Best of the Bloggers (formerly Featured TypePad)

Favorite Blogs: Mexico Cooks interviews Lila Downs

2009-11-02T12:26:33-08:00

Lila Downs dominates the charts, and took a break from her Black Magic Woman tour to talk with Cristina, author of the super-successful TypePad blog Mexico Cooks! In an exclusive chat and photo session, the incredibly talented, beautiful and wildly popular Mexican-American singer Lila (pronounced LEE-lah) shares personal stories, marvelous music, and her thoughts on her newest project: a musical version of popular book and film Like Water For Chocolate.

"I'm really excited about this project." Lila drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. "So many things about this story remind me of life in Oaxaca, even though the book is set in the north of Mexico. Like Water for Chocolate has already had such huge success as a book and a film! It's just made for the musical stage. The work is a tremendous opportunity for us."

Lila Downs and Mexico Cooks! fans the world over will love this backstage look into Lila Downs’s life and songs.

Read Lila's interview at Mexico Cooks!

Best of the Bloggers: Life in a Venti Cup

2009-09-14T11:50:00-07:00

Glamour gal about town Franki of Life in A Venti Cup talks about her favorite blogs, her reasons she loves TypePad, and who was REALLY the first fan of Six Apart in her family.

How long have you been blogging with TypePad?
My husband likes to brag that he was one of the original SixApart fans and customers, but it took me a while to make the switch since I'd built up a good deal of content and traffic on my original blogging platform. I finally made the switch about two years ago and have never looked back.

What led you to choose TypePad as a blogging platform?
Many reasons! First, my traffic was growing at a pace where we knew it was time to migrate to a more sophisticated system. Additionally, I needed a more elegant way to manage comments and interact with readers. TypePad made it possible to connect with people in ways that my old system couldn't by providing me with their email address in addition to their blog URL. Another driver was TP's use of categories. At the time, my other blog wouldn't allow me to categorize my posts. This was a necessity for me, since my topics range from stilettos to Spanish tapas. Looking back it seems like such a basic feature, but when you don't have that capability it feels like a luxury. And last but not least, traffic. I don't have any metric or stats to back it up (you'd have to ask my husband who is way more focused on data and details), but making the switch boosted my traffic tremendously. Suddenly my posts were coming up in Google searches and new readers were coming my way daily.

In many ways that's when Life in a Venti Cup really took off. Those tiny improvements made it possible to really build and nurture those online relationships and ultimately to grow a single blog into a family of "venti" sites. It's been remarkable!

What’s your favorite comment/interaction from someone new you’ve had through your blog?
Too many to mention. It's worth mentioning, however, that most of the interaction doesn't take place on the blog. The blog ends up being a starting point for offline friendships. I've developed some close relationships with people around the world - all due to my blogs. We email, write letters, talk on the phone, send things to one another. But nothing compares to finally meeting in person. That's when the fun really begins!

Most recently a reader struck up an email conversation with me about a pair of Tory Burch high-heeled sandals. I'd grabbed two pair of these shoes on sale recently and she happened to wear the same size . Several emails later I was pulling together some things from my personal closet - including those sold out shoes - and sending them to her in South Africa! That's a long way for a girl to go to track down a shoe, but she did it! Best of all, we've now got this great connection and a great story to share. Little stories like this continue to reinforce how small our world is thanks to the marvels of technology.

Who are your top 5 favorite bloggers?
Oooh, this is a great question and a very difficult one to answer. Off the top of my head:

Joanna Goddard of Another Cup of Jo puts out consistently great content. She's warm, personable and seems like a close, fabulous girlfriend. Love her!
Ronda Carman of All the Best is another exceptional blogger. Stepping into her world is like entering an exclusive partly loaded with socialites and influentials. Here's a woman who consistently interviews bold faced names worthy of Page Six exposure. I'd love to see her list of contacts!
For my fix of remarkably pretty photographs I can always rely on This is Glamorous. The name of the blog says everything you need to know. If you are seeking glamour, be sure to visit her online world. And don't miss her more fashion focused Glamorous Little Side Project.
Another favorite is Paloma's wonderful blog La Dolce Vita. She does indeed show us everything we need for a sweet life. With Paloma you read as much for her warmth as you do for her wonderful imagery. She's another one of those blogger friends that you know you could spend the day shopping and lunching with and never skip a beat.
And because I love travel, Jen Laceda's Folie à Deux is a must. Globetrotter, fashionista and all around wonderful person to connect with. I just love Jen!
You've asked for only five, but I could go on at length. There are so many quality blogs out there deserving more exposure. I may need to expand this into a post! :)

Who would you recommend for your followers on your blog to start following?
Obviously, Aneta of Bobbin Talk is a popular choice for any fashionista to follow. She mixes it up with morsels of travel and dashes of street fashion. But a bit off the beaten path I've found Carrie of Boomacious. She offers a look at the more glamorous side of life, and I often find myself drooling over the photographs on her site. More recently I'm also following you, Ginevra! It's fun discovering new ways to reach out and meet new people. The "follow" feature is new, but hold a lot of promise in my opinion. I'm looking forward to having more time to play with it!

Favorite Blogs: Mowielicious

2009-09-08T09:11:59-07:00

We asked one of our favorite bloggers, Mowie from Mowielicious about his new food blog, his favorite bloggers, and how his blog has changed his life.

How long have you been blogging with TypePad?
- Almost a year now.

What led you to choose TypePad as a blogging platform?
- I'd been a fan of many other blogs, some by TypePad, they all looked really good, so I tried it along with a few other platforms, but I was most comfortable with TypePad - it was the most user-friendly for me.

Are there some cross-posts (so to speak) with your former blog and your new blog?
- I started out blogging about everything really, then moved on to travel, then restaurant recommendations, until I finally started food styling and food photography which finally feels like a perfect fit. I can't imagine doing anything else now with my life. Blogging has led me to start a portfolio, and hopefully I can use the blog as a platform to new & exciting things. I've already had a few offers for entrepreneurs opening restaurants, brides to be, and a couple of magazines, all that have seen and loved the photos on Mowielicious and wanting me to take photos for them. Who knows what's next around the corner.

What’s your favorite comment/interaction from someone new you’ve had through your blog?
- Being able to meet fascinating and amazingly creative new people, but there was one in specific where we just developed an amazing rapport from the start and have remained friends ever since!

Who are your favorite TypePad bloggers?
- A Creative Mint
- Ohlala Mag
- n-judah love song ;-)

Thanks, Mowie!

Guest Stars: Why I Use TypePad For Business Blogging

2009-08-24T12:19:33-07:00

I read this post from a link in the Twitterverse from TypePad Blogger Karin H, and asked her if I could repost it here for everyone to read.

Why I use Typepad for business "blogging"

I've lost count of how often it is asked (anywhere: forums, twitter, off line) which blog platform a small business can best use. Plenty of choices out there: from paid for online software, self-hosted 'free' software, free and hosted by software creator, to small and rather unknown WYSIWYG software. TypePad, Blogger, Wordpress.com (free and hosted by WP) and Wordpress.org (self hosted 'free' software) are the four most well know and most used platforms. I always discard Blogger and WordPress.com because of the limits they have - when used as web presence for small businesses - which leaves Typepad and WordPress.org.

As with everything online: you have raving fans for the one and equally raving fans for the other option. This review will focus on my own personal experiences with both platforms and why I recommend Typepad for business owners who want/need an easy to use, SEO ready and quick to edit/add platform.

Why would any business use a blog?

So far I've come up with 7 key reasons, see here for the long version

You're in control - always (not your web designer or IT department)
Better Listings On Google (BLOG)
It works in real simple syndication with online directories (RSS)
Notify your prospects/clients of new content instantly (email marketing)
Interact with your website visitors (throught the comment box)
Combine static website and "blog" on one platform (fixed page as 'front page')
Become known as "The Expert" (build trust by publishing good content in abundance)

No matter what type of business you are in, service or products, using a blog (or as I prefer to call it: a dynamic and interactive webpresence) is one of the fastest ways to grow your presence online in a sustainable and none-time consuming way. It depends on the amount of time you want to spend and your knowledge of IT, CSS and HTML which of the two most used blog platforms will suit you and your business best: "paid for" Typepad or self-hosted "free" WordPress.org.

Why Typepad?

TypePad (from Six Apart) is a "paid for" blog platform starting from $ 49.50 annually (+ £ 32.00) I normally recommend to opt for at least the Plus account for more functionality, although IMHO the Pro account gives you even more, such as creating you own template (without having to know much about CSS or html)
The software of WordPress.org is free to download, but you have to have your own domain, hosting and FTP access to set it up, the reason why I always place "quote marks" around the word free where it concerns this platform.

With a Typepad account the hosting is included where your account name is part of the domain name, e.g. http://woodyoulike.typepad.com/furniture/ From the Plus account on you can domain map any of your blogs on your own registered domain name (without the need of having FTP access) e.g. www.woodyoulikefurniture.co.uk
Or "mapping" your blog to a subdomain of your main domain will change the http://woodyoulike.typepad.com/tips/ to faq.woodyoulike.co.uk

Another pro for opting for Typepad is the included Technical Support that comes with any account type. Besides an extensive knowledge base you can submit tickets to the support team and it is my experience these are quickly and adequately addressed and answered.
WordPress.org is a free open source which has "how to" documentation on many items and forums on various subjects where you can ask for help from other users. However I found 2057 pages (x 31 questions) that received no answer at all. Fortunately there are many WordPress.org users who write blog posts and even training manuals for you, like my friend Martin Malden. (expert on all things WordPress.org)
"Free" is good, but in cases where you're stuck it pays to pay for support.

Speed and ease of creating your (first) "blog"

Typepad: 10 minutes tops from starting your 14 day free trial (by creating your account), editing your design and style of your (first) "blog" using one of the 1000 plus templates Typepad offers you to publishing your first page or post. I'm pretty experienced in setting this up, but all my blog-studio students never take any longer to do the same.

I've asked my friend Martin what his best ever time was to do the same with a WordPress blog (from downloading the software, uploading it to the server your domain name is hosted on to editing the css for one of the two standard templates and publishing a first page or post): 20 minutes (and he's very experienced in this). He does state that including searching, finding, uploading (1-click install on most hosting providers), editing a different theme and getting ready to publish a first post/page a "first timer" should allow for up to one hour.

Speed and ease of creating more than one blog on a single account.

Then there is the matter of creating a second (or third, fourth) blog (our business has two divisions: natural wooden flooring and natural wooden furniture - both with their own dedicated "blog" - and then there are various other subjects I write about - each with their own blog, our family blog plus the community blog we manage for our village).

With Typepad Plus account you can instantly create 3 individual blogs, with the Pro account it is absolutely "limited less" - limited only by bandwidth (10GB) and storage (1000MB). All individual blogs on your account can have their own specific design and settings AND share custom made side-bar items (the typelists).

Again, I asked my friend Martin Malden if you can manage more than 1 blog on WordPress.org account as easy as with Typepad. 'Fraid not: either you have to create a WordPress account per intended blog or download and install WordPress MultiUser. The readme text of this product starts with:

"WordPress MU is a multi user version of WordPress.
If you're not comfortable editing PHP code, taking care of a complex webserver and database system and being pro-active about following developments of this project then run, don't walk, to http://wordpress.com/ and sign yourself and your friends up to free blogs. It's easier in the long run and you'll save yourself a lot of pain and angst."

Third party widgets (plug-ins): one click only

Both Typepad and WordPress.org have standard widgets and allow you to add third party widgets to your blog (of which most will end up in your side-bar). Most third parties have "quick" install options to add their widget to the three most common blog platforms: Blogger, Typepad and WordPress. Clicking the Blogger or Typepad Quick Install options sends you to your existing account and the widget is automagically added to your side-bar items. Quick install = log-in - drag new widget to where you want it to show in the side bar (Design - Organise Content).

WordPress.org account holders are directed to an instruction manual because the widget (plug-in) has to be uploaded to the plug-in folder of their self-hosted domain and from there it can be activated through the WordPress account. Quick install = download - upload - activate - drag new widget (plug-in) to where you want it to show in the side-bar (Presentation - Widgets)

Automated improvements - new versions

Another advantage IMHO that a paid for blog platform like Typepad gives you is not having to download, upload and activate newer versions than you first started with. WordPress.org is on stable release 2.8.4 at the moment and have improved the Automatic Upgrade but you still have to deactivate all your plug-ins.
I know that plenty of WordPress.org users are still on the version they originally installed because to the 'hassle' and time involved having to go 'through it' all over again. (Friend of mine is still on version 2.2.2 and told me he truly cannot find the time to upgrade).

Typepad is constantly evolving its features, options and possibilities. Once everything is de-bugged through the Beta-team everyone having a Typepad account automagically benefits from the newer version without having to lift a finger.

SEO ready

Both Typepad and WordPress.org platforms are SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) ready. To be honest the speed of how quick one of my new blogs gets indexed by Google and other search engines keeps amazing me. My latest project had one of the posts listed on page 1 within 2 days! (On a Google.com search that brought up 5,310,000 results).

Improving search results on both platforms are easy, add relevant keywords and/or tags to your posts and pages - besides of course your overall general keywords and key phrases that are relevant to the subject of your blog. Alt Text (text behind an image or a link on your blog) can be added easily too on both platforms.

Plus all blogs come with an integrated RSS feed (Real Simple Syndication): an standardised format to easily share headlines and content online. Regard it as a "What's new on your site" automated feature. It also means your blog content is picked up by many more online services and channels than just search engines.
Side-note: 'burning' your blog feed through Feedburner gives you plenty of more options to be picked up and shared than just relying on the rss feed on its own.

Integrating a blog with a standard site in one go

Many businesses already have a website - designed and managed by a web designer - over which they hardly have any control (at least that's the complaint I hear often). Adding new content to the site takes communication between owner and designer, time from the designer and money from the business owner.
You can add a blog to any existing website and start managing your frequently to be updated content yourself. All your designer has to do is add a link on your website to the blog.

There is however a more simpler way: set up your blog as if it is your standard website (with fixed pages) and use the 'blog-index' feature as integrated blog.
Three big advantages here:

total control for the business owner on content, frequency of updating and layout
design and layout for both the 'standard' website and the 'blog' are exactly the same
both 'standard' website and blog profit from the benefits a blog platform gives you.

A few (IMHO) fine examples:

Plumbing & Heating Service in Glasgow (note how Tony informs his potential clients about every aspect that is involved in the works without any 'hard sell') - "Need to know" is the blog-index

Better Water Solutions (again note how Peter too informs everyone about issues and even news items regarding fresh water supply to your home) - "Tips, Advice & FAQ's" is the blog-index

Community website: Lovely Charing where "What's On and News" is the blog-index informing the village and the Charing Businesses there's always something going on. Using an AWeber blog-broadcast brings every new article straight to the inbox of everyone who subscribed to the so-called blog or news-alerts.

Conclusion

As said in the beginning of this article: both blog platforms have raving fans.
My own opinion is that if you are looking for:

a simple,
easy to implement and manage blog platform
that has standard 1000+ design templates to choose from (which all can be combined with 10 different standard lay-outs)
that comes with many added extras without having to upgrade to a newer version
and which gives you instant results

Definitely Go for TypePad .

Thanks, Karin!

Favorite Blogs: Soulemama

2009-08-17T14:20:37-07:00

Amanda Soule is a TypePad blogger and author, and a driving force in the TypePad community. We did a quick Q&A with her about her blog, her latest book, and who in the TypePad world you should be keeping up with!

Q: How long have you been blogging with TypePad?
A: I've been blogging with TypePad since February of 2005.

Q: What led you to choose TypePad as a blogging platform?
A: I actually began blogging before then with another platform, but moved to TypePad so that I could have more control over the appearance of my blog. The ability to customize my blog as much as I do with Typepad is really important to me (and I know there's a lot I haven't even tapped into yet!).

Q: How have your blog and your book helped each other to be successful?
I think they've worked together well - people seem to both led to my books from the blog, as well as brought to the blog from the books! The blog, though, is where "it all began" so to speak - it's through the blog that I was originally contacted by a book publisher and began writing books. The blog has continued (nearly every day for four and a half years!) to move along on it's own journey, but it's also been a space where I can share news, updates and conversations related to the book projects I'm working on. Recently, with the release of Handmade Home, I've been doing a little bit of 'behind the scenes' posts about the book, which has been a really fun way to bridge the blog and books.

Q: Are there some cross-posts (so to speak) with your blog and your book? Content that has developed from one to the other and “bridged the gap”, as it were?
Oftentimes, blog posts will be a jumping off point for something that later ends up in a book project. And certainly, writing the blog has been an amazing daily practice in writing itself, so it feeds the books that way.

Q: What’s your favorite comment/interaction from someone new you’ve had through your blog?
A: It's always a treat and a sweet surprise to find out that someone I respect and admire is a reader of my blog. I've "met" so many beautiful people all over the world through this world of blogging - it's amazing, really, how blogging has the power to build connections and community in the ways that it does. I'm so grateful for it.

Q: Who would you recommend that people who like your blog can follow on TypePad?
I don't actually read a lot of blogs, as most of my time online is spent writing, working, and blogging! Kind of ironic, I know. But I do read a few - a combination of friends who I love checking in on, and a few that inspire me so much I just have to check in each day. Here's some TypePad blogs that readers of mine might like too:
Angry Chicken, Ali Edwards, Elsa Mora, Beauty that Moves, Apples for Poppy Anne, Sew Liberated, House Wren Studio, and The Little Travelers.

Favorite Blogs: One Dollar For George

2009-06-29T16:43:28-07:00

Lighten Up Bikes' motto is "biking is fun. fun is good." which I totally agree with. The latest cool project they're doing is helping George, an Atlanta local who collects cans to supplement his social security income, to get a bike made specifically for that purpose. George is a 62 year old Vietnam vet, and in the words of the blog:

"This is George. George lives in SW Atlanta. He collects cans by the roadside and hauls his load on this bicycle. Last night, I received an email from my friend Ken that simply said "we gotta get George a Mundo". To which I replied, "Who the hell is George?". To which Ken replied, "dude george the guy who hauls all the cans on his bike up and down murphy". One dollar for George was born."

They're not telling George that they're raising money for his new bike - they're just hoping to get him one, one dollar at a time - and it takes about 100 cans to get $1. Do you have a dollar for George's new bike?

Visit One Dollar for George.

Favorite Blogs: Geek and Poke

2009-06-16T14:41:39-07:00

Geek and Poke is a blog/comic strip about the slings and arrows of working in the tech world.

Want to know what it is that geeks love? Or think about how the Facebook generation interacts on the playground?

There's a cool slideshow, interesting graphics, and a whizbang “geo counter” that shows where everyone is posting from, all over the world.

Visit Geek And Poke.

Best of The Bloggers: Amazon Blogs

2009-05-27T10:43:34-07:00

Amazon.com is ubiquitous these days - but did you know they've got a whole network of blogs hosted on TypePad? ChordStrike, a music blog, just posted an interview with Tori Amos, and Al Dente, a food blog, can tempt your tastebuds with a birthday Oreo trifle. You can customize which blogs you want to appear on your Amazon Daily dashboard, and sift through which posts are the most relevant to you: video games, home and family, gadgetry, or dozens of other topics.

Do you have a favorite online shop with a blog, or a bookstore blog that's helping you find new things to read? Let us know in the comments.

Favorite Blogs: fffabulous.com

2009-05-11T11:30:32-07:00

fffabulous.com is a great example of how professional—or should I say fffabulous? a TypePad blog can look.

fffabulous.com uses the Minimialist Pink template we recommend in our Design section; and with a bit of personalization, it just looks like it's been custom-made. fffabulous.com is all about fffavorites that one must try out and own, whether it's about the perfect pair of jeans, trendy shoes, or beauty products, or even men's or baby stuff. You can also find the perfect gift ideas for the fffabulous person in your life.

Visit fffabulous.com.

Favorite Blogs: Daily Routines

2009-05-04T09:32:34-07:00

Daily Routines is just that: a chronicle of the daily routines of the great writers, artists and thinkers, straight from their pages to you. That's the singular common thread, as the gamut of routines runs from early risers to late-night boozehounds: the struggles of Capote to do so much as to get vertical during his day, Kingsley Amis' battle against the afternoon doldrums, Toni Morrison's love of the pre-dawn.

You may have heard about Daily Routines from all the praise it's been getting online lately, including from influential TypePad blogs like the Times and Andrew Sullivan (and MT-powered perennnial fave BoingBoing).

A favorite exchange of mine is a quote from an interview with Arthur Miller.

INTERVIEWER
Do you have a routine for writing?

MILLER
I wish I had a routine for writing. I get up in the morning and I go out to my studio and I write. And then I tear it up! That's the routine, really. Then, occasionally, something sticks. And then I follow that. The only image I can think of is a man walking around with an iron rod in his hand during a lightning storm.

Visit Daily Routines.