TypePad® for Dummies®

TypePad® for Dummies®

Released February 2010
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9780470550946

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Book description

Eager to start blogging? Find out how TypePad makes it easy and fun!

If you've been thinking about breaking into the blogo-sphere but didn't know where to start, you've come to the right place. First, you'll get some pointers on what blogging's all about and how to develop your online identity. Then you'll find out how TypePad works, how to use TypeLists and widgets, and what it takes to make your blog a huge success!

  • Blogging 101 — if you haven't blogged before, explore the why and how of blogging and learn to find your niche

  • Your TypePad account — discover how to set one up, create your Profile, choose settings, and track visitors

  • Ready, set, blog! — write your first posts, format the text, add images, and set keywords

  • Make it your own — find out about TypePad tools that let you customize your blog to suit your readers and your subject matter

  • Import options — transfer an existing blog to TypePad

  • Money making tips — learn how to make money with ads and paid posts, and what your blog needs to attract advertisers

  • Your blog has friends — see how to use Facebook®, Twitter®, and other social media to promote your blog

  • For the geek blogger — explore Advanced Templates and ways to customize with code

    • Open the book and find:

  • A primer on blogging etiquette

  • How to add photo albums and galleries

  • Cool ways to beef up your blog with TypeLists

  • Things to do with widgets

  • Tips for good blog posts

  • How to encourage comments from visitors

  • Ten interesting TypePad blogs to explore

  • Advice on managing your blog community

    • Learn to:

  • Start blogging with TypePad

  • Select the best pricing plan for you and your blog

  • Personalize your blog

  • Take advantage of TypePad's built-in SEO features and templates

    •

    Table of contents

    1. Copyright
    2. About the Authors
    3. Authors' Acknowledgments
    4. Publisher's Acknowledgments
    5. Introduction
      1. About This Book
      2. Conventions Used in This Book
      3. What You're Not to Read
      4. Foolish Assumptions
      5. How This Book Is Organized
        1. Part I: The Basics of Blogging
        2. Part II: Getting Started with TypePad
        3. Part III: Adding Useful Elements to Your TypePad Blog
        4. Part IV: Taking Your Blog to the Next Level
        5. Part V: The Part of Tens
        6. Appendixes
      6. Icons Used in This Book
      7. Where to Go from Here
    6. I. The Basics of Blogging
      1. 1. Understanding Blogging and TypePad
        1. 1.1. Dynamics of Blogging
          1. 1.1.1. What is a blog?
          2. 1.1.2. Why do people blog?
            1. 1.1.2.1. Blogging for fun
            2. 1.1.2.2. Blogging for business
          3. 1.1.3. Building a blogging community
            1. 1.1.3.1. Understanding online community
            2. 1.1.3.2. Engaging effectively in the online community
            3. 1.1.3.3. Setting standards
            4. 1.1.3.4. Considering privacy issues
          4. 1.1.4. Finding an online identity
            1. 1.1.4.1. Using your own voice
            2. 1.1.4.2. Choosing a name for your blog
        2. 1.2. Understanding Blogging Technologies
          1. 1.2.1. Rich Text
          2. 1.2.2. RSS feeds
          3. 1.2.3. Search engine optimization (SEO)
          4. 1.2.4. Hosted versus self-hosted blogging platforms
      2. 2. The Benefits of TypePad
        1. 2.1. Discovering the History of TypePad
        2. 2.2. Blogging for Personal or Business Use with TypePad
          1. 2.2.1. Pros
          2. 2.2.2. Cons
        3. 2.3. Choosing the Right TypePad Blogging Package
          1. 2.3.1. Micro
          2. 2.3.2. Pro Plus
          3. 2.3.3. Pro Unlimited
          4. 2.3.4. Business Class
        4. 2.4. Discovering TypePad's Technical Support Services
    7. II. Getting Started with TypePad
      1. 3. Creating Your TypePad Account and Profile
        1. 3.1. Signing Up for a TypePad Account
          1. 3.1.1. TypePad Micro
          2. 3.1.2. TypePad Pro
        2. 3.2. Signing In to Your TypePad Account
        3. 3.3. Creating Your TypePad Profile
          1. 3.3.1. Sharing your personal information
          2. 3.3.2. Uploading your userpic
          3. 3.3.3. Connecting your Profile to the rest of the Web
      2. 4. Touring the TypePad Dashboard
        1. 4.1. Understanding the Navigation Bars
        2. 4.2. Locating Your TypePad Library
          1. 4.2.1. Finding photo albums
          2. 4.2.2. Navigating TypeLists
          3. 4.2.3. Managing stored files
        3. 4.3. Editing Your TypePad Account Information
          1. 4.3.1. Summary tab
          2. 4.3.2. Notifications tab
          3. 4.3.3. Billing Info tab
          4. 4.3.4. About Me Page tab
            1. 4.3.4.1. TypePad's default About Me page
            2. 4.3.4.2. Your own HTML page
            3. 4.3.4.3. Your TypePad Profile
            4. 4.3.4.4. A personally constructed About Me page
          5. 4.3.5. Other Accounts tab
          6. 4.3.6. Password Protection tab
          7. 4.3.7. Domain Mapping tab
          8. 4.3.8. TypeKey API tab
        4. 4.4. Getting Help
          1. 4.4.1. Using the Knowledge Base
          2. 4.4.2. Submitting a help ticket
        5. 4.5. Using Quick Compose
        6. 4.6. Locating Your List of Blogs
        7. 4.7. Answering the Question of the Day
      3. 5. Creating Your First Blog
        1. 5.1. Choosing Your Basic Blog Settings
          1. 5.1.1. Basics tab
          2. 5.1.2. SEO tab
          3. 5.1.3. Sharing tab
          4. 5.1.4. Stats tab
          5. 5.1.5. Feeds tab
          6. 5.1.6. Posts tab
          7. 5.1.7. Categories tab
          8. 5.1.8. Comments tab
          9. 5.1.9. Authors tab
          10. 5.1.10. Post by Email tab
          11. 5.1.11. Import/Export tab
        2. 5.2. Managing Your Design
        3. 5.3. Checking Your Stats in the Overview
        4. 5.4. Finding Existing Posts
        5. 5.5. Managing Existing Comments
        6. 5.6. Creating More Than One Blog in Your TypePad Account
      4. 6. Writing and Editing Your Blog Posts
        1. 6.1. Composing Your First Blog Post
        2. 6.2. Formatting Your Text
        3. 6.3. Inserting Extras into Your Blog Posts
          1. 6.3.1. Inserting links using the Compose editor toolbar
          2. 6.3.2. Inserting images using the Compose editor toolbar
          3. 6.3.3. Inserting documents using the Compose editor toolbar
          4. 6.3.4. Inserting files using File Manager
            1. 6.3.4.1. Creating a link to a file using File Manager
            2. 6.3.4.2. Inserting an image using File Manager
          5. 6.3.5. Inserting video and audio files to your post
        4. 6.4. Organizing Your Posts Using Categories
        5. 6.5. Configuring Post Options
          1. 6.5.1. Publishing, saving, or scheduling?
          2. 6.5.2. Changing the timestamp on your post
          3. 6.5.3. Displaying your comments
          4. 6.5.4. Using trackbacks
          5. 6.5.5. Setting keywords for your post
          6. 6.5.6. Customizing a post excerpt
          7. 6.5.7. Featuring blog posts
          8. 6.5.8. Using the Share This Post option
        6. 6.6. Editing Existing Posts
        7. 6.7. Understanding the Difference between Posts and Pages
      5. 7. Interacting on Your Blog
        1. 7.1. Inviting Users to Comment on Your Blog
        2. 7.2. Standard Commenting versus TypePad Connect[K1]
          1. 7.2.1. Options offered by both
            1. 7.2.1.1. Sign in
            2. 7.2.1.2. Comment moderation
            3. 7.2.1.3. Autoclose
            4. 7.2.1.4. CAPTCHA
            5. 7.2.1.5. Allow HTML
            6. 7.2.1.6. Auto-link[K3] URL
            7. 7.2.1.7. Sort comment order
            8. 7.2.1.8. Userpics
            9. 7.2.1.9. Number of comments per page
            10. 7.2.1.10. E-mail notification
            11. 7.2.1.11. Accepting or rejecting new comments
            12. 7.2.1.12. Accept or reject trackbacks
          2. 7.2.2. What makes them different
            1. 7.2.2.1. Threaded comments
            2. 7.2.2.2. E-mailed responses posted in comment section
            3. 7.2.2.3. Replying from the comment section
            4. 7.2.2.4. Comment sharing through social media
        3. 7.3. Establishing Settings for Your Desired Commenting Option
          1. 7.3.1. Configuring settings for the standard commenting format
          2. 7.3.2. Configuring settings for TypePad Connect
        4. 7.4. Managing Existing Comments
          1. 7.4.1. Taking action with your comments
          2. 7.4.2. Taking action with trackbacks
          3. 7.4.3. Blocking comments
          4. 7.4.4. Replying to your readers' comments
    8. III. Adding Useful Elements to Your TypePad Blog
      1. 8. Using TypeLists and Widgets
        1. 8.1. Understanding the Different TypeLists
        2. 8.2. Creating New TypeLists for Your Blog
          1. 8.2.1. Creating a Links TypeList
          2. 8.2.2. Creating a Notes TypeList
          3. 8.2.3. Adding a Books TypeList
          4. 8.2.4. Adding an Album TypeList
        3. 8.3. Editing and Configuring an Existing TypeList
          1. 8.3.1. Managing settings for a TypeList
          2. 8.3.2. Editing a TypeList
          3. 8.3.3. Publishing a TypeList
          4. 8.3.4. Searching a TypeList
          5. 8.3.5. Deleting a TypeList
        4. 8.4. Finding Creative Uses for TypeLists
          1. 8.4.1. Product recommendations
          2. 8.4.2. Your favorite blogs
          3. 8.4.3. Your favorite Web sites
          4. 8.4.4. Places to go
          5. 8.4.5. Share more about your blog
          6. 8.4.6. Other places readers can find you
        5. 8.5. Adding Blog Functions with Widgets
          1. 8.5.1. Understanding widgets
          2. 8.5.2. Using the Embed Your Own HTML widget
          3. 8.5.3. Finding and activating new widgets
          4. 8.5.4. Turning widgets off and on
      2. 9. Adding Multimedia to Your Blog
        1. 9.1. Creating Photo Albums and Galleries
          1. 9.1.1. Choosing your photo album design
            1. 9.1.1.1. Overview
            2. 9.1.1.2. Layout
            3. 9.1.1.3. Content
            4. 9.1.1.4. Style
          2. 9.1.2. Choosing your photo album settings
            1. 9.1.2.1. Basics
            2. 9.1.2.2. Advanced
          3. 9.1.3. Optimizing images for the Web
          4. 9.1.4. Should I use JPG, GIF, or PNG? And what's the difference?
        2. 9.2. Podcasting on TypePad
          1. 9.2.1. Linking from File Manager
          2. 9.2.2. Using <embed> code
        3. 9.3. Adding Video to Your Blog
          1. 9.3.1. Sharing video from a third-party site
          2. 9.3.2. Linking to or embedding a video
          3. 9.3.3. Sharing video from File Manager
            1. 9.3.3.1. Link from File Manager
            2. 9.3.3.2. Insert your video as a file
            3. 9.3.3.3. Use <embed> code
      3. 10. Exploring Social Media
        1. 10.1. Understanding Key Social Media Sites
        2. 10.2. Adding Your Social Networks to Your Blog
          1. 10.2.1. Twitter
          2. 10.2.2. Facebook
            1. 10.2.2.1. Managing your news feed with lists
            2. 10.2.2.2. Untagging unflattering or unprofessional photos
          3. 10.2.3. FriendFeed
          4. 10.2.4. Publishing Flickr photos on your blog
            1. 10.2.4.1. Post Flickr pictures via TypePad
            2. 10.2.4.2. Post Flickr pictures through Flickr
            3. 10.2.4.3. Display a Flickr slideshow within a post
            4. 10.2.4.4. Use Flickr applications
        3. 10.3. Using Bit.ly Links to Track Social Media Traffic
        4. 10.4. Understanding and Using Social Bookmarking
          1. 10.4.1. StumbleUpon
          2. 10.4.2. Kirtsy
          3. 10.4.3. Digg
          4. 10.4.4. Delicious
      4. 11. Finding and Using a TypePad Theme
        1. 11.1. Grasping Basic Design Principles
          1. 11.1.1. Consider your voice
          2. 11.1.2. Be consistent
          3. 11.1.3. Use color well
          4. 11.1.4. Incorporate change wisely
          5. 11.1.5. Make your posts easy on the eyes
          6. 11.1.6. Minimize the clutter
          7. 11.1.7. Keep things moving left to right
        2. 11.2. Locating and Navigating the Design Tab
          1. 11.2.1. Your current design
          2. 11.2.2. Create a new design
          3. 11.2.3. Your designs
        3. 11.3. Finding and Applying a TypePad Theme
          1. 11.3.1. Browsing the available TypePad themes
          2. 11.3.2. Applying your chosen theme
        4. 11.4. Selecting the Layout of Your Theme
        5. 11.5. Choosing and Ordering the Content Modules on Your Blog
          1. 11.5.1. Selecting the modules to include
          2. 11.5.2. Arranging the modules on the page
            1. 11.5.2.1. Sidebars
            2. 11.5.2.2. Navigation bar
            3. 11.5.2.3. Main content column
            4. 11.5.2.4. Blog footer
        6. 11.6. Using the Theme Builder
          1. 11.6.1. Banner
            1. 11.6.1.1. Text or Image subsection
            2. 11.6.1.2. Background and Border subsection
          2. 11.6.2. General
            1. 11.6.2.1. General Settings subsection
            2. 11.6.2.2. Main Content Column subsection
            3. 11.6.2.3. Right Column and/or Left Column subsection
            4. 11.6.2.4. Links subsection
          3. 11.6.3. Posts
            1. 11.6.3.1. Date Header subsection
            2. 11.6.3.2. Post Title subsection
            3. 11.6.3.3. Post Body subsection
            4. 11.6.3.4. Post Footer subsection
          4. 11.6.4. Sidebar modules
            1. 11.6.4.1. Sidebar Title subsection
            2. 11.6.4.2. Sidebar Items subsection
            3. 11.6.4.3. Sidebar Images subsection
            4. 11.6.4.4. Sidebar Links subsection
        7. 11.7. Inserting an Image into Your Sidebar
          1. 11.7.1. Inserting a sidebar image using a Notes TypeList
          2. 11.7.2. Inserting an image using the Embed Your Own HTML widget
          3. 11.7.3. Understanding the sidebar image HTML
        8. 11.8. Managing Existing Designs
          1. 11.8.1. Customizing a saved design
          2. 11.8.2. Taking other actions on a saved design
            1. 11.8.2.1. Preview
            2. 11.8.2.2. Duplicate
            3. 11.8.2.3. Delete
    9. IV. Taking Your Blog to the Next Level
      1. 12. Making Money with Your Blog
        1. 12.1. Understanding How You Can Make Money with Your Blog
          1. 12.1.1. Sidebar advertisements
          2. 12.1.2. Affiliate advertising
          3. 12.1.3. Paid blog posts
          4. 12.1.4. Other projects
        2. 12.2. Making Your Blog Attractive to Advertisers
        3. 12.3. Using TypePad's Own Advertising Program
        4. 12.4. Running Your Own Advertising Campaign
          1. 12.4.1. Create a media kit
          2. 12.4.2. Set your prices, terms, and conditions
      2. 13. Importing, Exporting, and Archiving
        1. 13.1. Understanding TypePad's Import and Export Options
        2. 13.2. Importing an Existing Blog to TypePad
          1. 13.2.1. Importing a TypePad or Movable Type blog
          2. 13.2.2. Importing a WordPress.com blog
          3. 13.2.3. Importing a WordPress.org blog
        3. 13.3. Creating an Export of Your TypePad Blog
      3. 14. Tweaking Your TypePad Theme with Custom CSS or Advanced Templates
        1. 14.1. Choosing Custom CSS or Advanced Templates
        2. 14.2. Using Custom CSS
          1. 14.2.1. Using your own banner
          2. 14.2.2. Changing your blog's background
            1. 14.2.2.1. Repeat horizontally and vertically
            2. 14.2.2.2. Repeat horizontally
            3. 14.2.2.3. Repeat vertically
            4. 14.2.2.4. No repeat
          3. 14.2.3. Removing the border around your custom banner
          4. 14.2.4. Fine-tuning your navigation bar
          5. 14.2.5. Changing the font, style, and color of the post heading
          6. 14.2.6. Changing column widths
            1. 14.2.6.1. Two-column, sidebar on the right
            2. 14.2.6.2. Two-column, sidebar on the left
            3. 14.2.6.3. Three-column, main content in the middle of two sidebars
            4. 14.2.6.4. Three-column, with both sidebars on the right
        3. 14.3. Using Advanced Templates
          1. 14.3.1. Installing Advanced Templates
          2. 14.3.2. Understanding your templates
            1. 14.3.2.1. Index templates
            2. 14.3.2.2. Template modules
          3. 14.3.3. Installing a custom banner image
          4. 14.3.4. Changing the navigation bar
            1. 14.3.4.1. Including additional links in your navigation bar
            2. 14.3.4.2. Using icons as your navigation bar links
          5. 14.3.5. Adding widgets and TypeLists in Advanced Templates
            1. 14.3.5.1. Adding a widget
            2. 14.3.5.2. Adding a TypeList
          6. 14.3.6. Changing your picture
          7. 14.3.7. Deleting or replacing the post-title asterisk
    10. V. The Part of Tens
      1. 15. Ten Tips and Tricks
        1. 15.1. Set Reasonable, Measurable Goals
        2. 15.2. Use an Editorial Calendar
        3. 15.3. Keep Solid Records
        4. 15.4. Submit Your Site to Directories
        5. 15.5. Use the Blog It Widget
        6. 15.6. Blog Offline with Windows Live Writer
        7. 15.7. Post via Your Phone
        8. 15.8. Protect Your Writing
        9. 15.9. Protect Your Images
          1. 15.9.1. Use a watermark
          2. 15.9.2. Shrink-wrap your images
        10. 15.10. Offer E-Mail Subscriptions
      2. 16. Ten Places to Find TypePad Resources
        1. 16.1. Everything TypePad Blog
        2. 16.2. Six Apart Status Blog
        3. 16.3. TypePad Small Business Center
        4. 16.4. TypePad Beta Blog
        5. 16.5. Six Apart Professional Network
        6. 16.6. TypePad Services
        7. 16.7. Get Satisfaction TypePad User Forum
        8. 16.8. Six Apart's Twitter Feed
        9. 16.9. Blogging Basics 101
        10. 16.10. Build a Better Blog
      3. 17. Ten Bloggers Using TypePad Well
        1. 17.1. Allsorts
        2. 17.2. Career Hub
        3. 17.3. Eat Local Challenge
        4. 17.4. Economist's View
        5. 17.5. Finslippy
        6. 17.6. Hey There's a Dead Guy In the Living Room
        7. 17.7. Money Saving Mom
        8. 17.8. Raisin Toast
        9. 17.9. Smart Dog
        10. 17.10. HELLO My Name Is Heather
      4. 18. Ten Blogging Etiquette Tips
        1. 18.1. Link Frequently and Accurately
        2. 18.2. Don't Overly Promote Yourself in Someone Else's Comment Section
        3. 18.3. Don't Ask for Reciprocal Links
        4. 18.4. Give Others the Benefit of the Doubt
        5. 18.5. Leave Comments Freely at Other Blogs
        6. 18.6. Be Up Front Where Products Are Concerned
        7. 18.7. Consider the Privacy of the People You Blog About
        8. 18.8. Consider Your Readers' Best Interest
        9. 18.9. Manage the E-Mail Issue Well
        10. 18.10. Think Before You Post
      5. A. Domain Mapping
        1. A.1. Understanding Domain Names
          1. A.1.1. Validation
          2. A.1.2. Branding
          3. A.1.3. Marketing
        2. A.2. Choosing a Domain Name
        3. A.3. Searching For and Buying Your Domain Name
          1. A.3.1. GoDaddy
          2. A.3.2. Network Solutions
          3. A.3.3. Yahoo! Small Business
          4. A.3.4. PairNIC
        4. A.4. Mapping Your Domain Name to Your TypePad Account
          1. A.4.1. Begin the domain-mapping process
          2. A.4.2. Change your domain's DNS record
            1. A.4.2.1. GoDaddy
            2. A.4.2.2. Network Solutions
            3. A.4.2.3. Yahoo! Small Business
            4. A.4.2.4. PairNIC
          3. A.4.3. Finish the domain-mapping process
        5. A.5. Deactivating Domain Mapping
      6. B. Third-Party Stat Counters
        1. B.1. Understanding Basic Traffic Terminology
        2. B.2. Choosing a Stat Counter
        3. B.3. Implementing FeedBurner
          1. B.3.1. Getting started
          2. B.3.2. Understanding your FeedBurner stats
        4. B.4. Incorporating Google Analytics
          1. B.4.1. Using Google Analytics tools
          2. B.4.2. Navigating your Google Analytics Dashboard
          3. B.4.3. Doing more with Google Analytics
            1. B.4.3.1. Setting and tracking goals
            2. B.4.3.2. Tracking click-throughs
          4. B.4.4. Finding out more about Google Analytics

    Product information

    • Title: TypePad® for Dummies®
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: February 2010
    • Publisher(s): For Dummies
    • ISBN: 9780470550946