As a hosted solution TypePad is a nice compromise between ease of use & power. It’s given me wonderful service and is largely the reason this blog exists. I had access to the resources to create a web-page before TypePad but never bothered. TypePad made it easy to create and publish without the hassle of hosting, learning publishing platforms or coding websites. I can’t even spell HMTL and while I sort of know what CSS does I don’t want to touch it.
But there is a problem with TypePad. From here it appears to be “the little brother nobody notices anymore”. Lack of development to the core management system makes it seem like the resource at SixApart is focused on conquering new frontiers, like Vox, or dealing with acquisitions, Rojo is the latest, while nothing much changes at TypePad.
Recent updates have been largely Widget based that, while nice, merge tools created by third parties to the slightly stale TypePad core. This isn’t an “I hate TypePad and I’m out of here” moan. I really do like it and will continue using it but it would be nice to see it developed further. So here is my wish-list for a few changes that would enhance TypePad for me.
- The Editor;
- No problems here but maybe because I rarely use it as author all posts in BlogJet.
- I have found the formatted view doesn’t cope with long or complex posts that BlogJet easily handles. They load then give a message “Formatting too complex” and only show the HTML code view.
- RSS Feeds per category?
- Improved “Photo Albums”?
- Tags?
- Slide-show feature?
- Support more formats including “web-graphic documents” like PDF and Design Web Format in Albums.
- Add better download for zip based files. Currently TypePad changes the extension of some to .zip when you download. Current examples of this :
- MindManager Map format .mmap
- Google Earth Place-marks/locations .Kmz
- I wonder if the zip/xml Office 2007 files will be the same?
- Typelists:
- Dump the media Typelists and adopt the superior media catalog system from Vox (but migrate my current content)
- I have some lists without titles as they don’t need them but they are hard to identify in the TypePad Management system as display as “ “. I’d like a toggle to hide the Title when the list is published.
- Comment & Trackbacks;
- Why not make more use of TypeKey? It’s good, even if it logs me out every few days, but is hardly used by TypePad;
- Use TypeKey to ID Authors.
- Currently I go thru the same painful system to reply to comments – entering the catchpa – and then have to login and “approve” my own comments within TypePads management system to publish to my own blog!
- If TypeKey does what it claims once logged in you already know it’s me. Associate my TypePad and TypeKey Login so that my comments to my blog are published without needing my approval.
- Allow me to configure “trusted” TypeKey commenters in TypePad who also bypass catchpa & Author Approval.
- Allow me to easily configure what information submitted by commenters is published. I think the default should be to publish web address & hide, but require, email address but this is not possible now.
- Allow commenters to get update of new comments via email or Comments RSS feed.
- Files & Posts
- What about “Explorer-like” file management with Drag n Drop or some other method to upload of multiple files/folders to allow easier publishing of multi-file HTML exports/media from other applications.
- Full Backup; Allow full backup of the posts, files and templates etc (i.e. structure). It’s not that I don’t trust you with my content but I do want a local archive of it.
- UPDATE 23–10–2006: Fix the weird extra line spaces that sometimes occur as they have on this post would also be nice!
Some of these are possible now if you use advanced templates and hack code but the whole point of TypePad is you don’t want that hassle. I read Movable Type & Wordpress blogs and their talk of “redoing Templates”, Application and Plug-in upgrades etc is one thing I can live without. So what about it, anyone listening?
