Everything Typepad

FAQ: Beta Testing

As a Typepad subscriber, if you've ever had a question about blogging, chances are you've either perused our handy Knowledge Base, browsed the archives here at Everything Typepad, or opened a Help Ticket in your Dashboard. Our Community and Support team receives many of these every day, and in this special series, we'll be answering some of our best, most Frequently Asked Questions.

What is beta testing?

Beta testing is a way of testing new software features. A group of users of the application are given access to the new features on the condition that they will look for and report any bugs. Software developers use beta testing to see how new features work in a variety of different situations and real-life use cases.

What is the Typepad Beta team and what do they do?

The Typepad Beta team is a group of Typepad bloggers who have indicated via an account setting that they are willing to engage in beta testing of new features.

There are no obligations associated with joining the Beta team; you are not required to test any particular feature, or even to do any beta testing at all. However, we do hope that you will help out from time to time.

As a member of the Beta team, you will be notified via email or the Everything Typepad blog of new features that are available for testing. You are encouraged to experiment with these features while blogging and to report any bugs or issues that you find.

How does switching to Beta affect my blog?

Joining the Beta team in and of itself does not have any effect on your blog. However, you may run into issues while testing new features, especially if you encounter a bug. We recommend that you set up a test blog for your initial testing of any new feature and only make use of the feature on your main blog or blogs when you feel comfortable with how it affects your blog.

Possible issues that could occur during beta testing include design elements not displaying as expected, blog readers being unable to access a new feature (for instance, if you are testing a new comments system and that system is malfunctioning), or errors in the Typepad application when configuring the new feature.

Beta testers need to be a bit adventurous and willing to work with experimental features and deal with bugs and blog problems.

How can I join the Beta team?

To join the Beta team, go to Account > Summary in your Typepad account and scroll down to the bottom of the page where there is a checkbox for "Join the Typepad Beta Team". Be sure to read through the explanatory text then, if you'd like to go ahead, put a check in the box and click the Save Changes button.

What kinds of features can I beta test?

Typepad often uses beta testing for larger or more complex features. Some features that are currently in beta include the Nimble Design Lab and post and sidebar carousels.

Features previously in beta and now available to all Typepad bloggers include domain registration and Disqus.

I'm on the Beta team. How can I submit a bug report?

You can submit a bug report to Typepad Support through our help ticket system. Go to Help > New Ticket in your account and describe the issue that you're seeing. If you have more than one blog on your account, such as a test blog and a main blog, be sure to include the name of the blog where the problem occurs. Your ticket will automatically be flagged as from a Beta team member so Typepad Support knows what to expect.

Featured Blog: Earth Science Picture Of The Day

BLOG: EPOD
TYPEPAD MEMBER SINCE: 2009
WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT: The Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) highlights the diverse processes and phenomena which shape our planet and our lives. EPOD will collect and archive photos, imagery, graphics, and artwork with short explanatory captions and links exemplifying features within the Earth system. The community is invited to contribute digital imagery, short captions and relevant links!

FOLLOW: Twitter

Typepad On Pinterest: SeeSaw

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 - SeeSaw

We are big fans of Liza Cowan and her blog "SeeSaw" here at Typepad! She's a history virtuoso and artist bringing new life to vintage images.  She loves to talk about art, collecting and more. Check out her own art on her Pinterest page.

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.

Typepad 101: Two More Easy Options for Visitor Tracking and Stats

Earlier this month, we shared an in-depth look at Google's Analytics service for visitor tracking and site stats. If you checked that out and that service doesn't quite hit the mark, we have a couple more suggestions for tracking.

First is Typepad's built-in Stats. This feature comes already set up with your blog - you don't have to do anything to activate it or use it. Simply click on the Stats link from your Dashboard or on the Overview tab if you're already working with the blog.

At the top, you'll notice a handy summary with the pageviews for the day, lifetime pageviews and info about social media traffic. Under that is a graph that shows daily traffic for the last 30 days. You can use the little Edit button to choose the number of days to show. And then under that is a list referrers to the blog. That will show the page the referrer linked to and the referring URL if that's available.

If you're looking for more details about your visitors, check out Clicky. This service has both free and paid subscription options, offers a ton of metrics, and has a slick and easy to use interface.They even offer an affiliate program that you can easily opt into.

Clicky provides the code to add to your blog to start tracking right after you register. Just copy the code and paste it into an Embed your own HTML module in your sidebar.

Clicky has tons of info about using and maximizing their service in their Knowledge Base.

Do you have a favorite stats tracker? Let us know in the comments for this post!

Featured Blog: Homegrown Hospitality

NAME: Stephanie Ackerman
BLOG: Homegrown Hospitality
TYPEPAD MEMBER SINCE: 2006
WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT: Stephanie Ackerman is creating a life that reflects her dreams, and living a Life that defines her purpose. As a teacher and designer of rubber stamps, dies, and embossing folders, her life is also a creative one, and she shares plenty of inspiration, travel stories, and other charming anecdotes with readers far and near.

FOLLOW: Typepad | Twitter

FAQ: You have questions? We have answers!

As a Typepad subscriber, if you've ever had a question about blogging, chances are you've either perused our handy Knowledge Base, browsed the archives here at Everything Typepad, or opened a Help Ticket in your Dashboard. Our Community and Support team receives many of these every day, and in this special series, we'll be answering some of our best, most Frequently Asked Questions.

We're looking to address a number of questions that we receive, based on features that tend to require a bit more explanation. We'll tackle these topics in a Question and Answer format for brevity, so as not to create the very confusion we're hoping to clear up. So, what can you expect to learn more about in this new FAQ series? Here's a little sampling:

• Beta (What it means; What's expected; Which features are in beta, and more!)
• Social Media (What's integrated; When to use it; Why it's worth using.)
• Domain Mapping (Domain registration at Typepad; What's a CNAME; Subdomain vs Top-level.)

To get us started, let's review the ways in which you can reach Typepad Support:

Q: How do I open a help ticket?

At the top of all accounts is a Dashboard bar with quick-access links. The second to last link on the far right is the Help link. Click that to be taken to the Help screen. You will see that the main area directs you to search the Knowledge Base to help you locate the answer to your question. If that doesn't cover what you need help with, click New Ticket on the left of the screen and submit your question.

Q: What if I can't access my account to open a ticket?

We have several ways in which you can reach us, and you're probably already using the tools to do so.

• First, there's email. Send an email, with all relevant info, to support@typepad.com. 
• Next, there's Twitter. You can send us a brief message, using @typepad, and we'll answer questions you have there (unless we feel they require too long of a response, in which case we'll ask to move the conversation elsewhere).
• Finally, there's Facebook. If you forget the support email address and don't use Twitter, feel free to send us a message to our Facebook account.

Q: Is there a way to check if Typepad is currently down?

Typepad has a Status page, that allows us to share with users when Typepad is down or when some users are experiencing intermittent issues. This doesn't happen often, but it's important to us to get that message out to users as quickly and clearly as possible. You can find the Status page at status.typepad.com. If you're unsure if you'll be able to remember that, and you're a Twitter user, perform a search for #typepadstatus, and save the search query (from the search results page, click the 'more options' link and then 'save search').

---

Is there a topic or feature not listed above that you find yourself needing help with too often? Let us know in the comments below and we'll consider it for a whole new FAQ segment.

Featured Blog: Jump David Jump

NAME: David Wenzel
BLOG: Jump David Jump
TYPEPAD MEMBER SINCE: 2007
WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT: David Wenzel is a writer, an entertainer, a partner and father. He is also a singular individual who is full of hope, with a captivating story. His blog is a compendium of his life so far, and what it's like to live with a Grade II Oligoastrocytoma (inoperable brain cancer). Now he wants to share his story with the world via his Kickstarter Project, a memoir. Thank You Kung-Fu is his story, a journey of terminal brain cancer, a heartbreaking divorce and an unplanned pregnancy over five year's time - a life.

FOLLOW: Typepad | Twitter

Typepad On Pinterest: Nest Pretty Things

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, Nest Decorating & Designs

Pretty things indeed! Tamar is a Jewelry and Accessories Designer from Vermont.  Her style is "Bohemian flare" for the modern woman. Not only does her blog include her latest pieces, but also she shares her interest in decorating and interior design.

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.

Typepad 101: Your Blog And Google Analytics

You put a lot of work into your blog and you're getting comments but not all readers leave comments.  Who else is reading your blog?  One way to find out is by checking your Pageviews under the "Overview" tab which shows you where your visitors are coming from.  This is included with every Typepad blog.

If you want to gather more information on your blog visitors, you have the option to connect your blog to Google Analytics for free.  There are a lot of features and doodads to learn about your blog through Google Analytics.  Today we will go through the more popular features that will show you the information you really want to know.

WHEN? (How about right now?)

A pretty cool feature is their "Real-Time" option which shows you a live picture of who is looking at your blog right at that very moment.  Want to really see how it works? Open up your "Real-Time" page in your Google Analytics account, tweet out your latest blog post, and see the number shoot up!

WHERE?

Besides Real-Time, the "Audience" section gives you a detailed demographic of your readers including geographic location.

HOW?

Let the Acquisitions section be your best friend.  Here is where you can see if your visitors are clicking from Google, Facebook, Pinterest, or another blog linking back to you.  You can view this through Acquisition > Overview > All Traffic > "Referrals" or "Source/Medium."  

See if your tag and keywords in your title and post are working in search engines with "Search Engine Optimization."  You may even discover some new keywords and phrases visitors are using to discover your blog that you may not have thought of.  Here is a shot from my personal blog:

Who knew quoting a Pharrell Williams song would get so much attention?

WHAT?

You can get statistics on specific blog posts by viewing "Behavior" where it shows statistics for specific permalinks. This can be individual blog posts or a certain Page.  You can also track what page on your blog visitors are arriving to first (Landing Pages) and leaving your blog from (Exit Pages).

Google Analytics has more tools to help give you a clearer picture of who is visiting your blog. Having a better understanding of who is visiting your blog and what they are most interested in will help you produce better blog posts in the future.

Getting To Know Nimble: Fonts

Welcome to Getting to Know Nimble, a special series full of tips and tricks to make our new Design Lab work for you. In this series, we'll take a look at everything the Nimble Design Lab has to offer, what it can do, and how you can utilize its features to make your blog stand out. Check out the rest of the posts in this series here!

As you've learned in other posts in our Getting To Know Nimble series, there's a lot that Nimble can do.  Now is the time to learn about another important feature: Fonts!

The Nimble Design Lab comes with 160 pre-installed fonts in four styles: Handwritting, Display, Serif, and Sans Serif.  You can view them all by clicking Fonts when on the Style tab.

When you're working on your blog's design, it's easy to see which font is applied to a section of your blog.  Just click the text and the information will be shown on the right hand side.

For the font that has already been applied to the text, you can change its color or size.  You can also choose another font to use entirely.

To change the font, simply click the Fonts menu at the top of the sidebar again and scroll through until you see the one that you prefer and click its name.  It will then show that the font is the active font:

If you want to use this font for all text on your blog, simply click the "Apply active font to all elements" link.  To selectively apply the font to only specific areas on your blog, simply click the relevant section on the live preview and the font will be applied.

Even though we have a large number of pre-set fonts, maybe there's a particular one you want to use that we didn't include. Luckily, that's easy to do!

First, at Design > Styles, click the Fonts banner to open the options and click IMPORT. Visit the Google Fonts gallery to choose your font.  Be sure take note of the font name.

Back at Typepad, enter the name of the font exactly as it appears at Google Fonts. Click the Import button and Typepad will look for the font. Once the font is found, you'll see the font listed below. Click on the font name to activate it and proceed with applying the font to elements of the design as we previously discussed.

160 fonts is a lot to go through, so we've also got font collections, where we've already pre-assembled fonts that go together for you.  If you like some, but not all of the fonts used in the collection, you can change any element.

To apply a collection to your design, click on the Collections button and select the Fonts option:

Click the collection you'd like to apply and your blog's fonts will be updated with the one you selected.

As you can see, there is quite a bit that you can do with fonts in the Nimble Design Lab!  Be sure to check back in two weeks to see what our next topic in this special series is on!