto assigned numbers removed to help with SEO

David

http://www.abfabseo.com

[Dave Barnhart]

A built-in Flash movie player

[Account Deleted]

thank you for your ongoing great service and all the new stuff in 2009!

here's a wee wishlist:

- the return of the Search and Replace tool
- a hybrid of Themes and Theme Builder: so you can easily change fonts, colours, background images and other styles of existing themes without needing to know lots of CSS
- ability to have tidy image paths instead of all the squiggles
- ability to export blog images as a backup

[Bella StyleBook]

You know, as scary as our economy and our politicians are making me right now...I'd have to say I'd like to have some peach of mind in 2010 that what might happen doesn't.

[Account Deleted]

I've been really happy with all that you've added. really on the ball!!! Thank you typepad! you've made me get into blogging and not feel overwhelmed about it. Hope to contine as before.... fun, fun fun.

[Sue]

Although I appreciate all the new stuff you've added (whoa, thinking of trying microblogging!), I REALLY want you to change the "respond to comments" change you implemented recently. Many of us like to respond directly as a default, rather than publicly on our blogs. Since so many people use a separate browser for email (I log in through Verizon), it's a HUGE p.i.t.a.

[Account Deleted]

There is one little lay-out thingy I would love to see asap: when I'm editing a post or page I'd love to have a link on that screen that goes directly to the list of posts or list of pages. Now it is rather cumbersome, especially when you're editing or creating pages. To see the lists with pages you have to:
click the menubar: Posts
On that page you have to click: Pages

Please, please, please: two simple links would do it. Here for instance: link 1: lists pages, link 2: list posts, link 3: view post/page, link 4: Previous post/page, link 5: Next post/page.
Not that difficult to add?

Karin H

[Cecily Walker]

A one-click solution that allows you to add photos using the Blog It bookmarklet.

[Maxine]

I really like all the changes you've made to Typepad this year, thank you. I have a microblog but I am still not quite sure what to do with it! The changes to my main blog are great, thank you again.

What I'd really like (and have previously asked for) is the ability to integrate my RSS reader (google reader) into the sidebar of my blog (via a widget) so that my blogroll is "real time". This will save me from having to constantly update it as I find new blogs or drop old ones (or blogs die). I have noticed other platforms, eg blogger, allow this so it would be great if Typepad could do this as well. Instead of a static blogroll you would have a widget displaying latest post on all the blogs you follow.

[Catching The Waves]

Thank you for the many and thoughtful updates.

I'd like templates to be more flexible: drag-and-drop images and resizeable columns, please. I want to change column width, colour, position, fonts, etc just by grabbing a handle. It's the only alternative for numbnuts like me who can't understand CSS.

Heh. I bet that's caused some teeth-gnashing in the TypePad office. We pesky users won't let you rest. :)

[Will Clark]

I'll echo the idea of having some way to recall back to previous posts. I've started copy/pasting link titles that I think I'll be coming back to in the future into a Word document but that doesn't cover it all and I find myself going back and forth opening all sorts of windows trying to grab links to previous posts for a current one. Surely there's an easier way?

Also, I'm a creative type and would also like some easy way (I don't even know what CSS stands for!) to drop things into my current design. I tried to customize/start from scratch (a day wasted and nearly deleted what I already had) but aside from that, there must be a way to keep the same general layout but (for example) change the header picture without starting from scratch.

If I was being really grabby, I'd ask for some help in consolidating my subscribe/feeds/newsletter/facebook/twitter connections .. now they just seem scattered and messy.

Creative type who knows what he wants but not how to make it happen!

[Will Clark]

Ooops.. I realized that I didn't even THANK the incredible team at Type Pad for a great product and really interesting new features this year (still figuring out the follow/following thing but I like seeing so many others' blogs!!) :)

[Amy@ProgressivePioneer]

Drag and drop typelists!!! They're so hard to rearrange as they are now.
Also, loading more than one picture at a time. Blogger lets you load five at once and it's so much more convenient.

[Christopher Sleight]

I'd like:
1. Option for tidy URLs with the .html removed
2. Ability to upload images to specified directory from compose post page
3. Tags
4. Remove 30-day restriction on lastn. You did that one :) Thanks!

[Kathy Mallary]

There are so many things I love about TypePad -- but here are two smallish and one biggish thing I'd love to see in 2010:

Smallish:
*Search feature on the Widget page
*Search feature on the TypePad Directory

Biggish:
*A way to set up an automatic style for blog owner comments so they stood out more.

P.S. I also really like the suggestion for drag-and-drop typelists. They are a bear to work with. While you're at it, could you please also add some way to tell WHICH blog a type list is used on, for those of us with more than one Typepad blog? Thx!

[Headteacher]

I'd like:

-An audio-record facility that lets you record your voice in the compose editor directly (click to record, click to stop recording and insert into post).
-A very simple painting editor that lets you paint a picture and automatically put as a picture in a post (only needs to be very basic - a dozen colours, paintbrush, fill and eraser tools). Would improve accessibility for younger bloggers in my school.

[johnny]

I'd like a sidebar content editor rather than having to create it out of html code.

On the sidebar of my blog (puckdrawn.com), I like doing little features that I don't need to make a regular blog post of.

If I had a sidebar editor, I could easily add a photo or icon and easily create links.

[♥ Yakini @ The Prissy Mommy Chronicles ♥]

1) Wide variety of designs in Photo Albums and also enable comments for the Photo Albums.

2) Create a CommentLuv widget for Typepad

3) Create a blogroll widget that re-orders your list as they publish a new blog, with the blog title under it (similar to the blogroll widget on Blogger.com)

4) Easier way to re-order Typelists

[johnny]

One other feature that I'd like to see as someone who came to TypePad from Wordpress:

Easily edit a post. When you log in and your view a post, there should be an "Edit Post" link on whatever post you're currently on.

[Krista]

I'd like to see an XML sitemap that just indexes all the individual posts and not just the category pages. This will help with SEO. Have asked for this a few times...

[Jack]

My only wish for 2010 -- real built-in search for readers on the blog (not admin interface) It's about time. Its absence is a glaring weakness.

[Albert Esplugas]

hey, I posted my wishlist but I guess it is sitting in the spam folder (too many links...). Could you approve it pls?

Thanks :)

[Account Deleted]

Amen to d&d typelists :)

[Account Deleted]

hear hear! :)

[Account Deleted]

First, a big thanks for the improved experience in 2009! On my wish-list:

1. An "undo" button in the editor.

2. Easy sidebar editor, especially to insert images.

3. In the footer "sharing" options, add Facebook and email links (in addition to Twit this, etc.)

4. In the "other accounts" section, allow us to cherry-pick which ones to show on the blog. For example, each of my blogs has it's own Twitter & YouTube accounts. As you have it now, it will only show ALL other accounts.

5. Fix my pet peeve: Stop making inserted images auto-linked to a larger size of the image by default. I pre-size all my images as I want them to appear. There's nothing new/bigger to see when people click on the image! So as not to annoy my readers, I have to manually go in and remove all those auto-links, which isn't easy as the editor gets a little buggy when trying to do that. So tedious!

Thanks for giving us this chance to respond. : )

4.

[Lily Iris]

1. 100 new template few colors each type, big WIDE layout.
most template atm is small, i like using 2 sidebar but with small template 2 side bar look weird. well..if people said 'go try using advance template'..ZzzZzzZZz for me 'thats not the answer i want to hear'
and html code all in side bar, i wish in next future i can put HTML code in TOP layout (head center), anything..just side bar isnt cool.

2. ability to auto follow people who folow us and i wish we have one MAGIC button to unfollow people who not follow us...errr..i think u know what i mean. tyvm

[The Cafe Ninja]

New designs please - I'm sick of my blog design but I can't find anything better...

[Lily Iris]

oh i forgot..another one is..our community (follow unfollow) have a name??? because i dont know what to call it.
example..gadget community "google friend connect" <<--google give it a NAME.

our community gadget have a name??? what??
because i dont know what to call it. thank you. :p
*peace*

[MELANCHOLIA]

1. More themes! Typepad seems to have fallen asleep regarding this issue..

2. A self-updating blogroll, not only the blog names but also the latest posts on these blogs.

I take the occasion to thank the Typepad team for the blog 'revolution' this year. Excellent work, guys!

[Cole Camplese]

I'd like a solid lightbox look for pictures (like posterous) ... that would be a nice touch. Also, updating the typepad profile badge for pro blogs to look like the one on Micro. The work you've done this year has caused me to switch from wordpress. Thanks!

[Rev. Scott "SwamiScotty" Ufford]

An extremely useful feature would be a TypePad sidebar to display automatic (or selected) feeds of our FB and Twitter posts. It's available in wordpress & is supposedly simple coding (which I know nothing about, unfortunately).

This would make our blogs "stickier" -- give them more to-the-minute vitality for readers and help integrate TypePad with our other social media efforts. Thank you!

[Greg Simas]

be able to view .doc and pdf etc. on a post. Posterous does this by having partnered with Scribd. This saves the extra step and creates a cleaner copy.

On your MP3 player, incorporate something where you can grab the song or talk and listen to it at any point. Much like itunes. --- Thanks!

[Karin Schmollgruber]

I wish for everything that Shauna and Greg Simas stated

Plus:

-Some app to allow inserting related posts automatically or at least more easily than copy pasting them.

-easy copypasting of word, would save lots of time
-and as Jaya says: Stop making pics clickable that are not especially marked that way.

Karin

[Karin Schmollgruber]

And, would you please help me to delet that horizontal bar (space) between header pic and horizontal navigation.

[Neva Spell]

I would like to have a flash show of my pics in the main column of the blog or a way to link my flash show from Smugmug. Having a photo album on the side is nice but I would like the option of a flash show when they enter the blog up front and center. Here is a link to a company that does that on WordPress:
http://www.photocrati.com/photography-wordpress-themes/

I also like the fact that they have the option of making it look more like a web site and the blog is a page within it.

[Risa Edelstein]

I really think you need better support for photos! I have thousands of photos in my library and it is such a headache to upload them in Typepad. It is slow, limited cropping and editing support right when you upload, not a lot of layout options, etc. Wordpress has you beat in this area so I really hope you are fixing this problem!

[Risa Edelstein]

Oh yeah - and easy copying from Word. That should be a no brainer. Right now I have to post everything in my blog directly. It is slow!

[Cecily Walker]

Ditto, re: lightbox for photos.

[Account Deleted]

I am still playing with everything, but I have no complaints...really like TypePad. I would like to see an App for Palm Pre at some point.
Thanks.

[Karin Schmollgruber]

Here is another one, a way to post a permanent message above the latest blogpost. And no, not by checking the box "put this post up first always".

Kind of like this onehttp://omninoggin.com/projects/wordpress-plugins/wp-greet-box-wordpress-plugin/

[Jane N-B]

1. Templates, templates, templates....

Back on my soapbox, but this is one of the biggest frustrations with TypePad. I love the stuff you've rolled out this year, and I know it takes lots of hard work by many people to make this product as good as it is.

But greater design choices, flexibility and versatility with how our blogs appear would be on my 2010 wish list.

2. The page ordering process is still incredibly clunky. I hope for improvement in this area, too.

Thanks for asking!

[J. Bradford DeLong]

RSS feeds by category...

[Bhavna Mehta]

Photos Photos Photos - I am an artist and its hard to easily display images where they are front and center. I may be forced to look outside of typepad for this (maybe wordpress or some other solution)
Here are some suggestions -

- To be able to include photo albums in the main body of the post/page.
- To be able to have different kinds of slide shows (Light box)
- To be able to label photos easily and have the labelling and description of photo to be displayed in various ways
- To be able to have thumbnails on the same page as a photo - roll over or click on a thumbnail and you can change the main photo

[Geo]

1: Fix the miserable image handling function. I've begged for this fix since August of 2008 when the first major change to TypePad (moving everyone to the old 'new platform') created a total pooch screw. A fix was promised in the upcoming new 'new platform' and it still hasn't happened. I think a year and a half is long enough to wait.
2: Redesign the 'home page' or 'landing' or whatever term you use for the page a user immediately arrives on after logging in. Take out the needless dead space, the pointless duplications, and put the focus on the user who logs in and not shove them off to the right margin like an afterthought.

[Doktor Skepticus]

I have almost two weeks here trying to setup my blog properly and with useful widgets. But I encountered that I can't add "Retweet" and "Addthis" to every post unless I know CSS, something that I have no time to learn, and don't want to learn, because I'm busy in postgraduate studies and job. Indeed, the main reason to become a premium user was the ability to setup a blog knowing just basic things.

So, what I would like to see for this 2010 is more customizable templates, for example, let us modify in advanced form the post footer so we can add more plugins, I don't think it is a too hard to do thing when you already allow us to modify the entire blog's footer.

Please, let us that want to blog without the hassle to setup blog software from scratch, do it in a more decent manner. That is the main reason that I'm paying you and not a web hosting service where I need to invest many more time just to make the blogging software functional, I don't have the time.

[Account Deleted]

Hello again! Better image management would be fantastic too. I have uploaded 100s of pics over the years - no way of browsing through them, or replacing an image, or being able to use an old image again, or deleting images. Where do they go? I'd love to be able to access them!

[Account Deleted]

Also.... custom 404 pages! Pretty pleeeeeeeeeease! Or at least a generic page that inserts a link to that blogs main page.

[Account Deleted]

I've been a Typepad blogger since 2004 and I want to say THANK YOU for everything!

In the future I'd really like to see:
1) Ability to add links to your About page without having to know how to write html code.
2) Ability to reorder items in a sidebar list (like the drag and drop suggestion others have made).
3) Ability to promote one particular post to the top of a category page. In other words, you may have written one piece that you consider the definitive piece for a certain category. You'd like it to show up first when someone clicks on that category before they scroll down through all the other related posts.

[Account Deleted]

I second that motion.

I'm no CSS whiz, but still - the more I can customize my blog's look, the happier I will be. (And I imagine there's other Typepad users out there who feel the same way.)

[Account Deleted]

Thanks for posing this question to your users - it's nice to know Typepad cares about our needs! I've enjoyed many of this year's new changes to Typepad, and hope to see more in the coming year. My suggested changes fall into two categories, one on content and design of the blog itself, and the other on sharing my blog through social media.

BLOG CONTENT AND DESIGN

1. Sub-categories, tags, etc. More customizable categorization means more organized blogs and easier navigation for readers.

2. Ability to customize category pages - I'd love to be able to include a small intro paragraph at the top of each category page. A small addition, but a great touch for readers!

3. Customizable fields for each post. As a travel blogger, I would love to have a "Location:" field for each of my posts, to tell readers where I am; for me this piece of information is just as essential as "Title", "Date", etc. I'm sure Typepad tech bloggers, food bloggers, lifestyle bloggers and more could use this option in very creative new ways.

SOCIAL MEDIA SHARING

4. More control over what goes into my blog's feed. Currently, the only options are a sterile, HTML-free excerpt or the full post. I'd love my RSS feed to include pictures and links, but still be a short excerpt.

5. Ability to post to multiple profiles with each social media service. I'm particularly thinking of Facebook, where I maintain both a personal profile and a page for my blog. It would be great to be able to auto-post my blog entries to both of my spaces on Facebook, and reach both audiences.

Thanks for taking these suggestions into consideration!

[Account Deleted]

I only scanned the other suggestions, so maybe this has been mentioned already but I would like to find people to follow easier.

Unless I am missing out, the only way to find people is to browse the Typepad suggestion page or look at other people's followers/following. I don't want to follow everyone for the sake of following...I would like to pick bloggers that interest me.

Thanks again, I am enjoying the service.

[Albert Esplugas]

ok, I'll try again without the links...

Thank you for your ongoing efforts to make things better.

My wishlist:

- Make categories sidebar more customizable (eg. order by number of posts, show number of posts in brackets etc.)

- Automatic server pinging (like the one from Windows Live Writer)

- Autonamic trackbacks when another blog references posts

- Autonamic trackbacks for linked posts in your own blog

- Show daily stats in sidebar and pageviews in post footers

(all of them have been suggested in Get Satisfaction)

Gracias!

[Kevin Davis]

When did mobile blogging support get added to TypePad, and how can I customize CSS, images, etc.?

I was (pleasantly) surprised today to find, through a Google search, that TypePad has started publishing a mobile version of my Pro account blog automagically. I checked several other TypePad blogs at random and they're doing this, too.

See, for instance, http://www.bullcityrising.com/.m/ -- I've also done a subdomain for this with my hosting provider (m.bullcityrising.com).

Nice work TypePad! But -- I would like to customize my CSS and add images, too. I see reference to a mobile stylesheet in the HTML source and references to directories like images-mobile/. What's the timeframe for rolling this out?

[laanba]

Posterous is the first thing I've seen that has really turned my eyes from Typepad and I've been with Typepad for years. I have no plans on leaving, but I absolutely love the ease with which you can post to Posterous and hope to see some of these things in Typepad in the future. Email a video and it posts to the website with the right format. Email an audio link and it posts to the website with the right format. Email a photo it posts to the website easily without any convoluted image system. Email a small status update and it posts to the website.

I'll also throw in a request to be able to modify themes. I really like some of the themes, but the columns are too wide or too narrow or the background color doesn't work for me. It would be nice to tweak. If that isn't possible then more options.

Thanks for asking for our input.

[Save My System]

I am fairly new to the typepad community, but at the same time, i am simply astonished in its design, seo features, and support service, the typepad team does address most commonly known users problems quite well through its blogs services.
I only wish, it was made much easier to find other typepad users, beside the featured users.

[Liz Ness]

I have two different Typepad accounts and LOVE the service and features of your products. AND, I'm so pleased with the several updates/changes/improvements you've made. There are two wishes I have, and that is to have the option in the regular templates to position where post categories are placed (top vs. bottom) and how they are place (e.g., custom text vs. standard).

Here's an example of how we're customizing via advanced templates -- it is the only element on the page that, presently, requires we use advanced templates: http://www.illustratingstories.com/

It'd be so nice to have this feature as a basic feature (rather than advanced). Then, it'd be so easy to turn on/off features again as they arrive (e.g., the "reblog" feature).

The next wish is to make it easy to have categories and sub-categories. It's a bit "clunky" right now.

Thanks for your consideration!

=) Liz Ness

[Lianne]

I would love to have the ability to create pages with a different layout, sidebar content, etc. from the main blog template.

I have been seriously considering squarespace for this feature, even though I would prefer to stay with typepad where I have also been a member since 2004.