Entered CNET Catalog: 03/19/2005
SKU: SERVTYPEPAD
Manufacturer: delete
Product summary
The good: Excellent tech support; many tools and features, including Widgets; better tagging support; customizable layouts; allows for more than one author.
The bad: Paid service; hard to host blogs under your own domain.
The bottom line: For a small monthly charge, you can create professional-looking blogs with Six Apart TypePad.com.
Average user rating: from 10 users
2.5 stars
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 03/30/2005
TypePad's setup is easy and quick. To create a new account, simply choose a username and password, then add your billing information. Next, you'll need to decide how you want your blog to look and pick from nine layouts and six styles. Finally, you must choose whether you want your blog to be public (anyone can read it), private (only you can read it), or password protected (anyone who has the password can read it). That's it.
Overall, we like TypePad's clean and intuitive interface better than Blogger's.
Once you understand TypePad's tabbed interface, you'll start to have fun playing with all its features. If, for example, you want to create your own personal photo album or lists of favorite people, books, Web sites, or music, TypePad makes these tasks easy to accomplish, providing appropriate templates and buttons. TypePad offers more custom tools than Blogger, such as mixed-media templates, built-in photo uploading, and guest accounts. TypePad recently also added the ability to easily mark your posts by content so that the blog-search-engine Technorati can find them. In addition, you can incorporate Widgets into your blog by visiting TypePad's gallery of tools such as custom Web searches and links to the Del.icio.us bookmark service. Previously, you had to hunt for such third-party tools, then cut and paste the code on your own.
Yet for all its ease of use, we do wish there were an easier way to integrate your TypePad blog into your own domain name, something Blogger does with ease. To do this within TypePad, you must enable domain-name mapping, a process of pointing your domain to TypePad.com, which requires some tinkering with TypePad and your Web host. Blogger makes it easy to publish via file transfer protocol to your own Web site. Both Blogger and TypePad allow for RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds for your online content.
When a service costs money, you expect first-class technical support. Thankfully, TypePad comes through in this department. We submitted an e-mail support request to TypePad late Sunday night and received a timely response Monday morning. You probably won't need to use TypePad's tech support often, however, since the online knowledge base and user manual are thorough and well written.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 10 user reviews
Poor Professional Image Support
Pros: Usually Available
Cons: Poor technical support
Review: I switched to TypePad because the free blog I was using often was not available. Typepad was OK but when I started using EXIF and IPTC industry standard metadata in my images their software couldn't deal with them. When I took the issue to technical support they wanted me to figure out what was wrong. I explained that I didn't have time for that and that they could use my images to experiment. Their response was that I should use different software for my images rather than what I have been using in my business for years and which no one else has a problem handling.
In the process of working on this issue I discovered that the images that are inserted into the blogs become unmanageable: if you want to change or delete an image you must delete the entire blog post and start over ... and naturally this "feature" isn't made clear.
I finally terminated my account. For professional photographers TypePad simply isn't ready for primetime!
In the process of working on this issue I discovered that the images that are inserted into the blogs become unmanageable: if you want to change or delete an image you must delete the entire blog post and start over ... and naturally this "feature" isn't made clear.
I finally terminated my account. For professional photographers TypePad simply isn't ready for primetime!
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 10 user reviews
Typepad Has Horrible Reliability
Pros: They Sounded Good
Cons: They're Not Good
Review: The Typepad service is completely unreliable. Check out their own blogs and you will see many posts listing excuses and explanations as to why the service isn't working again.
I'm sure every online service will occasionally have problems. However, when a service continually has issues over many months, that is a huge problem. Maybe they will eventually fix things, but I wouldn't count on it. Problems will continue to arise with a large online service, and they will likely continue to fail at catching them on time or fixing them quickly, without taking the whole service down for protracted periods.
If you want to be able to post to your blog when you want to, Typepad isn't for you. If you want your blog to always be available for people to read, Typepad isn't for you. If you don't need anyone to read your blog and you don't need to post to it either, then maybe try Typepad.
I'm sure every online service will occasionally have problems. However, when a service continually has issues over many months, that is a huge problem. Maybe they will eventually fix things, but I wouldn't count on it. Problems will continue to arise with a large online service, and they will likely continue to fail at catching them on time or fixing them quickly, without taking the whole service down for protracted periods.
If you want to be able to post to your blog when you want to, Typepad isn't for you. If you want your blog to always be available for people to read, Typepad isn't for you. If you don't need anyone to read your blog and you don't need to post to it either, then maybe try Typepad.
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 10 user reviews
Terrible, Worst, Bad -- Don't Use Typepad
Pros: For very simple uses it is easy
Cons: Complicated Customization, Spam, No Support, Destroyed my blog
Review: My recommendation: Absolutely do NOT use Typepad.
I've used Typepad Pro ($149 / year) for quite a while. Then suddenly they terminated my account, and my entire blog was lost. Countless hours spent working on the blog, writing content, etc., all destroyed in an instant.
I tried to find out why my blog was deleted (afterall I paid for this service) and they wouldn't respond to help tickets. I pleaded to find some way to restore my site, or at least get a copy of my content for me to put elsewhere. No response, no help, no nothing.
Before they deleted my blog, the service was mediocre. There were times when you couldn't make posts and sometimes they were completely down. Doing more than basic customizations of your blog were very complicated, and the documentation and support were extremely poor.
Also, I received SPAM to the email address I used to sign up for Typepad, even though this address was never used anywhere else or ever posted publicly.
For very simple uses, Typepad is easy to use. However, so are many free services like Blogger, MSN Spaces, etc.
With the potential for your account to be deleted without warning or explanation, I can't think of any reason anyone should use Typepad.
I've used Typepad Pro ($149 / year) for quite a while. Then suddenly they terminated my account, and my entire blog was lost. Countless hours spent working on the blog, writing content, etc., all destroyed in an instant.
I tried to find out why my blog was deleted (afterall I paid for this service) and they wouldn't respond to help tickets. I pleaded to find some way to restore my site, or at least get a copy of my content for me to put elsewhere. No response, no help, no nothing.
Before they deleted my blog, the service was mediocre. There were times when you couldn't make posts and sometimes they were completely down. Doing more than basic customizations of your blog were very complicated, and the documentation and support were extremely poor.
Also, I received SPAM to the email address I used to sign up for Typepad, even though this address was never used anywhere else or ever posted publicly.
For very simple uses, Typepad is easy to use. However, so are many free services like Blogger, MSN Spaces, etc.
With the potential for your account to be deleted without warning or explanation, I can't think of any reason anyone should use Typepad.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 10 user reviews
I have 3 blogs with Typepad and think it's an excellent service.
Pros: Professional looking blogs, easy to use
Cons: some features may not be intuitive on how to set them up.
Review: Typepad is an excellent product for a very low monthly fee; a cost effective way for a professional or small business owner to create an immediate online presence. I've even written an ebook on how to set up and use Typepad for a business blog. http://www.buildabetterblogsystem.com
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 10 user reviews
Superb! I have lots of accounts
Pros: Professional interface and ease of use
Cons: Templates difficult to get to grips with
Review: I love Typepad! I've moved over to their excellent Moveable Type now and have three accounts there 
Great CS too.
Great CS too.Updated
I use Moveable Type which is owned by Typepad and have three accounts which I host through livingdot.com and get some superb templates and service.
I ALSO have 4 accounts with Typepad which as I said before is awesome!
I use Moveable Type which is owned by Typepad and have three accounts which I host through livingdot.com and get some superb templates and service.
I ALSO have 4 accounts with Typepad which as I said before is awesome!
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 10 user reviews
not good idea
Pros: good platform
Cons: no free version
Review: most people would'nt want to pay money for blog site. if he/she just wants to put things together then website is'nt bad choice for money matter. i myself would go for blogspot. i've been using it and its pretty good, fullfils my needs. only bad thing is they(blogspot) has is little ad banner? dont really care about that, its free so they gotta show something of them. but its negligible. Typepad should've had free version too. well no wonder its good, you're paying $$ for it, hell it HAS to be good. but well, i wont pay for blog site. rather just make website.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 10 user reviews
Easy to use blogging
Pros: Nice clean interface, all the features you need for blogging
Cons: Not enough flexibility
Review: If you want to start a blog, I think TypePad is the best way to get started. I have tried Blogger and MSN Spaces. I find that TypePad has more powerful features such as domain masking. Moreover, I think the interface is cleaner than others. If you eventually want more sophistication consider moving up to SixApart's MoveableType software.
Note: I started using TypePad a few months ago for CES to report back on the show and in preparation for an interview with the founders of Six Apart. My blog is at simonsays.blogs.com
Note: I started using TypePad a few months ago for CES to report back on the show and in preparation for an interview with the founders of Six Apart. My blog is at simonsays.blogs.com
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 10 user reviews
First-rate service
Pros: Easy to use, you can generate and run a great site, works reliably
Cons: I did not experience any - except maybe would like an ability to check for broken links
Review: This is a very well designed service that is easy for the beginner to use, and yet has considerable power as the needs and skills of the blogger demand it. I was able to focus on the content of my site, quickly adding to it, and just did not need to worry about technical issues. I also agree that their tech support is excellent - quick, courteous, and right on target.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 10 user reviews
Easy, powerful, expandable.
Pros: Easy to use and fast
Cons: Some inflexibility for power users
Review: I use TypePad for my own blog (www.rafeneedleman.com) and find it very easy to use and manage. Well worth the very small price, especially since there's no enforced company branding on your blog as there is with Blogger.
Downside: Once you want to start adding features to your blog (like search, for example), it's not easy to put HTML code in your template. You have to resort to workarounds of the "TypeList" feature. On the other hand, there's a vibrant online community of TypePad users and you can pretty easily find the instructions and code you need online.
Downside: Once you want to start adding features to your blog (like search, for example), it's not easy to put HTML code in your template. You have to resort to workarounds of the "TypeList" feature. On the other hand, there's a vibrant online community of TypePad users and you can pretty easily find the instructions and code you need online.
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 10 user reviews
May not be worth the money
Pros: Don't know
Cons: Costs money
Review: Blogger.com is totally free and does everything I need. Check it out before you spend money on Type Pad.
