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Posts from December 2014

Typepad 101: Tweaking Your Comment Settings

We love to talk about the new features we've added to Typepad (be sure to check out our Year in Review posts to learn more about recently released features), but sometimes it's good to take a fresh look at a long-time feature. You might discover options you hadn't realized existed. In this post, we will review just a few of the many settings you can configure in Typepad's default commenting system. You can find all of these options on the Settings > Comments page for your blog.

A big concern for many bloggers is regulating who can post to their blog and what comments can appear. No one likes spam comments, of course, but you may also want to protect your blog against trolls or just take a very active role in making sure discussions stay on topic.

One option that many Typepad bloggers choose is to allow only authenticated commenters on their blog. What is an authenticated commenter? It is a person who has an account with Typepad or another service (many commenters use Facebook or Twitter). They can sign in using their authenticated account. Each time you see their comments, you know what account they are associated with. You can choose to require all commenters to be authenticated, make comment authentication optional, or even turn off this option so that commenters simply type in the information they choose in the comments form.

Comment authentication settings

Requiring comment authentication is the most secure option, but in some cases you may wish to allow people to comment on your blog without having an authenticated account. In this case, we recommend turning on additional security features. There are two options here and you can use one, both, or neither. The first option is to require unauthenticated commenters to enter an email address as well as a name. While some people may choose to enter a fake email address, this setting does allow you to have a better idea of the identities of your commenters. (The email address will not appear on the blog, so your commenters don't have to worry about it being picked up by spammers.) The second option is to require unauthenticated commenters to enter a randomly generated verification code when they submit their comment.

Unauthenticated commenters settings

Even if a person has an authenticated account, that doesn't mean their comments will always be worthwhile. If you feel that you are getting a lot of off-topic comments, you may wish to turn on comment moderation. This means that when a commenter submits their comment, it won't show up on the blog right away. Instead, you will need to review the comment. You can choose to publish it, or delete it if you prefer (or you can just leave it unpublished). Comment moderation may not be the best choice for every blog or every blogger, but in some cases it can help you to ensure that only the highest-quality comments appear on your blog.

Comment moderation settings

A final option that you may find helpful in regulating comments on your blog is auto-closing comments. Many bloggers find that after a certain period of time, only spam and random, off-topic comments get submitted to their posts because the discussion has moved on to their more recent posts. If you notice this happening on your blog, you may wish to close comments on older posts. The auto-close comments setting makes it easy to do this. Choose the period of time after which you want comments to be closed, and Typepad will automatically do the rest for you!

Auto-close comments settings

These four settings - comment authentication, security measures for unauthenticated commenters, comment moderation, and auto-closing comments - can make a big change in how commenters interact with your blog. Each one of these options gives you the blogger more control over who can comment and what comments appear. If you'd like to learn more about these options, be sure to check out our Knowledge Base. And we'd love to hear what comment settings you recommend to other bloggers. Share your thoughts in the comments below!


A Year In Review: DISQUS & Fighting Spam Comments

What a year 2014 has been! We here at Typepad are committed to making Typepad a better service each day, and we've been busy as bees releasing new features and improving the system overall.  This includes offering new themes, adding entirely new features, and more, all the while implementing your own feedback and suggestions.

While keeping your blogs running is our top priority, we also know that building your blogging community and communicating with your readers through comments is important. In our continued effort to fight off spam comments, in early 2014 we added more tools to make commenting easier. 

First, we added the option to require that visitors have Javascript turned on in their browsers in order to leave a comment on your blog.  While most visitors should have Javascript already enabled in their browser, most spam sources do not.  Next we teamed up with Akismet, a backend tool we've applied to the Typepad application which requires no setting changes on your part. In doing so, nearly all spam comments are being flagged correctly and not appearing on your blog.

Earlier this year, we've integrated Disqus with Typepad as an alternative option to our built-in commenting features. Disqus comments is now out of Beta and available to all Typepad bloggers. Want to switch your comments over to Disqus? Simply go to Settings > Comments, and look for the "Disqus Comments" option.

Disqus

Disqus lets you review and respond to your comments right from your Disqus account and even download analytic information for your records.  You also have more control on who to blacklist and whitelist on your blog.  You can easily export your previous Typepad comments to Disqus so there are no comments lost in your history.   We have more information on to how integrate Disqus to your blog in our Knowledge Base.

Disqus is one of the largest commenting programs around - we even use it here at Everything Typepad! Disqus is also designed to increase user audience and user connections which can lead to more traffic for your blog. By tapping into their already established community, your blog posts are available to more viewers and potential engaging dialogue.

Have you added Disqus to your blog? Let us know what you think of it so far!


Featured Charity: Paul's Kids

Throughout the month of December, we'll be featuring a shop or charity a day from the Typepad Gift Shop! Run by Typepad bloggers, these shops are a great way to check items off of your Christmas shopping list while supporting small businesses.

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Paul's Kids was founded by Paul Pinkerton - a Vietnam Veteran who became a POW/MIA activist. While making more trips back to Vietnam with his wife, he could not ignore the conditions many orphaned children were living under.  The charity works on improving living conditions, medical assistance, educational opportunities and more.

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In the spirit of the season...

Holidayheader

We would like to take this opportunity to extend our personal thanks, and our very best wishes for the future to you, our bloggers.

And so it is that we now gather together and wish to you the warmest Season's Greetings, and a Happy New Year. We consider you an important part of our team, and extend our wishes for good health and good cheer.

It is people like you who make our jobs such a pleasure all year long. Typepad is a source of pride to us, and we find working for, and interacting with, our users each day a rewarding experience.

We appreciate your continued loyalty and look forward to bringing you even more new features and improvements in the coming year.

We tip our hats to you. Thanks again for a wonderful year,
Your Typepad Team

PS: The Typepad Community and Support team will be available every day during the holidays. As always, we're just a Tweet, Facebook message, or Help Ticket away.


Featured Shop: Go Make Me

Throughout the month of December, we'll be featuring a shop a day from the Typepad Gift Shop! Run by Typepad bloggers, these shops are a great way to check items off of your Christmas shopping list while supporting small businesses.

Gomakeme

Got the "Handmade" bug this Holiday season? At Go Make Me, you get some seasonal craft ideas for gifts and decor. In their Etsy shop, you can get printable cards and download DIY activities like their holiday e-book DIY Gifts and Edible Treats for Christmas.

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Featured Blog: Urban Comfort

NAME: Suzonne Stirling
BLOG: Urban Comfort
TYPEPAD MEMBER SINCE: 2009
WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT: Suzonne Stirling is a professional magazine stylist with an emphasis on crafts, holidays, parties, and home decor. She has also authored two books, "Babyspace Idea Book," a compilation of ideas for nurseries and toddler rooms, and "B is for Baby," her first craft book. Her blog is a delightful combination of the gorgeous and the engaging.

Urban Comfort

FOLLOW: Typepad | Pinterest


Featured Book: Paper Made!

Throughout the month of December, we'll be featuring a shop or charity a day from the Typepad Gift Shop! Run by Typepad bloggers, these shops are a great way to check items off of your Christmas shopping list while supporting small businesses.

Papermade

Kayte Terry from This Is Love Forever is a craft maven with three books under her belt. Each book on a different craft train (ie: applique designs, embellishing). Today's book is all about paper crafts - Paper Made! The projects are not just for fancy cardstock paper you buy at the craft store but also stuff you have around the house like candy wrappers, old magazines, shopping bags and more.

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Typepad on Pinterest: Shabby Cottage Studio

Did you know Typepad is on Pinterest? It's true! We love pinning and repinning great content from Typepad blogs in every genre, and we're always looking for great, inspirational content. Are you on Pinterest? Drop your link in the comments, and don't forget to follow Typepad right here! If you're not on Pinterest yet, check it out - it's a great way to promote your blog and connect with others!

Want some inspiration? Check out our featured pinner, Shabby Cottage Studio

Shabby Cottage Studio features the artwork of Gail Schmidt - a mixed media and digital artist using a  mix of new and vintage materials to draw inspiration. She also teaches classes online to help other artist tap into new skills.

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FOLLOW: Blog | Pinterest

Want to promote your pinterest account on your Typepad blog? Just go to Blogs > Content and add the Pinterest Widget to your Sidebar via the center menu. While you're there, make your blog posts "pinable" by adding the Pin It button to your post footers.

Want even more? Learn how to promote your blog on Pinterest and follow Typepad at www.pinterest.com/typepad.


Featured Shop: A Forest Frolic

Throughout the month of December, we'll be featuring a shop or charity a day from the Typepad Gift Shop! Run by Typepad bloggers, these shops are a great way to check items off of your Christmas shopping list while supporting small businesses.

Aforestfrolic

A Forest Frolic makes and sells whimsical paper party supplies: Pinwheels, Banners, Princess Crowns & Holiday items like these Cupcake Toppers - all with lots of glitter and frills.

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